31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog Catchup, Week 5: Contact a Blog Reader

I recently discovered a series entitled “31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog,” at the Tonia’s Roots blog. This series is based on the Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) e-book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Unfortunately, I am coming into this about a month late, so I am playing “catchup.” Once caught up, however, I plan to keep up with the series.

The activity for this assignment involves interaction with one’s readers. There are four ways suggested:

• Directly email new readers who leave comments on your blog;
• Leave a comment on the blog of a reader who comments on your blog;
• Follow a reader on Twitter;
• Respond directly to comments on your blog.

I already read, and if appropriate, comment on the blogs of those who leave comments on my blog. I truly enjoy reading about genealogy from different perspectives.

I also follow many of my Twitter followers. Unfortunately for some, I have been trying to limit the number of people I follow. I currently have over 1500 followers and follow over 1100. It is simply not useful to follow this many people, and I have tried to go through and clear out all of the people that are either no longer active on Twitter, or do not often tweet items of interest to me. This is a long process (as you can imagine with 1100 following), so it happens in spurts, with no end in sight. But whenever I am able to finish the process of making this a more manageable number, I will probably spend just as much time building it back up again. I’m a glutton for punishment and social media.

I try to respond to most of the comments I receive on my blog, other than those that do not say anything more than “Great post” or other kind words. It is not that I do not appreciate all of these compliments, and I certainly enjoy knowing that certain posts are useful, educational, or just interesting to my readers. Perhaps a short “Thank you” note would be appropriate.

A different kind of comment, though, provokes more active responses from me. In general, I do not post ideas that are not thought-out ahead of time. I try to edit myself pretty thoroughly before I push that “Publish” button, including often scheduling them a day or two after I write them, so that I can go back and edit them again if further thoughts arise. These are habits from my non-blog writing. I always let an article sit before submitting it to a magazine publisher.

So when a commenter challenges one of my posts, I feel justified in arguing my position, always respectfully. In some cases, I will change my mind based on the points of the commenter. In other cases, I will convince the commenter of my point. Sometimes we can simply agree to disagree. This is ok too. But I feel that the constant dialogue between the blogger and his audience is the primary benefit of blogging. When two opposing sides are able to argue their respective opinions, it allows each to view the issue from a new perspective. If done productively, this can add to the continued development of our field.

I would add a fifth suggestion related to this last point, as a way to engage one’s readers: the “response post.” A response post is a post that either originates as a response to another blog or a comment on your blog. I have written several response posts to both other blogs that I have read, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing, as well as to comments left on posts in my blog. These response posts allow me to directly address opposing viewpoints or objections to a certain way of doing things.

This is the last week that I missed, and is therefore the last of the “catchup” posts. This series will now be posted on the set schedule that appears on Tonia’s blog, every Sunday. I look forward to learning more about my blog and other successful blogs as I work through this series.

31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog Catchup, Week 4: Analyze a Top Blog

I recently discovered a series entitled “31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog,” at the Tonia’s Roots blog. This series is based on the Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) e-book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Unfortunately, I am coming into this about a month late, so I am playing “catchup.” Once caught up, however, I plan to keep up with the series.

This assignment is to examine a specific blog, see what they do right, and apply these lessons to your own blog (without losing your own identity and voice, of course).

Choosing a blog for this analysis is difficult. For one, I read quite a few blogs, but some of them are more limited in their genealogical focus, and thus have relatively small audiences, and others are completely unrelated to genealogy. It may be interesting to choose a top genealogy blog and compare my analysis to that of a non-genealogy blog.

Now, how do I define a “top genealogy blog”? There are several high-profile genealogy blogs, like Eastman’s Genealogy Newsletter, GeneaBloggers, DearMYRTLE, and Genea-Musings. These blogs are very similar in some ways, and very different in other ways. They all post several times a day, and often cover genealogy news and current events, but each has their own voice. Dick Eastman, for example, often covers topics on the forefront of technology, such as his recent posts on “Windows is Dying… and so are Macintosh and Linux” and “Edit Photos In the Cloud.” Thomas MacEntee’s GeneaBloggers blog generally covers genealogy blogging topics, including posts covering each day’s blogging memes. Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings blog covers a large range of topics, including Randy’s personal ancestry as well as reviews and tests of the genealogy software like RootsMagic and Family Tree Maker. However, these blogs are also quite different from my own.

Instead, I will analyze a blog whose purpose and outlook is very similar to my own: Marian Pierre-Louis’s blog Marian’s Roots and Rambles. Marian is also a professional genealogist, and I have mentioned her blog on several occasions in this blog. (See “What Exactly Do I Research?” and “The top 5 books on my bookshelf.”)

