Quick answer: There’s no single “first” social media platform, since the idea evolved in stages. SixDegrees.com, launched in 1997, is usually credited as the first site to combine the core features we now associate with social media: personal profiles, visible friend lists, and the ability to browse a friend’s connections. But the roots go back […]
Upcoming Talk on Dayton Industrial History at the Dayton Arcade
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of local history events, from my lunchtime walking tours at Courthouse Square to smaller visits and tours for Sinclair faculty and staff. I also recently gave a talk at the Hub at the Dayton Arcade about Dayton’s train and rail history for the All Aboard Ohio group. I’m working […]
Summer Series of Lunchtime Dayton Walking Tours
I’ve been leading walking tours in Dayton off and on for a few years now, and this summer I’m excited to have gotten a chance to establish a more regular series. I partnered up with the Downtown Dayton Partnership and their Curio at Courthouse Square lunchtime programming to do a series of tours on Wednesdays […]
A New Project: Lost Urban Vistas
For close to a decade now I’ve been running Dayton Vistas, sharing the history, architecture, and urban stories of Dayton, Ohio. What started as a basic extension of and way to promote my book Lost Dayton, Ohio grew into something more, including deep history dives and ongoing coverage and analysis of historic preservation and urban […]
Brainstorming and Narrowing a Research Topic with AI (Without Losing Your Own Ideas)
I’ve been recording some short videos for Sinclair focused on using AI tools effectively in the research process. In my librarian role at Sinclair I’ve continued to be involved in a variety of projects focused on AI, and I’ve tried to bring a perspective emphasizing information literacy and critical thinking. I think that focusing exclusively […]
Talk on Dayton’s Appalachian History
This week I enjoyed getting the opportunity to be a speaker at a community event hosted by Sinclair, the Appalachian Outreach Community Breakfast. Although I haven’t conducted a significant amount of research specifically on the Appalachian community in Dayton, the group has come up as a strong theme in much of the history I have […]