Cells and Sites: How Historic Sites are Using Cell Phone Tours

Cell phones have revolutionized the way people communicate, affecting many areas of life, including historic sites. A popular application of cell phone technology is now being used at several of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s historic sites. Chesterwood, Decatur House, and Woodrow Wilson House provide cell phone tours, similar to standard audio tours offered [...]

Reasons to hate (and love) I.T.

Susan Cramm has recently posted a couple articles on her blog at Harvard Business Publishing that help put words to the subtle reasons so many of us are struggling with computers, the Internet, and information technology (and perhaps PreservationNation). Admittedly it’s a bit provocative, but it helps categorize so many of the issues I [...]

Blog posting protocols for National Trust

Ever wonder if it’s okay to comment on a blog posting? Will you be reprimanded for making a conflicting opinion? Could you be sharing something confidential? Are you speaking officially for your organization or making a personal statement?
To answer these issues and more, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has just released [...]

Villa Finale launches blog

Villa Finale, a National Trust Historic Site under development in San Antonio, Texas, recently launched a blog at villafinale.wordpress.com to keep the community apprised of its work prior to opening in 2009. You’ll read postings from several different staff members about preservation, collections, local history, and programs.
If you haven’t noticed, all the blogs at [...]

Web Sites for Historic Sites: What Visitors Want

A friend just passed along an interesting study by Kerry Bodine at Forrester Research, Inc. on “what consumers want on travel web sites”. The entire article is available for a fee at www.forrester.com but historic sites may want to review this quick overview if they are designing or modifying their Web sites:

Many consumers (33-46 [...]