For the non-genealogy blog, I will analyze one of my favorite writing blogs: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s blog Quips and Tips for Successful Writers.

Content

• What topics are they covering?
• What topics are they ignoring?
• How often do they post?

In Marian’s Roots and Rambles, several recent posts have discussed books and publishing (“The Top 5 Books on My Bookshelf,” “Authors – Get Strategic,” “Is it worth transcribing for publication any more?,” ”Is There a Disconnect with The History Press?,” “Essential NON-Genealogy Books about New England,” and “Why Do Authors Bother with Publishers?“). I can only hope that this trend indicates that Marian will soon be publishing her own book. She has also discussed other issues related to genealogy, such as the Boston University genealogy certificate program and “Planning a Research Trip.” She does not, on the other hand, cover general genealogy news that does not affect her own personal or professional genealogy interests. In terms of frequency, so far in 2011 she has posted every 2-4 days. (More specifically, the blog archives show the following numbers of posts per month: January, 13; February, 13; March, 15; April, 8; May, 9; June, 15; July, 8; and so far in August, 3.)

Quips and Tips for Successfuly Writers is not organized in chronological post order, but in categories on her home page. In addition to her “Featured Articles” and “Recent Articles,” the following topical categories appear: Freelance Writing, Writing Skills, Making Money Writing, Blogging & Web Writing, Interviews with Writers, and The Writing Life. A few of the recent articles that interest me are “How to Improve Your Blog – A Quick Website Review,” “5 Tips for Getting Things Done Before the Deadline,” and “Tips for Bloggers Who Want to Help and Inspire Readers.” One of the reasons that I have followed this blog for almost three years is that Laurie is not simply a writer, she is a freelance writer in the Internet age. Of course she writes about blogging, but she did not start there. She (like myself) started writing for paper publications, but has migrated into web writing for further avenues of publication. It is virtually impossible to determine exactly how often she posts by looking at her website, because the posts are not individually dated, and are not organized chronologically. However, I can say that she posts a few times a week since the posts show up in my Google Reader about that often.

Reader Engagement

• What topics generate the most comments?
• What styles of posts seem to connect with readers the best?
• Are they using any tools to connect with their readers (i.e. forums, Twitter, newsletters, activities, etc.)

The following recent posts in Marian’s Roots and Rambles have generated the most comments: “Planning a Research Trip” (10 comments), “The Top 3 Changes in Genealogy” (9 comments), and “Why Do Authors Bother with Publishers?” (8 comments). There is no common thread connecting these three posts, so the reason for their comment-popularity does not immediately present itself. As for connecting tools, I know that Marian is active on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Not only does she post links to her own blog posts, but also to other blogs and articles of interest to her.

In Quips and Tips for Successful Writers, the following posts (all appearing on the home page) have attracted the most comments: “What Does It Mean to be a REAL Writer?” (44 comments), “Online Writers – Should You Get Paid Per Post or Per Click?” (16 comments), and ”5 Steps to Writing a Killer First Chapter – How to Wow Readers” (12 comments). One notable observation is that the top two comment-getters are both “Featured Articles.” The post with the most comments has a particularly catchy title–one that would immediately attract anyone who would be interested in this blog. The second post covers a topic that often provokes readers’ passions–money! Provoking reader passions is an obvious way to attract both readers and comments. I know that Laurie uses Twitter, and that she often responds on her blogs to reader comments, but I do not know any further detail concerning how she connects with her audience.

Design

• What’s your first impression of their design?
• What have they done well?
• Is there anything that could be improved?

The design of Marian’s Roots and Rambles is extremely simple. It is your basic, run-of-the-mill BlogSpot blog design. The audience of this blog probably does not require much more. With most genealogists, content outweighs design.

The design of Quips and Tips is quite different. As already mentioned, the blog posts are not organized in a reverse chronological list from most recent to older posts, the way most blogs are organized. Instead, there are several categories that appear on the home page, with the most recent article for each category appearing on this home page. This works well, as Laurie touches on several different topics that can be easily categorized: fiction writing, blogging, freelance writing, etc. In writing, much like genealogy, timeliness is not crucial. It is not necessary for the posts to be listed with the most recent first.

Monetization

• Are they doing anything to make money from the blog? Affiliate programs? Google ads? Do they have sponsors?
• If yes, what kinds of advertisers are targeting this blog?
• How do they implement monetization efforts on their site? Sidebar? Footer? Within the content?

Marian only includes a single revenue-generating element in her blog: Google Ads. The ads are contained in the right sidebar, among several other non-revenue-generating elements, like a list of subscribers, the blog archives, popular posts, and non-affiliate ads for GeneaBloggers and an upcoming New England genealogy event. She occasionally mentions or links to content on her professional website: Fieldstone Historic Research.

