History Thursday on Google Plus!

Beginning this week, I will be curating a photo theme over at Google Plus.  The photo theme is “History Thursdays.”  All are welcome to participate.

About Google Plus.

Q.  Wait!  What is this Google Plus?
A.  Google Plus is a social networking site.  People who must compare it to something usually compare it to Facebook, with some Twitter tossed in for good measure.  While there are some similarities, it’s really quite different.  It’s social networking done right.

Q.  OK, sounds interesting.  How can I participate?
A.  Well, the first step is to have a Google Plus account.  You can set up your account at plus.google.com.

Q.  If I get a Google Plus account, do I have to give up Facebook?
A.  YES, absolutely!  (Err, no, not really).

About History Thursday.

Q.  Is every Thursday a History Thursday?
A.  Yes, every Thursday.

Q.  Is there a way to designate that your photo is part of this theme?
A.  Yes.  Tag your photo with #HistoryThursday.  (Although truth be told, the “#” really doesn’t do anything that I can tell).

Q.  What constitutes historic?
A.  Something that in some way has an impact on history.  The impact can be large, or it can be relatively minor.

Q.  I have a picture of an old house.  Can I use this?
A.  It depends.  Did a famous person live there at one time?  Did a famous event occur here?  Is it an example of a rare type of construction?  Old does not necessarily make something historic.

Q.  I have a photo of a statue that commemorates an event five years ago.  How about that?
A.  Yes, that’s fine.  If it’s important enough to commemorate with a statue or a plaque or some kind of official ceremony, then it does not matter how long ago the event occurred or how old the statue or plaque is.

Q.  You speak of famous.  How famous does something have to be?
A.  Not too famous.  Being in a history book or encyclopedia obviously qualifies.  Having a statue or a plaque on a building generally qualifies too.

Q.  What about cemetery headstones?
A.  A headstone is different.  Most people get one eventually, so it’s not historic unless you can explain what that person who lies there did in life.

Q.  I saw a photo posted for History Thursday, but I have no idea what the history is.  Can someone help?
A.  That’s where the person posting the photo must help.  Write something about the photo you post.  What exactly is historic about it?  Does it have a Wikipedia entry?  Is it mentioned on some other website?  Just post a link and you are done.  If not, write a brief sentence or two about the history of what is seen in the photo.

Q.  But wait, why should I explain what this is?  Everybody knows the history of this!
A.  Maybe everybody in your country knows the history of what you just posted.  But Google Plus has a worldwide audience.

Q.  Wow, that’s a lot to remember.  Should I check with you first before I post?
A.  No, that is not necessary.  I will leave it up to participants to decide if a photo qualifies.  But if you post something and the history behind it is not clear, I may ask to to write a sentence or two about the history depicted.

And most of all, don’t forget to have fun with this!