Start Here
The premise of this project is that a multi-faceted website can function similarly to a lab, providing (existential, proverbial, metaphorical, digital) “space” for thoughts and conversations.
Sections of the website (visible in the top navigation menu) are designed to represent kinds of investigations into data-driven (or simply data-aware) Byzantine Studies research.
- Experiments: Fieldnotes, Lab Notebook
- Collections: Datasets, Galleries, Resources
- About: Project, People, Support, Credit
The project is grounded by the (somewhat arbitrary) categories of Fieldnotes and Lab Notebook posts, in part to differentiate different kinds of writing and thinking for my own use. Fieldnotes are (for my purposes) reflective or qualitative. They include freeform discussion, event descriptions, links, or interpretation of sources and methods. The Lab Notebook is, here, for experiments—looking specifically at using a tool with data, for instance, troubleshooting, technical information, or analyzing a cause/effect relationship. These will be reported with a standard template stating the method, tools, research questions, and analysis. They are intended to be replicable.
I’ve set up some self-imposed rules for writing: 250-500 words for Fieldnotes and a standard reporting template for Lab notebook experiments, with up to 250-500 words for analysis. This is designed to keep it brief (with the idea that longer pieces might make good articles or stand-alone digital projects), and to encourage more frequent posting. It’s my attempt to make the writing a habit so it’s more likely to get done.
Think of this website as a proverbial sandbox, a way for one researcher to keep tabs on ongoing thoughts and share them, without having to commit to big projects. However, it could be an incubator for future, (bigger?) projects or peer-reviewed publications.
The reasoning behind this project: people need an outlet and an audience. I don’t like drafting in public, but I do like to share and converse about these topics once I’ve gathered my thoughts—this site is both a personal sketchbook and, hopefully, a springboard for conversations.