I find it quite remarkable that I’ve completed NINE years of fun blogging. My husband not only said that he didn’t think I’d keep with it, he also can’t believe that I still find ancestors and genealogy tips to write about.
Instead of sharing blog statistics or lists of favorite posts, I’d like to encourage anyone thinking about starting a genealogy blog to just jump in and do it.
I am not a techie type person and just bought a couple of books on Word Press. I browsed them and then set up my blog, using the books as references when I had questions. It wasn’t difficult – it really wasn’t.
I decided early on that I wanted to self host because I wanted to maintain control over what I wrote without the interference of ads. That meant that I did, and do, pay for my hosting service and for several plug ins.
However, there is a free version of Word Press and Blogger, owned by Google, is also a free blogging platform.
I choose to, and am motivated by, posting something new every day. I don’t get stressed about getting posts done because I have a very healthy, lengthy number of posts in my queue, waiting to go live each day.
That provides a buffer for me. If I don’t have time to write a post on a particular day, or I am busy on some genealogy project that isn’t ready to have anything written up, I know there is a post in the queue already.
My original goal when I began blogging was two-fold – to share both ancestral stories and genealogy research and resources tips – and that remains my primary purpose.
The ancestral stories have been found by MANY readers and the tips and tricks have also brought reader comments. In fact, over 4,200 comments have been left by those who have found my blog and wanted to share information or ask for help.
I occasionally respond to comments with a comment of my own on the blog, but, most often, I directly contact the reader to thank him/her, to answer questions or to offer suggestions.
Therefore, if you are thinking about it, I highly recommend blogging as a way to share your own family history.
As for this 9th blogiversary, I’d just like to thank everyone who has visited and hope that you find something of interest in my future posts as I head into my 10th year.
Thank you, Readers!