Website Buildout
I have figured out how to make the top menu look the way I want it to, and link directly to the StoryMap! It now has that, and there is also space to post the First Episode of the Podcast, which operated smoothly. I went into the road trips maps page and hyperlinked actual words with the links instead of just having the links by themselves to make it easier to know which one is which, and now all I need to do after posting Episode 1 of the podcast is add some pictures to make it interesting to look at. I think I am going to use some from my own travels for the pages, at least to start. It gives a more personal touch in my opinion. I just need to go through and figure out which ones are best. It actually looks pretty good right now I think, and I am excited to see how I can make it even better!
Final Podcast Edits and Publishing
I have cleared space on my hard drive now that I have access to my external drive again, so there is plenty of computer space to save the audio files I need. I figured all of that out and put the file into SoundTrap. I also looked for some other sounds to add in as opening and closing parts, I wasn’t trying to be too fancy for the first episode, just wanted to have something to bookend it for now. I like the sounds I found, but I do also think that as I learn more with this those sounds may change from episode to episode while I figure out what I like and what listeners like too. Experimentation with that seems like a good approach. To start out I went with the classic ballpark organ cavalry charge to open and the mid inning organ sound that also plays in ballparks to close. These are both really fun to hear, so hopefully it connects the ideas to the places for people, getting that preservation vibe. With that the only thing I had left was to put citations in the transcript, which I used Microsoft Word to make. I did have to do some editing and brush up after putting the audio file in the document, but that was minor compared to having to type it all out myself, although it helped me be more conscious of enunciation, which I think helped me in Gettysburg (more on that later). Anyway, after putting all the sources with the information I got from them, I copied everything into the draft of a post on the website, embedded the audio of the episode at the top, and now it is published on website. I hope it is good, I know I can improve but it is decent I think for a first real try outside of a class assignment.
Middle Atlantic Archaeology Conference
Gettysburg, PA. March 19-23. That was a long weekend. My Paper Presentation for my StoryMap project was at 8:50 AM on March 21, so we (Mary Washington Archaeology people) got there on the evening of the 19th and explored the battlefield and town of Gettysburg on the 20th while some workshops were happening as a way to take my mind off the presentation before it happened. I woke up on the morning of the 21st really nervous, which was a common feeling in the weeks leading up to it as I prepared for it. I guess jitters are normal, but as I went into the room where the presentation as happening I could not sit or stand still until I got up to talk. I led off the session, so that was nice to get it over with, and as soon as I got up there and saw at least a hundred people in front of me, I calmed down a lot. I would have thought that would freak me out more, but seeing that manty people there to hear me talk and see what the Negro Leagues were all about and why their ballparks matter, that fueled me. I started the presentation and just rolled through it.
I spoke really well, which I guess makes sense because I spent so much time on it, I knew what I was talking about. I was also reading the paper out loud instead of having talking points, because that was what was recommended as the normal thing to do and since it was my first one I thought it was better to go with that option. I did really want to talk off an outline and have more audience engagement, as I do when I lead tours for places, but I see why this one had to be done like this too. After it was done I got really positive feedback from so many people. They told me how cool it was, asked where to find more information, offered ways to improve or add to the project, and just gave so much overwhelming support. I could not have asked for a better first conference presenting experience.
The crazy thing is, all of that was not even the best of it. Saturday evening, the 22nd, there was an awards ceremony where they announced the winners of the student paper/poster contest. There were three categories, one for graduate papers, one for posters, and one for undergraduate papers. I was surprised to see who won the undergraduate category
I guess my hard work paid off. I am really proud of it and definitely excited. I was told there would be an opportunity to publish the paper with some fine tuning because I won, so I am going to see where that takes me if it is something feasible.
The conference ended with a CRM Skills workshop on Sunday, we dug Shovel Test pits on American Battlefield Trust land next to the National Military Park and learned how all that worked, so a pretty fun and hands on way to finish, That was a tiring yet awesome weekend. Thanks for the wishes of luck from my last post!
Next Steps
My next steps are first to take a break from the conference stuff. As cool as it was, it took a lot out of me and I need to chill. I think for this next cycle polishing the website with more color and pictures is a good idea, and maybe seeing if Michael Murphy is available to record the Preservation Overview Episode at some point and doing that. This seems like a good way to decompress after all I just did, and definitely a way to have fun with it. Until next time, thanks again!