Laurie makes her full income from writing, and one can see that a significant portion of this income stems from her blog. She has static affiliate banner ads at the bottom of the home page, and several text affiliate ads in the sidebar, where they are indistinguishable to her blog posts. While this is a little sneaky, in my opinion, it is also probably relatively effective. She also uses the website to sell several e-books that she has authored, including “Want to be a Writer? 73 Ways to Fire Up (or Just Fire!) the Muse” and ”Want to Earn a Few Bucks? 75 Ways to Make (More) Money Blogging.”

Summary

One notable difference between Marian’s blog and Laurie’s blog is that Marian’s was particularly personal while Laurie’s was not. Marian blogs about what she wants to write about. Her blog is not concerned with making money on its own. For Laurie, however, writing is her career. It is what she does to pay her bills. Even her blog. So Laurie’s blog provides content that readers want to read, not what she wants to write. She also includes far more options for her blog to generate income. While I cannot know how much comes from the blog through affiliate sales and ebook sales, it is certainly enough to make writing the blog worthwhile.

I can learn from both of these blogs. I should continue to write about issues and topics that I want to write about, but I should also bear in mind what my readers want to read. I should consider additional ways to earn income through the blog, aside from links to my home page, but these advertisements should not be intrusive.

One thing is certain, however: conducting a survey and analysis of blogs that I myself enjoy reading is a good way to gain insight into what my audience would like to read.

31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog Catchup, Week 3: Promote a Blog Post

I recently discovered a series entitled “31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog,” at the Tonia’s Roots blog. This series is based on the Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) e-book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Unfortunately, I am coming into this about a month late, so I am playing “catchup.” Once caught up, however, I plan to keep up with the series.

This assignment is definitely one that I am at least experienced with, if not mastered. Tonia presents a list of eleven ways to promote a specific blog post, originally noted in Darren Rowse’s e-book. My thoughts on these promotional ideas follow.

Pitch to other bloggers: ask another blogger to consider linking to your post. This gives me the heebie-jeebies. I really don’t like asking people to do things for me.

I have never asked another blogger to link to one of my posts. On the other hand, I believe that providing quality content will inspire other bloggers to link to your posts of their own accord. For a list of mentions of this blog in other blogs, see http://haitfamilyresearch.com/blog.aspx, at the bottom of the page, where I have linked to all of the posts I have found that link to this blog. Others may exist–please let me know about them if you find them in the comments here.

Social Messaging: use Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks to promote your post. Darren says “the key is not to incessantly spam your followers and your friends with your link.”

This blog is a part of the Networked Blogs application on Facebook. My settings automatically post links to new posts to both Facebook and Twitter. The one drawback to this is that it is not always entirely evident that my posts on Twitter relate to genealogy. To amend this, I will often re-tweet the automatic NetworkedBlogs tweet with the added hashtag “#genealogy.” I would recommend that anyone tweeting any content related to genealogy always use the #genealogy hashtag to set that content apart.

I also have a WordPress application attached to my LinkedIn profile, so new posts are automatically added to my profile. And of course (like so many others) I have recently joined Google+ and have been submitting links to my posts on that site as well.

Social Bookmarking: promote selective links on sites like Digg or StumbleUpon.

I used to use Digg for all of my articles, and this might prompt me to start doing it again. I also like StumbleUpon, and have already submitted some of my blog posts to the site, but should probably do the rest as well.

I would also add another similar site to the assignment: Reddit.

Internal Links: what posts within your own site can you link to a given post? Have you written on a topic before? Are you writing a series? Link them up. Another way to do this is to use automatic apps, like a related-post plug-in if you are on WordPress, or a widget like LinkWithin, which I believe works on both WordPress and Blogger. You can also add a section in your sidebar with “Latest posts,” “Popular posts,” “Featured posts,” etc. WordPress makes this very easy to do; I’m not sure about Blogger.

I do this all the time, as you can see from the “pingbacks” that appear in the comments of many of my blog posts.

Newsletters: shoot an email out to your newsletter list, if you have one. (Does anyone do a newsletter? I’d like to hear more about how often you do that, what kind of content you include, etc.)

I don’t have a newsletter, and probably will not create one for the purposes of promoting a blog. In my opinion, blogging has replaced the very “Web 1.0″ email newsletter list.

Other Blog’s Comments Sections and Forums: leaving good-quality comments can help drive traffic to your site and leaving a link can be appropriate if it is germane to the discussion. (Just a note here, I use a plug-in called CommentLuv that automatically inserts a link to each commenter’s last post, if they’ve signed up for the service. And since, I’m signed up, my links are left on other bloggers’ sites, if they use CommentLuv.)

