Social Media offers unique opportunities to share and discuss local history. A century ago people shared their local history and stories in various informal settings. Local History societies were formed as a way to share and document local history in a more formal way.
Today, many discussions of local history are taking place on facebook.
ASHEVILLE, The Way It Was is a good example of the use of Facebook Groups to discuss and disseminate local history.
This week I launched a new Facebook Group devoted to shared memories of the Swannanoa Valley.
The true history of a place is found and preserved in the stories and memories passed down via oral history. These stories are told around dinner tables, in front of the fireplace, at church dinners, barber shops, beauty parlors, at ball games, and everywhere two are more people come in contact.
There have always been public gathering places where members of a community come together to share their stories.
Facebook has become a true community gathering place where people share stories, photos, memories, etc. IT's a place where the communities memories are now being shared in a new and innovative way. It's where the "People's History" is shared, recorded and preserved.
Yesterday I launched "The People's History of Black Mountain and the Swannnoa Valley", a facebook group where the community shares their stories, their family history, their photographs and where discussions about our heritage occurs.
Initially, I invited about 50 Facebook friends to join the group.
Within 24 hours the group grew to over 200 people and that number continues to expand rapidly.
I invite you to join the group.
NOTE:
I think this would make a great news story about new and innovative uses of social media for local history and collection of oral history..
What do you think?
