History forums?

[Jonmx]

I'm a historian by qualification (well, I have a BA) and am very much into all periods of history from the Dark Ages to WW2. I read many books, watch a lot of documentaries and even go out picking up bits of Roman and Mediaeval pottery from the fields around my house. At some point in the future I'm hoping to write a book on a pretty important piece of local history. What I'm struggling with is finding a decent forum online. Are there any other history buffs on here who can recommend any where?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I told my son I was good at history when I was at school and he replied "yeah, well there was less of it then."

[Jonmx]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I told my son I was good at history when I was at school and he replied "yeah, well there was less of it then."

That's brilliant. Out of the mouths of babes

[valiant]

I was going to study history at uni but my careers officer told me there's no future in it...

[TwigtheWonderkid]

My teacher used to say history was largely a set of lies agreed upon by the winners.

[Levin]

I've actually looked for a history-centred forum before and found only Historum. It's surprising how few forums there are for the general discussion of history. One issue you will find with such a set-up is that, because anyone can contribute, there are those who know a topic well and those who think they do both arguing to make their voices heard.

There is, however, a community on Reddit which might appeal to you. /r/AskHistorians, probably one of the most tightly moderated communities on the web (and that's not a criticism!) Ask Historians has a very clearly defined approach to its moderation, and as Reddit communities go it must be one of the best for that very reason. How it generally works is that someone with less knowledge will ask a question and those who are well-versed in the subject will provide answers with sources to back them up.

If you decide to sign up for Reddit, I'd suggest you contact the /r/AskHistorians moderators to see about getting a flair beside your name. Flairs are a Reddit thing displayed by your username on a per-subreddit basis, but /r/AskHistorians uses them to acknowledge your specialist fields. For example, if you're particularly knowledgeable on the Roman Republic (as an example), that might be something you want to have acknowledged in your flair.

I don't have a degree in history so I'm not much of a contributor to /r/AskHistorians but I do enjoy reading some of the information shared there. Unfortunately I don't think there's any real forum for historical discussion on PistonHeads, but the subject infrequently appears on the "What are you reading?" thread in the Books and Literature forum.

[Jonmx]

Levin said:

I've actually looked for a history-centred forum before and found only Historum. It's surprising how few forums there are for the general discussion of history. One issue you will find with such a set-up is that, because anyone can contribute, there are those who know a topic well and those who think they do both arguing to make their voices heard.

There is, however, a community on Reddit which might appeal to you. /r/AskHistorians, probably one of the most tightly moderated communities on the web (and that's not a criticism!) Ask Historians has a very clearly defined approach to its moderation, and as Reddit communities go it must be one of the best for that very reason. How it generally works is that someone with less knowledge will ask a question and those who are well-versed in the subject will provide answers with sources to back them up.

If you decide to sign up for Reddit, I'd suggest you contact the /r/AskHistorians moderators to see about getting a flair beside your name. Flairs are a Reddit thing displayed by your username on a per-subreddit basis, but /r/AskHistorians uses them to acknowledge your specialist fields. For example, if you're particularly knowledgeable on the Roman Republic (as an example), that might be something you want to have acknowledged in your flair.

I don't have a degree in history so I'm not much of a contributor to /r/AskHistorians but I do enjoy reading some of the information shared there. Unfortunately I don't think there's any real forum for historical discussion on PistonHeads, but the subject infrequently appears on the "What are you reading?" thread in the Books and Literature forum.

Ah, I'm not alone in being unsuccessful then. I hadn't thought of Reddit at all, I'll have to check it out. My sister's very active on there and she's into her history too, although she's a conservationist by qualification so rather different to me.
I'll have a look at the forum you've mentioned too. I had a fear that such things could dissolve into PH style squabbles; it seems that internet debate is very different to a proper debate.

[Jonmx]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

My teacher used to say history was largely a set of lies agreed upon by the winners.

He wasn't wrong! History is very much written by the victors. I'm only 34 but growing up I spoke to a lot of WW2 veterans as I was a history mad young lad. Almost all of them told me that it was a very different experience to that written in the history books and a couple of them were in correspondence with Germans whom they'd faced off against in both Naval and Air combat. I found it strange that none of them seemed to hold any hatred towards the Germans, but now as an adult I can see that actually there were lads on both sides who weren't particularly political and were just doing what they saw as their duty. Obviously I'm discounting the fanatical Nazi element of the German forces from this.
My Grandfather never wanted to speak much of his Naval experiences, but I think that was due to his having been on the Repulse and a few other Naval vessels, all of which were sunk a short while after he transferred off them. My other grandfather I never met, but he was born in 1895 and fought in WW1, so I'd have been fascinated to hear his experiences. Actually I have 3 grandfathers as my mother was adopted, and her adoptive father was an RAF officer, but he died when I was 5, but I remember him showing me photos of him in uniform.
The Band of Brothers effect has seen a lot more emphasis being put on individual experiences at a tactical level rather than the traditional approach of history being told at strategic levels.