Unfortunately, the free version of WordPress that I use does not allow the installation of plug-ins, so I can’t use CommentLuv. It sounds great, though! I am a little wary of blatant self-promotion in the comments of other blogs, but I have done this on occasion if it is appropriate and on-topic. One non-intrusive way to accomplish this would be when links are invited, such as with this blog series or with Randy Seaver’s “Saturday Night Genealogy Fun” posts at Genea-Musings.

Email signatures: Darren suggests including links to recent posts, instead of just your blog’s front page URL.

Not a bad idea, but not one that I will do. I would hate to have to change my signature every time I post a new article. I write a lot of emails, though so this would certainly get the word out to a lot of people.

Follow-up posts: write a new post that picks up where another left off, like a series, or adds new information to a previous post, then inter-link them.

I love series of posts. In this blog, I have written several popular series, including “Source Citations: Why Form Matters” and “Source Citations: Getting it ‘Right’.”

Advertise Your post: You might consider a small ad campaign for a post you are particularly proud of, using AdWords, StumbleUpon, or similar services. This probably isn’t something most geneabloggers would consider, but it might be worthwhile for those who are professional genealogists.

Not too interested in buying ad space for a blog post. For one thing, as a professional genealogist, my blog is to a certain extent as much a marketing venture as it is a communications venture.

Pitch Mainstream Media: You might want to do this for a really interesting post. Again, I think this would be more suitable for the pros.

I have never pitched to mainstream media, but my posts have occasionally been picked up on their own. Most recently, my post “Five things you have to know about every record” was mentioned in the online edition of the American Library Association’s American Libraries Direct.

Article Marketing: Rewrite some key articles and submit them to article marketing sites.

I am not really sure what an article marketing site is, but I have a feeling that it is what is often negatively called a “content mill.” I already have two columns on Examiner.com, which is at least a few steps above a content mill, but I have a little more integrity than to submit to some of the lower-quality sites. I have read quite a few of the genealogy-related articles on these sites, and they are generally not very good.

So, I do have a few tasks to work on in conjunction with this assignment. Most notably, to submit some of my articles (if not all) to Digg, StumbleUpon, and ReddIt.

31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog Catchup, Week 2: List Posts

I recently discovered a series entitled “31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog,” at the Tonia’s Rootsblog. This series is based on the Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) e-book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Unfortunately, I am coming into this about a month late, so I am playing “catchup.” Once caught up, however, I plan to keep up with the series.

The second task required in this series is to write a “list post.” A list post is exactly what it sounds like: a post that is a list of something. Anything.

I am relieved to see that I must be doing something right with this blog! I have already written a number of “list posts” in the past few months:

• “‘Making money with genealogy’ – recent blog posts“
• “What blogs does a professional genealogist read?“
• “What I have been doing while the rest of the world is at NGS 2011“
• “The top 5 books on my bookshelf“
• “So, are you ready for certification?“
• “Five things you have to know about every record“

There are also quite a few small lists held within other posts.

And, by writing this post, I have created another one. This fits the definition of the third type of list post, as noted in Tonia’s post on the subject:

Lists within posts – in this post-type, the list (or lists) is a way of breaking up the text. There may be some narrative in paragraph format, then a list, then another paragraph, etc.

The catchup will continue in the next post…

31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog Catchup, Week 1: Elevator Pitch

I recently discovered a series entitled “31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog,” at the Tonia’s Rootsblog. This series is based on the Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) e-book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Unfortunately, I am coming into this about a month late, so I am playing “catchup.” Once caught up, however, I plan to keep up with the series.

An “elevator pitch” is the common name for a brief summary of what you offer. All salespeople, business owners, and authors, among many other professions, are encouraged to create an elevator pitch. This summary should be just a few sentences, and describe in precise (and memorable) terms exactly what it is you do.

For a blog, an elevator pitch would be somewhere in between a tag line and an “About” page, in both length and detail.

Tonia offers the following tips for creating your elevator pitch, derived from Rowse’s e-book:

• Define your audience – who are you writing for? You may have more than one elevator pitch that you use for different audiences.
• Keep it short – no more than 100-150 words. “Get to the point, eliminate unnecessary words and make it punchy!”
• Be energetic – show people that you are passionate about what you are doing.
• Know what you are trying to achieve – your goal is not tell everything about your blog, but to interest people in visiting – or staying – and reading.

I created an “About Me” page when I recently revived this blog as “Planting the Seeds,” from its earlier incarnation as “Tricks of the Tree.” The short summary of this blog reads,

This blog will discuss issues relating to professional genealogy, including research methodology, educational opportunities, best practices, and other subjects. Will also periodically discuss case studies and ‘Ask a Professional’ questions/answers.

