Sunday 30 December 2012

Thank You and 2012 Media Review

Thank you for your patronage and support in 2012. It's been an honour to share and promote local history with you during the year - whether you've read our blog, been to our website, followed us on Twitter, liked us on Facebook or visited our museum.

To help review 2012 we thought we'd search around on the internet and see what others have been saying about us. It's been a very humbling experience. We'd like to also thank those mentioned below, and many others, for their kind words and the publicity they have provided.





Geraldton Newspapers, through thewest.com.au, ran a story on International Museums Day, which included:

"During the last year a dedicated band of volunteers from the Carnamah Historical Society have contributed almost 3200 hours of time working in the museum and at Macpherson homestead, keeping both sites clean, welcoming visitors, replacing the museum ceiling, and working on their website and social media. They also have objects, photos and stories in the new Landmarks gallery at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra and were the first Historical Society in the Mid West to create their own Facebook page."


In discussing their need for a new history publication the City of Belmont looked at alternatives, which wrapped up with:

"More ambitious is Carnamah Historical Society’s website, which offers a number of brief histories and a ‘virtual museum’ with interpretation of key objects in the Society’s collection (www.carnamah.com.au). This website is integrated with their Facebook page, blog, Twitter account, and Flickr photo album. All in all, Carnamah Historical Society offer an excellent example of the use of social media and new communication technologies to reach a much wider audience than was previously possible."



Included among the posts on our Facebook page:

"I am doing an audit of local history (community) museums in WA as part of PhD research. This website would have to be one of the best kept, easily traversed, beautifully built websites I have had the fortune to read. I loved the wildflower photography on your blog. Have exhausted superlatives." - Cathy Day

"Just found your website, I was researching descendants of John Smith from Smithfield SA. James Neilson Smith is a grandson. I must say a big WOW, you have a fantastic website and are using web 2.0 and history in a fantastic way. Keep up the great work. Well done Carnamah Historical Society." - Daina Pocius

"This webpage is a credit to its makers and should be held up as an example of how to make local history widely accessible and interesting. Well done!" - Joanne Hyland


Other mentions online and in print:

  • Renowned digital historian Tim Sherratt mentioned us in a post on his discontents blog after we were among the first to post about his QueryPic tool.
  • In a publication called Just Digitise It the Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV) listed us as one of five recommended examples of small organisations using Flickr.
  • Lonetester HQ included our Facebook page in their Facebook and Genealogy: 100 Links for Australian Researchers listing.
  • The Shire of Carnamah listed us as a major stakeholder in the promotion of cultural tourism in their Strategic Plan.
  • Department of Culture and the Arts listed us in the successful applicants for their Connect grant round as the recipient of funding to "develop virtual exhibitions and online digitisation to promote the collection to a broader audience".
  • Gould Genealogy mentioned us as one of 39 people and organisations who took part in their Family History Through the Alphabet challenge.
  • Museum Victoria referenced us on an information page on Daisy Poole, English Migrant, 1920s after we provided them with a manuscript giving background information on items in their collection.
  • The Western Australian History Foundation listed "the Carnamah Historical Society for three Australian Curriculum online education packages on local history" in the results of their 2012 grant round.
  • Leah Davies of the University of Alabama acknowledged our input to her Busy Archivist's Blogging Tool Kit.
  • The Federation of Australian Historical Societies filled the local history section of their July 2012 newsletter with news of our movements.
  • Inside History magazine listed our blog in their Top 50 Blogs in their May-June 2012 edition, and we were honoured to contribute to and be mentioned in their feature Love in the Age of Convicts in September-October 2012.


And then there's Twitter...

We received numerous retweets and mentions during the year on Twitter. We'd like to thank our regular supporters in the History Council of WA, Lise Summers, Inside History, Australian Memory and Gould Genealogy. We appreciate it.

3 comments:

Linda said...

And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you from Stratford and Maffra Historical Societies too. We look forward to reading more of your facebook and blog posts in 2013.

Carnamah Historical Society said...

Many thanks Linda for your good wishes from fellow societies across the country. Here's to a historically rich 2013!

Royal Wesetern Australian Historical Society Iinc said...

Members and volunteers of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society and its more than 78 affiliated historical societies around Western Australia congratulate Carnamah Historical Society on its amazing achievements and Media success in 2012. Thank you for promoting the enjoyment of WA's history world wide. Every good wish for 2013. Lennie McCall