HistoryIT Blog
discussing digital history
Every year the Fraternity Communications Association (FCA) presents awards to fraternities and sororities for excellence in communication ranging from best alumni/alumnae engagement to social media engagement, annual report and so on. We are pleased to share that this year, Alpha Phi sorority received an award for their digital museum — the result of their partnership with HistoryIT.
[Read more…] about Alpha Phi’s Digital Museum Receives Industry Award
Past Masters is HistoryIT’s new vlog series created to offer a more visual and personal account of our history saving journeys. From the beginning, we wanted HistoryIT to be an organization that helped bridge the gap between past and present, by telling not just facts, but stories. Through our digital museums, we’ve been able to tap into the emotions of history, uncovering hidden moments that make for compelling narratives. Join us throughout the year for our behind-the-scenes look into historic preservation.
“Who controls the past controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past.”
This quote, from George Orwell’s 1984, refers to the concept that past events continue to exist only through two means: human memories and written (or digital) records. In the book, the protagonist’s job is to revise historical records to make the past conform to what the government wants it to be.
One of the joys of studying history is stumbling across surprising stories. The tangents we go off on and the rabbit holes we fall down are what feed our curious minds. As the person who manages our social media, I’m delighted to be able to dive into these new discoveries on a regular basis.
Composites are a defining feature of Greek life. Each year young men and women have their photos taken to be collectively displayed in chapter houses, to have prints made for their parents or to save as a personal keepsake. For members of fraternal communities, composites are an annual tradition, a fond memory and a spark for nostalgia among alumni. For HistoryIT, they’re incredibly helpful research tools that visually communicate the history of these organizations through a unique lens.
In my recent vlog on “Preserving the Year We’d Rather Forget,” I talked about the importance of taking a moment to pause and reflect on the last twelve months. As more people become vaccinated and begin resuming portions of their pre-pandemic lives, memories will fade. It’s vital that we take the time to document the highlights and lowlights for future generations — before we no longer remember the details.
Past Masters is HistoryIT’s new vlog series created to offer a more visual and personal account of our history saving journeys. From the beginning, we wanted HistoryIT to be an organization that helped bridge the gap between past and present, by telling not just facts, but stories. Through our digital museums, we’ve been able to tap into the emotions of history, uncovering hidden moments that make for compelling narratives. Join us throughout the year for our behind-the-scenes look into historic preservation.
[Read more…] about Past Masters: Preserving the Year We Want to Forget
Our newly appointed first African American and Asian American Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, is also the first graduate of an HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) and the first member of a Black Greek-letter organization (BGLO) to serve as Vice President. She talks often about the impact her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority had on her life; it even affected her recent Vogue cover shoot.
[Read more…] about Black Sororities and Fraternities Provide an Important Lens for U.S. History
HistoryIT’s ten-year anniversary this month has given me cause to look back and reflect on how we got here. It’s not a typical entrepreneur story, for sure, but HistoryIT has become more than a typical company.
I never thought of myself as entrepreneurial, and I didn’t start off with any grand designs. I didn’t even have a business plan until 2013, two years after I founded the company.
[Read more…] about Ten years of entrepreneurial history saving
On February 1st, HistoryIT will celebrate its ten-year anniversary, an achievement that got me thinking about how best to mark such an occasion.
[Read more…] about How to Plan and Celebrate Your Organization’s Milestones