This is already in the form of an elevator pitch. It is brief, to the point, and quickly summarizes exactly what this blog is about. I actually had the idea of an elevator pitch in mind when I wrote the paragraph.

I have also, in three months of regularly writing for the blog, pretty much stayed within the confines of my original vision for the blog. This actually surprises me, as my mind (and writing) tends to wander at times.

So, rather than making any changes, I would like to ask my readers:

What would you change about my “elevator pitch”?

This is the Face of Genealogy

For the inspiration for this post, read “The Face of Genealogy” at Thomas MacEntee’s Geneabloggers blog.

This is my great-great-grandmother, Mary Francis (Connell/O’Connell) Reittinger, shortly after immigrating to Newburyport, Massachusetts from County Galway, Ireland.

This is the Face of Genealogy.

What blogs does a professional genealogist read?

To be quite honest, I don’t always have a lot of blog-reading time. My Google Reader list contains many blogs that I enjoy, and yet there are regularly “1000+” unread posts. But here are some of my favorites, in no particular order, and why:

• Adventures in Genealogy Education: Written by Angela McGhie, President of the National Capital Area chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and Administrator of the ProGen Study Groups, this blog provides up-to-the-minute information about genealogy educational opportunities and other information helpful to transitional genealogists.
• APA Style Blog: Though genealogists tend to follow the Evidence Explained models, based on The Chicago Manual of Style, the folks in charge of the American Psychological Association citation style guide have a blog. In this blog, they often discuss citation issues that can provide insight into any style.
• Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing: This blog is actually meant to be heard as opposed to read, but the audio is pretty short. Grammar Girl discusses English grammar, including what words, punctuation, and capitalization are grammatically correct. But she does it in a fun and interesting way!
• Quips and Tips for Successful Writers: Freelance writer Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen quotes some of the greatest writers in history before launching into each blog post, which then discuss other issues surrounding freelance writing, both fiction and nonfiction, especially topics like “how to get published.”
• GeneaBlogie: Craig Manson is an attorney by trade, but his blog is centered on genealogy. Many of my favorite articles are those in which he discusses legal issues relevant to genealogists. Craig is currently remodeling his blog, and his new ideas will include an e-book library, videos, and topical pages.
• Reclaiming Kin: This blog focuses on African-American genealogy, and is written by one of my good friends, Robyn Smith. Robyn discusses both her own personal genealogy research as well as tips on methodology and research sources. Very well-written, too!
• David Paterson’s Journal: David Paterson is the coordinator of the Slave Research Forum on the site Afrigeneas.net. But more importantly, he is a trained historian rather than a genealogist. His blog, though sporadic, is extremely useful by informing readers about the resources that historians are using for their research.
• Geneabloggers: Need I even mention this blog? Unless this is the very first genealogy-related blog that you have ever read in your life, you are already familiar with Thomas MacEntee’s blog that serves as a way to unite the wide world of genealogy blogs. Thomas has several recurring posts including those that describe various blogging “memes,” introduce new blogs (including this one this week). Thomas also runs the weekly Geneabloggers Radio (on BlogTalkRadio) which presents wonderful guests discussing various topics in genealogy. Recent shows have concerned British Genealogy, Finding Your Female Ancestors, and Irish Genealogy (for St. Patrick’s Day). Past episodes can be listened to “on-demand” as well.
• The Historical Society: “The Historical Society promotes scholarly history that enriches public understanding.” History and genealogy should go hand-in-hand, in my opinion, so I love to read historical blogs as well as genealogy blogs.
• Speaking Practically: A blog about public speaking, written by Kelly Vandever. Great tips on speaking and giving presentations.
• Speaking about Presenting: A great blog about presentations, from international presentations coach Olivia Mitchell.
• Duarte Blog: A very informative blog about slide design, by Nancy Duarte, author of the fantastic book slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.
• Civil War Emancipation: Another absolutely fantastic historical blog, centering on the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, and especially the abolition of slavery.
• DearMYRTLE’s Genealogy Blog: One of the longest-running genealogy blogs, O’ Myrt provides research ideas and discusses news and issues confronting genealogists.
• GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com: Carolyn L. Barkley discusses new genealogy books from Genealogical Publishing Company, and general research tips and resources.
• a3Genealogy: Accurate Accessible Answers: Great, knowledgable blog from professional genealogist Kathleen Brandt, who was featured on the Tim McGraw episode of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?
• Blog of a Genealogist in Training: Nicole LaRue is a transitional genealogist who talks about her journey to become a professional genealogist in her blog.
• ProGenealogists Blog: This is the official blog of ProGenealogists, the professional genealogy firm now owned by Ancestry.com.
• NARAtions: The official blog of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. A great way to keep abreast of records availability and accessibility.
• Marian’s Roots and Rambles: The blog of New England professional genealogist and house historian Marian Pierre-Louis.
• Genwriting Blog: Phyllis Matthews Ziller, an active professional genealogists and writer, writes this blog in connection with her GenWriters website. The blog discusses genealogical research and writing, but you will also find many extremely helpful tips on the main website.

