Geniaus posed a series of
short questions following the recent Unlock the Past genealogy cruise:
1. Tell us about your favourite social media tool and why you like it.
Hands down it’s Blogger. I’m
still learning, and have lots to learn but the results have been great. I’m
also on Facebook but mainly to keep in touch with friends.
2. How do you use social media to further your genealogy career or
business?
I use Blogger to share my
family history stories with family and friends. It has also ‘made me write’ and
it’s true, you just have to start writing and it gets easier.
3. What advice would you give the cruiser who said “I must be
living
under a rock” and is not sure about coming out from under it? (This came
from my Social Media presentation)
Give a blog a try. It’s a
really easy way to start. I started my blog as a travel blog as I wanted to
record the big holiday but also thought it would get me in the habit of writing
frequently – and it did.
My Dad has started a blog
and he is enjoying finding things to put on it (not a geneablog).
Oh, and don’t forget to
comment on blogs that interest you.
4. What aspect of Social Media makes you grit your teeth
Inane comments on Facebook,
Facebook ads, and I’m just starting to get a few spam comments on the blog now.
5. How does social media assist with your CGD (continuing
genealogical development)?
Writing a blog has made me
more interested in other people’s blogs and there are so many things to learn
from the experience of others.
Facebook has helped by
getting notifications of events, new releases, and new websites through the
pages I have ‘Liked’.
6. How do you fit social media time into your busy day?
I can quickly check Facebook
each day in between other things. It’s worth checking at least every day so you
can easily read everything.
I now try to put up two blog
posts a week but am not being strict about that. Finding a few ‘prompts’ that I
enjoy has really helped – Trove Tuesday and Sepia Saturday are fun and make me
want to research and post something.
7. Do you have a story of how social media enabled you to connect
with a long lost relation or fellow researcher?
I have three just in the
last year!
The first was from something
I read on a blog and enquired about. This led in a roundabout way to a lady in
NZ who shares ancestors with me and had some wonderful oil paintings of them.
We are hoping to meet this year.
The next was from a
descendant of my great grandmother’s first husband. This has lead me to a
second cousin in Canberra.
The third was someone
researching my great aunt’s husband. This has just happened and has provided a
wonderful collection of information that will probably disprove a long held
family ‘myth’, and certainly lead me in a new direction to research.
8. You have a minute to share a piece of advice about genealogy and social
media. Go for it.
As if the above isn’t enough
to make you want to start.
Some of the other advantages
of a geneablog are:
·
it has made me
write. I am so much more confident writing now and it comes more naturally –
maybe there’ll be a book in it someday
·
more members of my
family are interested in the family history. I think reading it in short bursts,
and with photos, at their leisure is so much easier than reading a book or
having me tell (bore) them
·
some members of
the family are sharing more memories and photos because of the ‘prompts’ in my
blogs
·
you make some
good ‘friends’ that you then meet at conferences or just online. Some of them
have really helpful suggestions too
·
make comments on
others blogs and respond the comments made on yours – you never know where they
might lead
·
it’s fun!
Digitised
newspapers (particularly the country newspapers) on Trove are great for filling
in the stories of how our ancestors arrived, and how they died.
