Online Tools for Promoting Your Writing and Research
A Panel Discussion and Hands-On Workshop
Tuesday, January 24th, 6-8 PM
Architectural Heritage Center
701 Southeast Grand Avenue Portland, OR 97214

Register by using this form.

Join us to explore online tools and practices for people engaged in research and writing. There will be a topical focus on history, but the tools and practices we’ll introduce are relevant to anyone interested in promoting themselves or their content online while maintaining high standards for their work. We’ll look at:

  • Social networking for professional promotion – where, how and why.
  • How to get your work found on the internet.
  • Establishing credibility for your research and writing online.
  • Using metadata for digital photo management.

A panel discussion will be followed by a hands-on workshop. Please bring your laptop or mobile device with a browser if you have one. A limited number of “loaners” will be available for use. Light refreshments will be served.

Admission is free to current NHN Associates, $10 for non-associates, $5 for students with ID (collected at the door). Space is limited and registration is required. We hope you can join us!

Featuring

Nick Blackbourne, Ph.D. Candidate, University of St. Andrews. nickblackbourn.com

Chris Higgins, writer (mental_floss, This American Life) and mobile apps expert (Cloud Four, Night & Day Studios) chrishiggins.com

Amy Platt, Public Relations Coordinator, Oregon Encyclopedia Project. oregonencyclopedia.org

Tom Robinson, Principal, Historic Photo Archive. historicphotoarchive.com

For more information, email info@northwesthistory.org

The Northwest History Network invites all Associates to the Annual Holiday Party on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. It’s the history social event of the season!

Where: 8512 SE 13th Avenue in Sellwood, the home of Richard Engeman and Terry Jess
When: between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM
Who’s invited: NHN associates and their spouses, friends, colleagues, and maybe-in-the-future-NHN-associates. Caveat: children are welcome, but the house is not child-proofed.
What’s to eat: appetizers/finger food, ham and vegetarian main dishes, salads, desserts
What’s to drink: wine, beer, soft drinks, juice, tea and coffee
How to get there: TriMet route #70; use their trip planner.
Special features: History-related prizes. Demo of the NHN Associates Directory.
Are you planning to be there? Call or e-mail Richard with a head count: 503-235-9032, info@oregonrediviva.com

Oregon City municipal elevator

Your Northwest History Network board has been discussing future NHN activities in the light of what the organization is now doing, has done in the past, and would like to do.

As many of you know, we’ve enjoyed some terrific accomplishments over the last couple of years – including effective advocacy for access to historical resources, incubating the Century of Action project (which has become a project of the new non-profit, Oregon Women’s History Consortium) through a grant application and administration, regular opportunities to for our associates to network, and popular public programs, including the history of the Black Panthers, race and urban renewal, and a special screening of Lois Leonard’s film “Finding David Douglas.”

As we look forward to the upcoming year and beyond, we’ve been discussing what we should focus on. We’re sharing our thoughts with the hope of hearing yours – in person at one of our socials, via email, or by calling any one of us. This is your association, so let’s figure out how it can best support your work.

Some highlights of the board’s discussion:

  • In the past five years, regional history-related public programs have expanded dramatically, thanks to such groups as the Oregon Encyclopedia, Architectural Heritage Center, McMenamin’s, Friends of History (FOH) and Public History Graduates (PHiG) at PSU, the local chapter of the Northwest Independent Scholars Association, the Oregon Historical Society, and the Dill Pickle Club. When NHN was founded, these opportunities simply didn’t exist.
  • Professional development opportunities for historians who are outside of academia are very slim
  • Networking and sharing opportunities for regional historians are scarce
  • Greater efforts need to be made to help regional historians collaborate with one another, to work with potential employers of historians and users of history, to develop history projects and products: in short, to pay historians to do their work

In response, the board has adopted a tentative calendar for the next year and a half. The primary effects are these:

  • We will offer two public programs each year with an emphasis, whenever possible, on promoting the work of our associates
  • There will be two programs a year, aimed directly at our associates, dealing with professional development issues — the first of these will be held on January 24 at the Architectural Heritage Center, regarding internet tools for historians.
  • We will continue our (mostly) monthly social events with updates from associates on their work and projects, and will introduce new and potential members. We will also suggest topics in history to generate discussion that may lead to future professional development or public programs

As your board works on fleshing out the NHN calendar (http://www.northwesthistory.org/p/nhn-calendar.html), we appreciate hearing from you: suggest program topics, possible speakers or panel members, social event venues, etc. – and any other thoughts you have.

NHN is an all-volunteer agency that works best when we work together – thank you for being a part of it!