Analyzing the United States Holocaust Museum Website

            When analyzing sites pertaining to the holocaust and mass burials why not look at a high standard set by the United states Holocaust Museum. This web site is full of useful information pertaining to the horrendous time during WWII when the lives of many Jewish families were turned upside down, followed by a country in denial for decades after the fact. As a counter attack to ignorance, a memorial project was created and this website was its product.

 Presentation        
             To receive top marks for Organization and presentation the website should be easy to navigate while not distracting from the material being presented. Presence of visual aids are essential but should not detract from text content, and all visual aids should have captions and references. The information should be easily accessible. Overall, an aesthetically pleasing site should be presented.

           The presentation of the website was overall very accessible as well as easy to navigate. There was just the right amount of images placed on the introductory page and most of the visual aids throughout the website relevant to the subject being discussed. The only issue with the visual aids was on the introductory or navigational page, there was a .gif image that was in rotation and the constant flashing distracted me from wanting to explore the text on the page. This would be one piece that I would preferentially not want on the WWII website.

           

Overall Oraganization and Presentation – 8/9

Sources


            For a site to be considered academic the presence of scholarly sources should be present. To excel in this dimension the site should have all sources that are relevant to the topic and are archaeologically or historically sound sources. The sources must be cites and listed properly while maintaining a sufficient amount of sources and sufficient amount of scholarly sources.

            Sources for this website almost seem irrelevant. This is the source. As described on the website, many scholars have partaken in this project conducting longitudinal research in order to inform the public that is accessible for everyone. There is also access to resources that have been published by, and outside of the Holocaust Museum.

Sources – 6/6 (If considering the sources are relevant)

Research Questions

            Research questions should be neither too broad or narrow and they need to go beyond the obvious and clearly present depth of thought while being clearly relevant to mortuary archaeology.

            Although the topics the Holocaust museum covers is vastly more broad than the scope my group is covering, they are able to cover the breadth with well researched material including links to other sites or material that a visitor could access without a fee. Although according to our rubic is must be relevant to mortuary archaeology, this web site is mainly historical information. But after a search there appears to be a fair amount of interaction between the historical and archaeology community for what excavations have and are currently taking place relevant to the holocaust.

Research Questions – 5/6

Written Communication

            Grammer and spelling are imperative to a well written web site and should be mistake free. Writing should flow well, is easy to follow, while being coherent. The scope presented should be communicated and articulated. All sources should be sited properly in the text.

            The written communication on this web site is clear, consice and created in such a way that an audience of a vast spectrum can easily access and understand the material. The writing has also been approached in a sensitive manner while still  relevant and can draw the reader in. There are almost no mistakes present on this web site creating a flow that is easy to follow including redirection to further research other material.

Written Communication – 6/6

Content and Data

            For content and data sources are not just used for information but are used as a starting point for insightful analysis and conclusions. Evidence needs to clearly support the conclusions being reached with relevant information. The web site needs to acknowledge opposing information and refutes it convincingly.

            The Holocaust Museum is a strong starting point to reach insightful analysis and conclusions. Although the information can appear to be clear cut when pertaining to the Holocaust, their website is able to communicate all arguments in a clear manner.

Content and Data – 9/9

            Overall this website is an excellent source covering a wide range of topics related to the Holocaust. It was very difficult to mark this website since I feel I have a personal bias. However, I tried to view it from a third party and take all material into consideration. I do not think there is much room for growth on this website as it offers everything from research projects, to information for students and the public of any age, maybe some more material related to archaeology as it is becoming more common to excavate sites surrounding the Holocaust. While my team may not be able to reach the excelled stylizing of a trained web site expert, I hope we can take the flow and appeal of this web site and apply it to our project.

Overall Score – 34/36 = 94%