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Tom Scheinfeldt
Faculty member at the University of Connecticut doing all things history, digital humanities, and design.
Professional Background
Tom Scheinfeldt is a distinguished Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Connecticut, where he utilizes a unique interdisciplinary approach that intersects both the Department of Digital Media and Design and the Department of History. His role underscores his commitment to integrating historical inquiry with cutting-edge digital technologies. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Tom serves as the Director of Greenhouse Studios: Scholarly Communications Design at UConn. This innovative transdisciplinary research unit is dedicated to reshaping scholarship practices and outputs within the digital landscape, a vital endeavor as academia continues to evolve.
Before joining UConn, Tom made significant contributions as the Managing Director of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Here, he directed several notable digital humanities projects, including the award-winning "The September 11 Digital Archive", which has played a crucial role in preserving and providing access to historical materials related to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and "THATCamp", an unconference that gathers digital humanities practitioners to discuss and explore new technologies and methodologies.
Beyond his professional appointments, Tom is actively engaged in the broader academic community. He was the Founding President of the Corporation for Digital Scholarship and currently serves as its Secretary. This non-profit organization supports critical open-source tools, like Zotero and Omeka, which are fundamental to academic research and accessibility. His leadership in this organization positions him at the forefront of advancements in digital scholarship, ensuring that researchers have the tools they need to thrive in the digital age.
Education and Achievements
Tom Scheinfeldt's academic journey is marked by prestigious educational credentials. He began his formative years at Phillips Exeter Academy, where he laid the groundwork for a lifetime of scholarly achievement. Following high school, Tom attended Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Science. His passion for history and the intersection of science propelled him to further his studies at the University of Oxford, where he obtained both a Master of Science in History of Science and a Doctorate in Modern History.
Throughout his career, Tom has contributed significantly to the discourse surrounding digital humanities. His scholarly writings can be found in influential compilations such as "Debates in Digital Humanities" published by the University of Minnesota Press, where he provides nuanced insights into the evolution of digital scholarship. He is also the co-editor of "Hacking the Academy", published by the University of Michigan Press, which addresses the challenges and innovations facing academia in the digital era. His expertise in the intersection of history, culture, and digital technologies has made him a sought-after speaker and lecturer, and he is known for effectively communicating complex ideas in an accessible manner.
Additionally, Tom blogs at 'Found History' (http://foundhistory.org), where he shares his views and engages with the wider public on topics related to digital history and scholarship. His active engagement online demonstrates his commitment to fostering a community of inquiry beyond the traditional classroom setting.
Achievements
Tom Scheinfeldt has directed numerous award-winning digital humanities projects, showcasing his leadership and innovative spirit within the field. Projects like "The September 11 Digital Archive" not only preserve critical historical data but also foster greater public engagement with history and collective memory. His work with "THATCamp" has significantly impacted the way educational communities discuss and interact with technology, allowing participants to share their insights and practices in open and collaborative formats.
His foundational role at the Corporation for Digital Scholarship positions him as a key player in advocating for open-source infrastructure that supports academic research. By championing tools like Zotero, which aids in citation management, and Omeka, which facilitates digital collections, he is shaping the future of research practices in the humanities and social sciences.
Tom's educational journey, from Harvard to Oxford, reflects his deeply rooted commitment to the study of history and science, allowing him to draw upon a wealth of knowledge in both teaching and research. His interdisciplinary approach enables students and collaborators to explore the intricate links between historical events and contemporary digital practices. As he continues to contribute to academic discourse through teaching, writing, and leading innovative projects, Tom Scheinfeldt remains a pivotal figure in the advancement of digital humanities.
tags':['Digital Humanities','University of Connecticut','Greenhouse Studios','Digital Media and Design','History','Zotero','Omeka','Open Source','Roy Rosenzweig Center','THATCamp','Harvard University','University of Oxford','Digital Scholarship','Public History','History of Science'],
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.