How to start

where-to-start.md

Where should I start? Practical suggestions for someone interested in doing Digital Humanites work.

Got to thinking after someone asked this question at Leadership Alliance conference: What is your practical advice for getting started in DH?

• Learn to use every feature in your web browser.

  • View source
  • Developer tools
  • Console, resource requests.
  • Tab management
  • History management.

• Learn the web stack: HTML, CSS, Javascript

  • Exposes you to lots of related, important concepts:
    • Marking up texts with semantic meaning. E.g. What is a paragraph? A heading? A name? A proper name? A place or person?
    • Consider how aesthetic and design impact the way people encounter and understand your arguments. E.g. How do encounters with your project/idea change if you use a different color or font?
    • Javascript: exposure to basic programming concepts
  • Technical barrier to entry is relatively low
    • Need a computer with a web browser and a text editor. If you have a computer with a modern operating system, you have both of these.
    • Free, online resources for learnign all of these exist. (list them here!)
    • All of these are client-side, processed by the browser. Don't need a web server to process/run it.
  • Provides good entry to critique the way the Internet works, the way we use the Web.
    • Interrogate user interaction, display of information.

• Source code management: Git and Github

  • Stresses the importance of keeping track of changes.
  • makes you more deliberate, thoguhtful about things you change.
  • Get practice developing issues/tickets, e.g. bug reports and feature requests.
  • Introduces you to methods for working with other open source projects.