These are not the only blogs I read. I have literally hundreds of blog subscriptions, and I read many other blogs from time to time based on links on Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, and other social media.

What are your favorite blogs?

‘Making money with genealogy’ – recent blog posts

On 15 April 2011, Joan Miller wrote a post entitled, “Genea-Bodies: The New Somebodies,” in her Luxegen Genealogy and Family History blog. A comment by fellow professional genealogist and blogger Marian Pierre-Louise (who writes the Roots and Rambles blog) inspired one response in this blog (see “Genea-Bodies: A response to the comments” posted on 18 April 2011). The beginnings of the discussion were discussed more fully in that post.

More importantly, it got the world of geneabloggers talking! Here is a list of blog posts circling around the theme of making money through genealogy, that followed the initial discussion:

15 April 2011

• “Genea-Bodies: The New Somebodies,” Luxegen Genealogy and Family History

18 April 2011

• “Genea-Bodies: A response to the comments,” Tricks of the Tree (now Planting the Seeds: Genealogy as a profession)
• “Genea-Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money),” Geneabloggers
• “Genealogy Blogging – For Fun or Profit?,” Geneabloggers
• “Genealogy Blogging – for Fun or Profit?,” Genea-Musings
• “In Which We (Finally) Discuss Taboo Stuff,” Clue Wagon
• “Genealogy Blogging – For Fun or Profit?,” Minnesota Family Historian
• “Genealogy Bloggers – Amateurs or Professionals?,” Beyond Genealogy
• “Genealogy Blogging: For Fun of Profit?,” The We Tree Genealogy Blog
• “Genealogy Blogging – For Fun or Profit?: My Take,” Amanda’s Athenaeum

19 April 2011

• “Diving in Thumbs First: My Take on the Paid Genealogy Debate,” Bayside Blog
• “Careers in Genealogy – “Off the Chart” Thinking,” Geneabloggers
• “Us vs. Them,” Geneabloggers
• “Careers in Genealogy – My Choices Work For Me,” Genea-Musings
• “Careers in Genealogy: Charting Your Own Course,” The We Tree Genealogy Blog
• “My Career in Genealogy or Today I Made $1.28 !!,” The Armchair Genealogist
• “Careers in Genealogy-”Off the Chart” Thinking: My Take,” Amanda’s Athenaeum
• “Genea-opportunities – we each choose what is right for us,” Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories 

20 April 2011

• “Genealogy – What Do You Mean It Isn’t Free?,” Geneabloggers
• “Bloggers and speakers and researchers, oh my!,” DearMYRTLE’s Genealogy Blog
• “TANSTAAFGS,” Genea-Musings 
• “Careers in Genealogy,” Minnesota Family Historian
• “What Do You Mean It Isn’t Free?,” Minnesota Family Historian
• “Free Genealogy Isn’t Free,” The We Tree Genealogy Blog
• “Joining the “Us vs Them” Discussion,” Family History Research
• “Genealogy-What Do You Mean It Isn’t Free?: My Take,” Amanda’s Athenaeum
• “The Pro Versus Hobbyist Genealogist Debate,” Ian Hadden’s Family History
•  ”Genealogy and Profit: A Hobbyist’s Perspective,” You Are Where You Came From
• “Charging For Genealogy Services Is Not Bad,” The Family History Researcher 

21 April 2011

• “How Do You Make Money In Genealogy?,” Geneabloggers
• “What Do You Mean It Isn’t Free?,” UpFront with NGS [added on 5/10/11]
• “Money, Money, Money and Genealogy,” Genealogy’s Star
• “NERGC Highlights – Going Pro,” The Family Curator
• “How Do You Make Money in Genealogy?,” The We Tree Genealogy Blog
• “How Do I Make Money in Genealogy?,” Amanda’s Athenaeum
• “Let’s Keep All Genealogy Free…,” Genealogy Frame of Mind
• “Freebies of Choice,” The Ancestral Archaeologist

22 April 2011

• “Money Changes Everything – Or Does It?,” Geneabloggers
• “Money Changes Everything – Or Does It?,” Minnesota Family Historian
• “Money Changes Everything – Or Does It?,” The We Tree Genealogy Blog
• “From the Archives: Can I Turn My Love of Genealogy into a Career?,” The Armchair Genealogist
• “More on money and genealogy? How can that happen?,” Genealogy’s Star
• “Genealogy, Computers & Money,” JLog
• “NERGC Highlights – On the Topic of ‘Making a Buck’,” The Family Curator 

