Review of http:theclio.com Falls Church Driving Tour
The Clio is a website and application that “connects people to information” by using geolocation to identify sites of interest in your vicinity. It allows users to develop and publish about single sites or connect single sites into a tour route. The application includes a geofencing option alerting the user when they approach a site documented on Clio.
We chose the “Falls Church” driving tour, with eight stops in the Falls Church/Arlington area. We lived in Falls Church for several years, and I wanted to see how the tour would do with a familiar area.
Once the tour “Falls Church’ was chosen, website offered a choice of walking or driving, we chose to drive the tour. The map looked simple enough to follow, however when we headed for the first stop, Mount Hope, we hit the first challenge we would have. The Clio can be used as a website browser on a mobile device or a mobile application, we tried the website on a mobile device. Afterwards, I brought up the tour on the ap to understand the differences in display.
When I selected the start button, it displayed Mount Hope as site 1, with description of the house and why it was important. The entry included a text to voice option f the narrative. Unfortunately, the map was after the opening text, and the “Directions” button redirected to Google maps or Apple Maps. Awkwardly, we had to keep flipping back and forth between the tour and the map. The addresses up front , instead of located after the map ,or at the bottom of the entry, would have allowed us to easily enter the site into the car’s navigation system and use that while reviewing background on the site we were looking at. The app and the site offer a pdf map t download with QR codes to help as well, but any extra layer of effort risks losing motivation and interest.
Alternatively, the application has turn by turn directions, that are relatively simple to follow, or it allows you to download a pdf file with a map and a list of sites, basic information and the address. The Clio app does not have all the information available on the website, but it is substantial and again, offers the text to voice option. It is a little awkward, as it is on the website version, as you have to select it for each section of narrative.
The route made sense for the traffic flow and traffic lights, with left turns being planned at lights instead of trying to drive across a busy thoroughfare. There was a choice between driving and walking, as a walking tour it would have had some areas of questionable safety.
Each stop had short narrative, images, and a longer background information, with images and relevant hours or other information listed. The Clio requires that an entry “must be an original work with sources”1 as well. Requiring this gives the entries more substance and more credibility.
The Clio is doing a public history in an interesting and engaging way, by facilitating community engagement in history and culture. Contributors can come from anywhere and share their knowledge and research. Similarly, the users can explore their location, whether doing a tour or just curious about a neighborhood. geofenced my location and an historic marker I wanted to read, but have not as its on a parkway where the speed limit sometimes feels suggested only.
The experience did let me see an area I thought I knew differently. One of the sites I had heard the name yet knew nothing about, at least one I used to drive by daily and knew nothing about, and several were altogether new. I really appreciated the boundary marker in Benjamin Banneker Park stop and that one spotlighted the value and strengths of this type of public history. I used to run through the park 3-4 times a week, as it was on my 5 mile plus running route from my house. When I saw the park name on the tour I gave directions by “it’s where we used to walk Ella to the dog park.” In the hundreds of times I ran or walked the park, I never saw or noticed the SW9 boundary stone that marked the original District of Columbia.
I disadvantaged The Clio by not using the application, as it created some frustrating side challenges. As I work with the application it makes more sense, but I question how it will respond without a strong wi fi connection. When I used it sitting in the public library on their network the application struggled, in my house it was fine. I may have to filed test it further this week.
The idea behind the Clio and similar sites sit at the junction of public history, crowdsourcing and technology. The geofencing is a clever way to keep a user engaged, allowing them the opportunity to continually interact with history and their community.
