A Whale of a Thesis

Monday, September 20, 2010

The City That Lit The World

I have to give a big shout out to my Mémère, Miss Susanne Yolande, right now. I'm starting to write my introduction & this summer she handed me a GIANT GIANT bag of every article that mentions New Bedford over the past 40+ years, every inch of paper from her many year volunteering with the NPS, and every brochure, photo, postcard, etc from this city she loves so much. I wasn't sure how I would utilize this massive amounts of material until right now. It's a wealth of information & the fact that a lot of it dates back to the 1950s is actually pretty useful when working on a narrative of New Bedford's recent past. So, thanks Mémère!

Here is the introductory paragraph from the Common Ground: Preserving Our Nation’s Heritage magazine from Winter 2005. The article is entitled The City That Lit The World: Rekindling a Legacy at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. I basically need to write exactly this for my introduction - they said it better than I could, & so succinctly.

“New Bedford…was growing rich on whale oil, evident in its teeming waterfront, its grand houses, and its thriving financial institutions. Whaling money founded railroads, textile mills, and land corporations. It transformed New Bedford into an exotic, cosmopolitan city, its streets crowded with people from Cape Verde, the Azores, Portugal, and other distant ports. The New Bedford of Melville’s time exuded the vitality of a place that had urgent business in the world, that had exceeded its humble beginnings. A hundred years later, New Bedford had the desperate and hollowed-out look of so many New England towns that hit their prime in the 19^th century, then were left behind by advancing technology and economic change. The glory days of whaling were a distant memory. What was not visible, looking down on the decay from the elevated interstate that cuts through the city, was the struggle to preserve a heritage. It was a struggle fought locally, against sometimes high odds. In the face of indifference and the shadow of urban renewal."

Monday, September 13, 2010

Downtown New Bedford OTHER & social media usage

The previous evaluations/lists revolved around the destinations listed in the downtown New Bedford Inc. brochure. However, a few places that showed up in my search into the level of exposure of tourists sites -that I know are in the downtown/waterfront area -were not included. I have listed them here:

visitors center

no specific website, but information available on the Whaling National Historica Park webpage

architecture

no specific website, but information available on AHA! website

working waterfront

no specific website, but information available on the Working Waterfront Festival webpage

W.H.A.LE

website
Facebook
blog {not undated for almost 2 years}
Twitter

Schooner Ernestina

website

summer walking tour program

no specific website, but information available on the New Bedford Preservation website

Whalemen's Memorial {outside of the Library}

no specific website {no website for the Library, either}, but information available on the New Bedford Area Visitor Guide

Moby Dick Marathon {at the Whaling Museum}

no specific website, but information available on the Whaling Museum website

Cafe Balena

no specific website, but information available on urbanspoon

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Social Media Rankings

After the handful of previous posts breaking down what sort of social media each site listed in the Downtown New Bedford brochure we have a new rankings list. Out of those who utilize social media - who uses the greatest variety of sites & which are the most popular? Here's what this looks like: {Again, bolded refers to exposure during previous search}

Historical/Cultural/Leisure (12)

New Bedford Whaling Museum {4}
AHA! {3}
W.H.A.LE {3}
TL6: The Gallery {2}
Crowells Fine Art {2}
Your Theater {2}
Gallery X {2}

New Bedford Preservation Society {1}
Zeiterion Theater {1}
New Bedford Art Museum {1}
Judith Klein Art Gallery {1}
Navio Artisans {1}

Food (6)

Hibernia Irish Pub {2}
Cork Wine & Tapas Bar {2}

Rose Alley Ale House {1}
The Celtic Coffee House {1}
Ginger Grill {1}
On-A-Roll Speciality Sandwiches {1}

Shopping (3)

Calico {5}

Travessia Winery {4}

Artworks! {1}

Most Popular Social Media platforms {out of 21 total}

Facebook {18}

Twitter {10}

Myspace {5}

blog {4}

Flickr {2}

Youtube {1}

Delicious {1}

Downtown sites w/ online travel website exposure that use some form of social media: 15/21

Downtown New Bedford Food & Web 2.0 usage

A list of Food from the downtown New Bedford brochure & what they offer in terms of internet connections/web 2.0 {bolded refers to sites with web presence from previous search}:

Brick