History on the internet can encompass many different type of sites. The information that these sites have is not always what you want, it merely just fit the keywords that you typed into a search engine. Sites differ by what type of audience they are trying to entertain. In the cases of the sites, The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War , The History Channel, Do History,  and  National Museum of American History, they all serve different audiences and it is evident in the content these sites provide.

            The Valley of the Shadow and Do History are sites that cater to small audiences, audiences who have a specific interest in a certain area. Though they might serve small audiences, they are completely different. The Valley site has a summary before entering the site, telling what is in the site- a history of the Civil War from two viewpoints, letting the viewer have the option to enter. Once in the site, it is broken down chronologically and then into subcategories. There are few graphics, but a plethora of primary sources. This site is helpful if you know exactly what type of information you want to find- i.e. timelines, images, service records, church records, etc. The Do History site is about a midwife named Martha Ballard. It outlines the process that certain historians make to develop someone’s history, if all they have is a diary. This site is very narrow in its focus, only if you are interested in this one person would the site help.

            The History Channel site and the National Museum of American History site are for large audiences. Both have a multitude of interest areas and use flashy graphics and interactive video and audio to keep the audiences’ attention. The History Channel site is more commercialized, including a store, advertisements, polls, and a t.v. schedule. Since it is mainly to get people to watch the shows, the site can be fun and flashy because it is trying to get an audience, who may not be versed in historical knowledge, to invest their time in the channel. The National Museum of American History on the other hand is catering to a large audience, but more focused on what the museum has to offer guests, and how they should plan a visit to D.C. The site is mainly advertising for the museum, showing its events, programs, resources, and other information- i.e. how it is closed until 2008 for renovations.

            Websites approach history, and represent it differently because of the audience they are trying to reach, or because of the scope of their research. From the examples used in this case study the small the approach the simpler the website. A website doesn’t need flashy graphics, if it is a database for primary documents. On the other hand, if your website is trying to attract a crowd of non-historians, the flashier, more fun, and more interactive the site, the more people are going to explore it.