Pinning History ~ Why Didn't I Think of This?

Mom, Dad, and I at the Judge Roy Bean Saloon & Museum in 1977.

It seems so simple. Maybe because it is. I don't know. What I do know is that this is simply brilliant. Pinning history on a map.

What am I talking about? Now? I found this fantabulous site called Historypin.com. The idea is for everyone around the world to pin their family photos, video clips, and audio clips to a place on the map, and if you have the story behind it, then share it. All for free. See what I mean? Simply brilliant. It's a great way for everyone to participate in remembering their family's history.





Historypin.com describes itself as:

"...a way for millions of people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.

Everyone has history to share: whether its sitting in yellowed albums in the attic, collected in piles of crackly tapes, conserved in the 1000s of archives all over the world or passed down in memories and old stories.

Each of these pieces of history finds a home on Historypin, where everyone has the chance to see it, add to it, learn from it, debate it and use it to build up a more complete understanding of the world."

Wow, huh?

And it is soooooo easy. Or at least it sounded like it. So I tried it for you. No need to thank me, though. This was fun. Did you hear me? Fun AND easy. Take a look at what I have pinned so far [Click the image and scroll down to the photos I've added.]:

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I have a LOT more to add, but? Cool, huh? Told you.

What else can you do with Historypin.com?

• Pin photos to street view. I did this with all my pics, but I was able to overlay the pic of my kids in front of the Alamo on top of the street view of the Alamo. [Too cool.].
• Create tours with pics and map through eras, time, personal stories, themes, events, etc.
• Create a collection of pics based around a theme.
• Look through collections and tours in order to view history and personal family's histories.
• Search photos by time period or by location.
• Add videos and audio to places on the map
• Share your pins through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, & Google Plus. That's right you can share family history with your family and friends without boring them.
  

Take a look at one of their introductory videos:

And look. It has an iPhone App! Yes, if you want you can pin your history anywhere you and your iPhone can go. Or, if you want, you can just shake the phone and get treated to some random pics of history already pinned. That's right pictorial history on the go. Hello!?! And their app is available for the iPhone and the Android.

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out and pin some family history to the map on Historypin.com. You never know. You might find a cousin or two. Or they just might find you.

Historypin.com on social media:

Follow on Twitter: @Historypin
Like their Facebook page
Read and Follow Their Blog

~Caroline