[ChemicalChaos]

Perhaps it's time for a History board on here?

[Jonmx]

ChemicalChaos said:

Perhaps it's time for a History board on here?

Well, the thread on The Falklands reminded me that I'd been looking for a forum for a while!

[Levin]

Jonmx said:

Ah, I'm not alone in being unsuccessful then. I hadn't thought of Reddit at all, I'll have to check it out. My sister's very active on there and she's into her history too, although she's a conservationist by qualification so rather different to me.
I'll have a look at the forum you've mentioned too. I had a fear that such things could dissolve into PH style squabbles; it seems that internet debate is very different to a proper debate.

There are a lot of different history subreddits, but I must warn you that Reddit is an addictive rabbit hole. You'll find an interest in things you had never before cared for. I'm not active on Historum (I do have an account but probably less than 20 posts) but from what I remember of it, the community didn't usually end up squabbling. That may have changed since!

ChemicalChaos said:

Perhaps it's time for a History board on here?

I think I'd like this. I make no claim to being an expert (I don't have a history degree, for one), but I do enjoy learning and wouldn't mind seeing how it would develop. Would it end up all politically charged like the NP&E board, or would it be more like the Books and Literature board where there's a smaller cross-section of the PH user base?

The only concern I'd have is how to tackle it: would it be wise to start with a few sticky threads and, if so, what would they be? What events or periods in history are of sufficient note to be permanent stickies? My suggestions would likely be different to someone else's.

Now I'm thinking about a forum that doesn't exist, and I know there were suggestions in the past for a fashion forum, given the number of Aftershave / Shoes / Clothing threads on The Lounge already.

[Tango13]

Jonmx said:

ChemicalChaos said:

Perhaps it's time for a History board on here?

Well, the thread on The Falklands reminded me that I'd been looking for a forum for a while!

I asked for one a while back and got this reply...

James Drake said:

I have to confess this is the first I've heard of this, so clearly Ollie didn't take the request any further! (I can't moan at him either as he left 6 months ago!)

Anyway, in my opinion a history forum would get such a small amount of traffic and so few threads that the ones we moved to it would probably just dwindle and die. It is true that for any new forum category to succeed we need to really reach a tipping point where we have so many threads being started about the subject matter that GG / the lounge is becoming flooded - once this critical mass has been reached a stand alone forum is viable.

So to summarise... I don't think this is something we're ready for.

Apologies for the delay - whilst it is of little comfort Ollie must simply have forgotten to get back to you as creating a new forum only takes about 10 minutes!

JD

[Jonmx]

Tango13 said:

Jonmx said:

ChemicalChaos said:

Perhaps it's time for a History board on here?

Well, the thread on The Falklands reminded me that I'd been looking for a forum for a while!

I asked for one a while back and got this reply...

James Drake said:

I have to confess this is the first I've heard of this, so clearly Ollie didn't take the request any further! (I can't moan at him either as he left 6 months ago!)

Anyway, in my opinion a history forum would get such a small amount of traffic and so few threads that the ones we moved to it would probably just dwindle and die. It is true that for any new forum category to succeed we need to really reach a tipping point where we have so many threads being started about the subject matter that GG / the lounge is becoming flooded - once this critical mass has been reached a stand alone forum is viable.

So to summarise... I don't think this is something we're ready for.

Apologies for the delay - whilst it is of little comfort Ollie must simply have forgotten to get back to you as creating a new forum only takes about 10 minutes!

JD

Ah, that's interesting. Perhaps they could replace the Pistonfest forum that had 4 posts last year, the most recent being July 2016, with a History forum instead I see there are 4 forums that haven't had a post since last year on here, but I doubt that the view of the management has changed since your enquiry.

[medieval]

Greetings OP - Living History Forum might be an option

Re enactor based with realism being the key and wealth of genuine historical knowledge and reference material.

Good luck in your search sir

[Jonmx]

medieval said:

Greetings OP - Living History Forum might be an option

Re enactor based with realism being the key and wealth of genuine historical knowledge and reference material.

Good luck in your search sir

Ah, thank you for the recommendation kind sir. I'm a big fan of medieval history, I was lucky enough to have John France teach me medieval warfare in a couple of modules at Uni. Lectures on topics such as the Crusades which included things like wedge shaped cavalry charges were great fun! Re-enactment always looks like great fun, I have an old school friend who is into Viking re-enactment. I just wouldn't know what era I'd want to get involved in though, too much choice.

[medieval]

If you get chance on the second weekend in July then come over to the Battle of Tewkesbury - War of the Roses 1471 - always a superb event

We tend to be very close to the action being the Duke of Gloucesters mercenary forces

Regards