The History Project - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Must I be a member of a history class or society to build a site?

No. Individuals can build a personal or family history site.

How do I/we get started?

Click Contact Us and send us a message.

How technical is it?

You got here; you can build your own history site. Practice; you cannot break anything.

It's just a matter of typing your stories into forms. You can upload and place pictures right in your browser. Page layout, navigation and archiving are all automatic. Once you're familiar with the system, additional display options are available to customize your site. It's truly Point, Click, Publish!

How much does it cost?

Individual sites start at under $1 per day for a comprehensive site with all the features you see in this example. Certain limits apply to storage and bandwidth. Packages are available for schools or societies with multiple projects. Basic prices are for do-it-yourself sites; training and content support are extra.

What happened to the missing links from this site?

Given notice, we try to repair obsolete links, but we are not responsible for the disappearance of other people's sites or pages.

Why can't we just do this locally?

Of course, you can, but you will have to do all of the following at a minimum.

Identify the required resources.
Purchase hardware and software to manage your site.
Contract with a Internet service provider for hosting and support.
Hire a skilled designer and database manager who can really duplicate this system and who won't leave for greener pastures.
Give up the ability to integrate your local history with global systems.

But, but, but...

Yes, Mr. Johnson, the seventh grade teacher, took the "HTML in Twelve Hours" course at the junior college last summer, and given enough time could probably build you a "web site.". Look at his work, look at ours, and see whether you think he could support thousands of sites like this one -- by tomorrow morning.
We estimate the development cost of a similar project at between $50,000 and $100,000 plus a maintenance (labor) cost of $40,000 to $70,000 annually. Just add that to the first year cost in the budget elsehwhere on the site. Does your organization have this amount to spend on rediscovering the wheel? (Nice historical metaphor, you'd say!)
In contrast, your cost of setting up a publishing effort through The History Project for a local historical society or school is under $1,000 and for a single site under $300. Monthly support for a single site is under $1/day and is even less when over ten sites (topics, projects) are involved. A two-day training seminar is available for $1,500 plus expenses for a one- or two-person team. (All payments are by credit card or bank transfer, in advance.) You can hit the ground running, or you can do it yourself. Either way, THP is a cost-effective program. (Ask us how it can even be free.)