For this week's blog post, the focus is on Volunteering for the Smithsonian Institution via digital transcriptions. The overall design of the website feels a bit outdated; the homepage consists of far too much initial information that may not make sense to viewers upon their first visit. More and more viewers are wanting to visit a homepage that has broad categories with breakdowns upon clicking so as to not visually overwhelm.
There are numerous project categories, accommodating for all potential interests. However, categories are shown where every project is 100% complete; an example being the “Art and Museum” category. Which could be misleading to some if a viewer is excited to contribute to a certain category shown, when in reality, no additional help is needed at the time. Upon looking through various categories, many of the sections within the categories were either 100% completed or well over 50% completed, leaving very few with a less than 50% completion.
I landed on the Project Phaedra - Evelyn F. Leland - Measures, New Satellite (Phobe) of Saturn, Nova SGR #16, and I can safely say, I did not learn much from the project. The project included number tables with specific ways in which to transcribe them. These numbers represent the measured distances within space. I believe that my work benefited the project because I followed the guidelines to the best of my ability.
The difficulty rating for the transcription was 5/5 and I would consider that accurate because any writing other than numbers was in cursive which I will admit I have difficulty reading. Which leads into the project being difficult to participate in and from my perspective, lacks engagement. I do not know many people within my age range that would want to spend potential volunteering hours toward transcribing documents from home; unless said transcriber were particularly interested or invested in the topic in which they are focusing.
I do not believe this would be viewed as engaging to the commoner. I believe if someone were motivated to give their time toward volunteering, it would more likely be a situation in which the person physically goes to a location to do their volunteering. I believe people are also more likely to care for and continue to volunteer for organizations that involve the volunteers in a community.
The site could be engaging for viewers on their first project simply because all you have to do is a math equation to contribute and it is entertaining to see how much you, as a volunteer, can help interpret a document. However, I do not see many viewers seeing projects all the way through or coming back to work on others.
Visitors would be likely to continue their experience if they happen upon the page and choose specific projects of interest; I do not believe someone would contribute to projects they are uninterested in which could lead to some projects falling behind.
The projects provide little reward for volunteers other than the knowledge that they have helped the Smithsonian transcribe documents for subjects they may not entirely understand. The concept is amazing but the site lacks lasting engagement, community, and enticement.