Blogging the Past to the Present - 7th Floor Media works with Historica to create HistoryWire
VANCOUVER October 31, 2008
On October 30, 2008, the Historica Foundation will launch an innovative new website, historywire.ca, bringing together Canadians to talk about their history and its relevance to current events.
Historywire.ca will engage Canadians in a dialogue with their past, revealing precedents, celebrating accomplishments, debating issues, learning from our mistakes. It is Canada's collective memory wired to the present through articles, blogs and video. This groundbreaking website will provide the opportunity for Canadians to participate in history as it relates to our world today. The new site uses web 2.0 technology and encourages users to comment, share and interact with all content available on HistoryWire.
The website will feature Special Editions with content on specific themes in Canadian history. Historica has partnered with Alliance Films for the first Special Edition theme of 'War and Memory' which will include an article by Dr. William Beard, a professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta, entitled 'History in Film', and an exclusive video interview with Paul Gross, director, producer, writer and star of Passchendaele.
HistoryWire staff will share their individual passions and perspectives on Canadian history in themed blogs. Public blogs will invite visitors to interact with one another, share their perspectives, stories and opinions on issues like the relevance of history in understanding current events, the importance of the teaching of history in our schools, and the regional, ethnic, language and gender issues that comprise the Canadian experience. Visitors will be able to create profiles and upload their own blogs, photos, video and audio.
"HistoryWire brings the tools of Web 2.0 technology and Canadians interested in our history and heritage together in a way that has never been attempted before", says 7th Floor Media Co-Director Noni Mate. "It's always exciting to help communities form around a shared passion."