Close to 10 years ago, an interesting phenomenon hit the Web called blogging. Today’s it’s old hat–and the number ofblogs probably outnumbers the population of the U.S.! For genealogists, blogging means you get to share your genealogy information on the Internet, without the hassle of actually building an old-fashioned website.
Dimmitt Family History blog image. Click to enlarge.
Why would you want to start a blog? For starters, it’s an easy way to get your family Web page up and running with zero cost. In addition, the blog format invites comments from other family members, giving you the opportunity to create an active online community. (See a sample of one of my blogs)
Blogs also archive anything you write, and generally have an on-site search engine, making it easy to search your entire site for a specific topic. That function alone is a gem, because once you get blogging, it’s tough to remember when you might have written about Great Uncle Jack’s probate file. Best of all, blogs are free.
As the blog owner, you generally have a lot of options to choose from, including whether to hide or show comments, or if you want your blog listed in a general directory. If privacy is important, don’t get listed in a directory, but just give your blog address to friends and family. However, for safety’s sake, don’t list any personal contact information like address or phone number on your blog.
Not sure what to include in your blog? How about research notes, findings, photos, reference books, how-to books, favorite family recipes . . . get the picture?