23 April 2011

• “Making Money from Genealogy,” Genealogy Leftovers

24 April 2011

• “…and adding my $.02 to Making Money by way of the Gene Pool,” Wading in the Gene Pool

And luckily, the conversation has not ended, as the following posts have appeared in the meantime:

• “A Unique Business Idea Evolves from A Love of Genealogy!,” The Armchair Genealogist (27 April 2011)
• “Yep Its That Free Genealogy Thing AGAIN!,” Genealogy Frame of Mind
• “How to Become a Paid Researcher,” Genealogy Leftovers (30 April 2011)
• “Vendors,” The Chart Chick (5 May 2011)
• “The Genealogy Conference Model, The Speakers’ ‘Big Bucks,’ And Maybe a Turducken?,” Mnemosyne’s Magic Mirror (10 May 2011) [added on 15 May 2011 -MH]
• “Genealogy Conferences – Some Thoughts On ‘The Money Thing’, PR, and How ‘Free’ Is Often An Illusion (Part Three),” Mnemosyne’s Magic Mirror (13 May 2011) [added on 15 May 2011 -MH]

Quite a few bloggers commented in this discussion. Some were professionals, some were amateurs/hobbyists. Some of the posts comment directly on issues relevant to professional and transitional genealogists.

I would recommend that anyone interested in these issues read this series of posts. And if you know of any other posts that were missed in this survey, please let me know of them in the comments below!

Michael

Genea-Bodies: A response to the comments

A few days ago, Joan Miller posted “Genea-Bodies: The New Somebodies” at her LuxeGen Genealogy and Family History blog. In this article, she discussed the influence of social media users and, in particular, bloggers. Her experience in promoting the RootsTech conference as an Official Blogger gave her a unique perspective on this issue.

More interesting than the rather short post, however, is a comment from Marian Pierre-Louis, who writes the Marian’s Roots and Rambles blog:

Just want to play devil’s advocate here. It’s all well and good to be recognized but until we can actually make a self-suporting living based on the tremendous amount of work we do, what’s the point? All of us work so hard. If we were in corporate america doing what we do we’d all make more than $75k salaries. Until this industry recognizes these individuals with monetary compensation of some sort then it is only self-gratification we gain. I can’t eat that. …

Marian makes a great point here that needs to be discussed. Should self-gratification be enough?

Another comment, this from Kerry Scott, author of the ClueWagon blog, agrees:

Marian brings up a good point. When there are so many people working for free, it’s hard to turn this into a business (as others have had in other niches).

The conversation continues, and I would recommend that everyone go take a look.

I have been researching my own family history for virtually my entire life. I starting taking clients part-time, really as a way to fund my own research, about five or six years ago. Last year, I was laid off from my job, and decided that I had put in enough ground work to finally make the leap into self-employment as a professional genealogist, full-time. My wife is a stay-at-home mother (our personal decision to do this), so my income fully supports my family. Some months are better than others, but so far we are able to eat.

In order to accomplish this feat, I literally work from the time I wake up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night. I average about six hours of sleep a night. My time is spent researching for clients, creating lectures, writing articles for two columns and several magazines, writing and self-publishing books, and administrative work such as answering emails, marketing, etc. I also find myself tending to think outside of the box in creating new ways to generate income. I have no savings left, and, with a five-year-old daughter, I will need to start thinking in that direction.

One major issue in play here is, I believe, the separation of hobbyists from professionals. Genealogy always starts as a hobby. In many cases, it stays there forever. In far too many cases, the hobbyist never takes the time to educate themselves about proper research techniques, record groups, or even general history of the area in which they are researching.

For professionals such as myself, the process takes much longer. I spend a few thousand dollars a year (now tax-deductible as business expenses) on subscriptions to magazines and journals, memberships to genealogical societies and professional organizations such as the Association of Professional Genealogists, International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, and Genealogical Speakers Guild, research trips, and other forms of genealogy education. I go out of my way to learn everything I can about the research process, new and newly discovered record sources, and even both general and specialized history of the areas in which I work. All of this education pays off for those who hire me, read the articles I have written, and attend my lectures and webinars.

In between these two groups are the “Genea-Bodies,” that is, the Geneabloggers. In my experience with most of the bloggers I have met and in reading the blogs I follow, most geneabloggers hold a higher level of education and knowledge of research standards than your average hobbyists. But they often fall just shy of the professional standard of education and research.

