What is the relationship between audience and content in public history projects?
Over my time not just in this class, but working in museums, I have learned that audience matters. Deciding what the target audience is and how to reach them is so important to the message or goal of the project. It would be amazing if everyone was able to connect with any content, but that is unrealistic. There is a working relationship between the two however. If the content doesn’t come across correctly to the intended group, I can’t just say “oh well.” I have to find a way to improve. Plus, there are times when the audience gives me more information than I expected, shaping how the project grows and develops. In module one of this class we started by asking what the field of DH and Public History looks like, as a career path and demography.
Scopes or lens to see with
In the first module I was reminded that there is a wide range of goals for a project. When thinking of a site (digital or physical) there are just so many factors to consider. The first is what the target audience is. Then the creator has to decide if they are going to cater to those outside the target. In the second module, there was a review of some DH projects over the years with many different goals. The projects ranged from 1998 to 2020, and they have showed a change in DH and museums over time with a wide array of topics.
There were walking tours like The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory which focuses on people who live in or are visiting Chicago to get out and explore the city. This project that relays on a target audience of active people, which is not bad, just something to keep in mind. With projects like “Raid on Deerfield” are also quite interesting because they aim for a wide audience with different parts of their site. There is a story menu, a timeline, educational resources, and songs to listen to as a way to learn more about the native people’s culture. This has a bigger audience than the last as the site works around things like travel.
Imagining your audience
That gets us into module three, which I started to talk about in my last blog post. I had to think of a specific person that is part of my target audience and see if that project plan would make sense to them. I am really glad I tried this because it got me outside of my own head. Currently would at a museum did help as I recognized quickly that today alone I have seen people of every age group and they each took something very different away from my historical interpretation. This is not a bad thing by any means, just something to be cautious of as the project continues.