Bloggers united! We'll never be defeated!

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Or words to that effect.

There has been a bit of debate in the geneablogging community about whether our blogging days are over.

Julie Cahill Tarr's post here got the debate going, although James Tanner says he has raised this issue before and been howled down.  Thomas MacEntee announced recently that he's changing the way he's doing business on Geneabloggers.com.

For the affirmative, Amy Johnson Crow has weighed in and said it's not dead it's just different.  And the lovely Alona Tester has identified the pros and cons of Blogging versus the suggested villain of the piece Facebooking.

It's a very interesting and important debate and I don't begin to pretend to know the answer. What I will say is that 25 people turned up to attend a QFHS seminar this morning where we talked about how blogging your family history can maximise your research and why you might consider doing it. 

The social media landscape is a crowded one and it will probably have more players in the future.  I'm flat out maintaining my Instagram account, still trying to get my head around the value of Snapchat and monitoring Facebook, grieving the wasted hours but acknowledging that it is, by and large, my news source for both my own personal community and the world. Pinterest anyone?

And yet I still want to blog.  Why? 

Because I want to leave a legacy to my descendants and a legacy that can be found.  Have you tried searching Facebook for that post you saw, thought you didn't need and then two days later decide you need it?  Frustrating.

Because I have met so many great fellow researchers virtually and or in real life just through blogging - and some of them are even related to me.  Bonus!

Because by committing to writing stuff down AND publishing it, I am more conscientious about exploring every angle, thinking about how I go about my research and acknowledging my sources. 

Because the dialogue I have in response to the comments on my blog and on other's blogs expands my knowledge about this fascinating hobby.

At the beginning of the seminar this morning three participants told the group they had blogs. By the end of the seminar many participants expressed a desire to join them in the blogosphere. Make them welcome won't you and tell them what you love about blogging and why they should jump in.

Long live blogging! 

PS Family History Month is just around the corner.  Anyone up for another blogging challenge? Let me know in the comments below.

Comments

Sandra Williamson said…
I read this recently on Tony Proctor's Blog "Parallax View - A different view on things" his definition of "A blog is basically a serialised publication."
I love this definition and he goes on to say "Posts are made if-and-when the author(s) deem appropriate." which can be quite empowering when you think about.
A Challenge you say - sounds interesting.
May 13, 2017 at 7:49 PM
Sandra Williamson said…
I read this recently on Tony Proctor's Blog "Parallax View - A different view on things" his definition of "A blog is basically a serialised publication."
I love this definition and he goes on to say "Posts are made if-and-when the author(s) deem appropriate." which can be quite empowering when you think about.
A Challenge you say - sounds interesting.
May 13, 2017 at 7:49 PM
Alex Daw said…
Dear Sandra...that's a great quote...thank you so much for sharing !
May 14, 2017 at 7:57 AM
Cassmob (Pauleen) said…
Totally agree with you about blogging though sometimes the frequency drops off. Mostly something for posterity aka descendants, partly to think "out loud" and it has been a great way to meet new fiends and cousins.
May 14, 2017 at 8:33 AM
Jenny said…
Great post Alex and thankyou for championing blogging. Hopefully the three bloggers you met and any new starters will join the Australian Local & Family History Bloggers Facebook page. :)
May 14, 2017 at 8:39 AM
Kerryn Taylor said…
I haven't worked out Instagram yet, not even tried snapchat. I love my blogging but suffer a bit with blogger's block and life has a habit of getting in the way.
May 14, 2017 at 9:35 AM
Alex Daw said…
Pauleen I think you've just perhaps unintentionally invented a new term for people like us family history fiends! Jenny yes ...I recommended this group to them all..Kerryn I get Instagram and almost like it better than Facebook.
May 14, 2017 at 10:14 AM
Anonymous said…
Glad you wrote is as it saves me doing it. I think that many forget the fleeting nature of social media and with digital photos having the potential to be lost on out of date technology ancestors with bloggers could become most grateful. Thank heaven for pandora. I have set up an IFTTT that automatically posts my Instagram to a draft to my blog if I hashtag it #genealogyphoto. Easy to bin or adapt to a post.
And yes I'm always up for a challenge or I would hardly write a post without one.
May 14, 2017 at 10:41 AM
Alona Tester said…
What a great turnout you had at the talk. That's 25 new (or potential new) bloggers, and that's exciting. I'm love blog challenges, though could never cope with a daily one. Weekly, maybe. While the genie community is great, the geneablogging community is such a great group to be a part of.
May 14, 2017 at 1:01 PM
Jennifer Jones said…
I agree with all your points here. I think blogging and social media can work together. Would love another blog challenge for NFHM
May 14, 2017 at 3:25 PM
diane b said…
I have had a break from blogging but I wouldn't want to give it up all together.
May 14, 2017 at 6:36 PM
crgalvin said…
Excellent as always Alex. The longer potential form of blogging compared to the other social media channels provides the platform for considered and detailed posts that can then be promoted using the other channels. Well done for promoting blogging. I see Pinterest as bookmarking for blog posts, Instagram for current updating, Twitter, G+, and FB as promotional and two way information channels but only blogging has the long form factor. Phew, I'm still recovering for April A-Z but have had such good response from immediate family that by August a weekly challenge may fire up some some neurons.
May 14, 2017 at 7:09 PM
Kathy D. said…
This seems like such an odd debate among genealogists. Quilting blogs are proliferating with growing numbers of followers. Not many in that sphere seem to doubt the value of blogging although many use Instagram. The bigger question is why don't more genealogists see the value of blogging?? Through blogging I have been able to share reams of information as well as make valuable new contacts.
May 15, 2017 at 6:47 AM
Bribie Family History Association said…
Great post Alex and thanks for mentioning National Family History Month - August is fast approaching and will there be a blogging challenge?
May 15, 2017 at 7:59 AM
Sharon said…
Well said Alex!

I am up for a blogging challenge (with advance notice so I can write in advance).
May 15, 2017 at 9:14 PM
GeniAus said…
You've said it all (while I was on the beach in Fiji) Alex et Al.

BTW Please let me know if you'll be at #congress_2018 - I'll supply our Blogger Beads.
May 19, 2017 at 11:24 AM
Anne Young said…
I heartily endorse many of your comments Alex. Blogs are not quick off the coff comments but researched pieces to share with my children and my cousins. Sharing those blogs on Facebook is my best publicity avenue, equal to the search engines for sources of readers in the short term, though the search engines bring readers some years after the posts have been written.Family History blog posts are meant to be found and are generally not merely current so it is great that cousins and researches can find our work later.
June 7, 2017 at 7:33 AM
diane b said…
Yes I agreeBlogging or Facebook is the question for me but blogging is more journalistic an outlet for writers and photographers.
June 17, 2017 at 8:34 AM
Anonymous said…
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site
when you could be giving us something enlightening to
read?
June 27, 2017 at 6:32 AM
Alex Daw said…
I'll endeavour to do better next time Anonymous. Thank you for your feedback (by the way I am flummoxed. To what video do you refer?)
June 27, 2017 at 6:55 AM
Anonymous said…
Appreciating the commitment you put into your site and in depth information you offer.

It's nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same outdated rehashed information. Great read!
I've bookmarked your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to
my Google account.
June 30, 2017 at 6:42 AM
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October 5, 2020 at 7:08 PM
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