Of course, there are exceptions. And for those who disagree with my assessment, I apologize. I can only speak from my own experiences.

However, in general, bloggers are researching their own families, possibly the families of close friends, but rarely accept paid clients. They may attend one or even multiple national genealogy conferences, but not often the several genealogy institutes that offer more in-depth education.

And most importantly, as the comments on the “Genea-Bodies” blog post confirm, they write their blogs because they love it. They are a community–a warm community that I am proud to be on the outskirts of. But being paid was never their goal, and is never their expectation.

Many of the companies that are now tapping into the strength of the geneablogger community, however, do expect to turn a profit. And they do. And the geneablogger community is extremely eager to support these companies, even the fly-by-night companies who create a new website or a new software product that gets surpassed or simply falls behind in that competitive market.

Does the geneablogger community show its obvious strength in supporting its own members? In another comment on the “Genea-Bodies” post, Kerry Scott mentions that she has been met with disapproval by suggesting that other bloggers click on each other’s affiliate links when ordering books from Amazon, etc. Clicking on these links costs the buyer absolutely nothing, though the affiliate will make a few pennies.

I have two questions that I would like to propose to the geneablogger community:

(1) Are we willing, not only as a geneablogger community but as a larger community of genealogists, to support each other as fervently as we support the larger corporations?

(2) More importantly, why do some geneabloggers seem to be opposed to those who attempt to earn a living in genealogy-related fields?

Thanks to Ginisology for the Happy 101 Award

Thanks to Gini of the Ginisology blog for awarding “Tricks of the Tree” with the “Happy 101 Award.”

This award requires that I list 10 things that make me happy.  So here goes… (not in order)

1.  My daughter, Mary Kathryn Hait, who turned four at the end of November, makes me more happy than anything else in the entire world.

2.  Obviously (if you know me at all), genealogy makes me happy – but specifically the feeling that you get when the records DO exist, you find them, and you make a breakthrough.  I also love the look, feel, and smell of old records, really digging into those pages from a hundred or two hundred years ago.  Microfilm just doesn’t have the same attraction (though my right arm – my “cranking” arm – certainly gets its fair share of exercise. )

3.  Writing is a real joy to me.  I started writing stories when I was a child, though fiction just isn’t really my bag anymore.  I was first published in a “real” magazine when I was twenty years old, and, with a few distractions, have been writing ever since.  The number of books sitting unfinished in my files could fill a library (as any writer could tell you), but I am particularly proud of my more recent genealogical writing (see #2 above).

4.  Helping others, especially with their genealogy.  In addition to my professional research, I will often try to help others with their research problems and brickwalls, by commenting on their blogs, or through email with people I have met on Twitter.  I also volunteer as a site administrator for Genealogy Trails.  This involves transcribing records for free access on their county websites.

5.  Good music – my favorites are hip-hop, R&B, blues, and (just to confuse everyone) the Beatles and some other “oldies,” and Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and all the old crooners.

6.  Good movies – it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I am a HUGE fan of the Star Wars movies.  The Godfather trilogy is also a favorite.  I’ll watch a good comedy any time, day or night.

7.  Reading.  I have read several thousand books over my lifetime – on all topics – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, history, science, sci-fi, you name it.  Except romance and fantasy (the “elves and dragons” variety) – those I just can’t get into.

8.  Talking about myself.  (Doesn’t everyone just love me?)  My wife says I’m the President of my own fan club.

9.  Peace.  Not in the sense of anti-war… in the sense of “peace of mind.”  I used to meditate, though I just don’t ever seem to have time to do so now.  Instead, I try to practice the kind of “active zen” expressed in Zen in the Art of Archery.  Doesn’t always work, though, because I still have to deal with people.

10.  Spending time with my favorite.  Most of my family has moved out of the area, but whenever possible we try to get together.

Just missed the list…

11.  Watching the Washington Redskins.  I love football, and am a third-generation die-hard ‘Skins fan.  But there was not much about this past season to make me happy.

Now I have to name 10 genealogy blogs that I would like to pass this award on to (not in any order):

1.  “Reclaiming Kin” by Robyn Smith

2.  “footnote Maven” by the Maven herself (Especially love the “citation geek” articles)

3.  “ThinkGenealogy” by Mark Tucker

4.  “Kick-Ass Genealogy” by Katrina McQuarrie

5.  ”GeneaBlogie” by Craig Manson

6.  “Family Matters” by Denise (moultrie creek)

7.  “GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com” by Carolyn L. Barkely

8.  “Genealogy’s Star” by James Tanner

9.  “The ProGenealogists Genealogy Blog” by the ProGenealogists team

10.  “Genwriting” by Phyllis Matthews Ziller