How does the old saying go? Do you see the glass half empty or is the glass half full? At times we are all prone to thinking that the glass is half empty – particularly because it often feels like we are in an uphill battle when it comes to historic preservation. We are going to try and change that with #preservationhappenshere!
This catchy hashtag is the title of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation plan for 2018 through 2023.
What is #preservationhappenshere? And why is it the title of the statewide plan?
It’s pretty simple: it is the idea that 1) all sorts of great preservation activities are happening every day across Pennsylvania that may or, more often, may not be thought of as historic preservation and 2) these activities need to be easily identified and shared.
This is the central theme of the plan and the overarching goal of more preservation outcomes in the commonwealth.
Who can use the hashtag?
There are really only two groups who can use the hashtag: ANYONE and EVERYONE!
If you didn’t catch my little joke there, what I meant to say is that any person, agency, organization, etc. can use the hashtag when they post things on their social media accounts.
We encourage you to use it! We would love to see more #preservationhappenshere messages out there!
Vintage baseball matches + family fun in the historic community of West Chester = preservation? YES!
Why should you use it?
Using #preservationhappenshere does a few important things for preservation in Pennsylvania:
- It shines a light on the good things Pennsylvanians are doing to care for their older and historic places, communities, stories, and history through accessible social media outlets used by almost all Pennsylvanians;
- It recognizes that preservation successes, particularly the everyday activities and small achievements, may often fly under the radar and are not always identified or announced;
- It shows that small frequent “wins” can add up and show progress when we think there is none;
- It communicates that we understand that Pennsylvanians care about the little things that help sustain a historic place or encourage a community just as much as the big things; and
- It helps Pennsylvania move toward the goal of broadening the definition and understanding of historic preservation (Goal 3 of the plan, btw) by seeing what others across the commonwealth identify as “preservation happening”.
How do you use it?
The #hashtag – first created by Twitter but usable on any social media platform – is a simple way to identify and organize information on a specific topic.
Don’t worry! You don’t need to have an account on all these platforms to use it! Just include it at the end of your posts on your usual sites – it is as easy as that. Here is an example from the Natural Lands Trust:
Thanks Natural Lands Trust for using the hashtag!
Want to check on what’s happening with #preservationhappenshere?
Hashtags are searchable on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (and I’m sure others) and provide an immediate snapshot of what people are talking about out there in the cyber world.
Just type #preservationhappenshere into the search box of your favorite social media site and take a few minutes to scroll through to see who is posting and what they are posting. Check out this link to the Twitter feed as an example.
Happy hashtag-ing!
Questions? Not quite sure what we’re up to? That’s ok! Email me at ssplain@pa.gov and I’m happy to help!.
