This week I transcribed a report between two navy officers from World War 2 shortly after the battle of Midway. Doing it on my own was relatively easy and I was really surprised to see just how easy someone would be able to do it. It was easy since the report was a telegram instead of an older hand written letter which more then likely would have been in difficult to read handwriting. The site to my surprise as well was very user friendly if a bit slow when I was typing in the transcription box. It also gives an update on how recently the documents were transcribed and the username of the person who did it, so while I didn’t test it myself, I’m wondering if it’s possible at all to go and collaborate with other users like a sort of social media platform. The document I chose to transcribe was talking about the transfer of boats and other weapons back to the combat zone between two lieutenant, and as someone who grew up with the history of World War 2, I think it would be interesting to read more to see the logistics of what was happening in the pacific after Midway.
If I were to organize a crowdsourced digital history project like this I more then likely would have it be on the same kind of topic I transcribed today, but the main challenge I feel as is usually the case with large events is the logistics of the entire operation. Making sure everyone has access to the correct software and stable WIFI, and handing out documents which could genuinely interest people to make sure they’re having a better time actually transcribing, if it’s a topic someone will be more interested in then they’ll be more likely to finish quickly and efficiently.
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