Monday, July 8, 2013

Pinning Genealogy


Imagine a gigantic bulletin board, filled only with scraps of ideas about how to approach the topic of genealogy.

Now, imagine that bulletin board transformed from an analog cork board to a digital version on your computer.

Can you say Pinterest?

I’ve spent a week’s posts on questions prompting you to dive into the social media world. For some of those posts, I was right there alongside you, swimming in those social media waters. I’ve jumped in, feet first, when it came to Twitter. Same with Facebook. Not so much when it comes to Google Plus. And you can call my Pinterest virtual property a veritable desert island.

Yes, sometimes we can overextend ourselves—or lose the focus required to drive a successful foray into a specific form of social media.

While I don’t necessarily have what it takes to produce a vibrant set of Pinterest boards—hey, I’ve never been a visually oriented person, what can I say?!—let’s take a look at what other genealogy enthusiasts have wrought with this easy-to-use online platform.

Just signing on to Pinterest and doing a search on the term “Genealogy” gives you an idea of the extent of adherents to family history in the Pinterest community. Seems like there is an endless stream of genealogy boards to visit!

Nestled in amongst all those unfamiliar names of fellow genealogy enthusiasts are some you’ll recognize. Some boards are representative of organizations, like the “Genealogy for Allen County” board. Some are readily recognizable, such as the Pinterest account for the digital magazine, The In-Depth Genealogist, and some lesser-known, like the board for Grant Davis’ blog, The Stephen Sherwood Letters. Author Gina Philibert-Ortega has an account, as does blogger Valerie Elkins.

You can find Pinterest accounts for traditional certified genealogists like Michael Hait. Or technology-geared producers like Carolyn Pointer and Kenneth Marks. Some people create Pinterest accounts strictly for their genealogical pursuits, like the business boards of Stephanie Pitcher Fishman—under the title Corn and Cotton—then set aside a separate account for a well-rounded gamut of personal interests under their own name. Jen Baldwin and Terri O’Connell of The In-Depth Genealogist preferred to take that route, as did one of my favorite bloggers, Michelle Taggart, who set aside just one of her Pinterest boards for A Southern Sleuth.

If you are tempted to join such stellar company and begin your own Pinterest adventure—or at least brush up your digital property on their site—there are plenty of online resources to help coach you through the start-up process. One straightforward guide comes, courtesy of the online version of the magazine, Real Simple. Another easy-to-follow demonstration can be found at wikiHow.

While I am not enamored with the search capabilities of Pinterest, it is possible to seek out specific topics on Pins, Boards, and Pinners via their search bar on the top left of each screen. I would love to discover whether any of the graphics, photos, and artwork I’ve found and shared on A Family Tapestry inspired anyone enough to click the “Pin It” button and add it to one of their boards. Other than happening to notice the data as it blips across my blog’s “dashboard” at any random moment, I’ve not yet discovered how to uncover that information via search.

So why, you might ask—considering the huge swaths of unmanageable data and graphics—would a genealogist and a blogger consider getting intertwined in an admittedly addictive website?

The best answer that comes to my mind is from a series of blog posts I found over a year ago. Archivist and writer Melissa Mannon explored how to benefit from a multitude of social media outlets, among them Pinterest. Basically, she found the key to incorporating Pinterest to be the visual outlook it provided, and then the transference of that visual mindset across multiple media. She explored using Pinterest for libraries, museums, and other cultural repositories.

The one show-stopping concept Melissa mentioned, though, came in the wake of her experiments with Pinterest, Twitter, and other social networks. She described how, in seeking to open up dialog among her professional peers, she followed up a post in her own blog with a comment on a discussion group in LinkedIn. In that one comment she wrote, she included a link back to her blog post on that same topic of Pinterest. The result in integrating these varied social approaches? The hits for that one specific post jumped to over one thousand for the day.

I don’t know about you, but the concept of increasing one’s page views to over one thousand in one day speaks volumes to me. While it tempts me to pin the golden halo on one avenue—the medium of Pinterest—I know better than to see it as the result of one sure-fire solution.

I see it more as the result of integrating the outreach potential of many different venues—Pinterest, Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and other resources we’ve not even discussed here in this series. No matter what your goal—to get the word out about your blog or to attract attention to your research for a specific surname—standing on one street corner with a megaphone will certainly be loud and noisy, but it won’t necessarily get the word out in any way that counts. Blending the use of many well-selected resources to amplify your message is the more likely approach to gain the success you wish for your family history project.


Update, Tuesday, July 9: A timely addition to the collection of Pinterest inspirational stories comes in the form of a blog post today, by Danielle of My Family Historian. I think you'll agree that she adds another helpful perspective to the conversation. Check out her take on Pinterest here.

14 comments:

  1. Pinterest who woulda thunk it. I was there last winter when I was really bored..haven't been there for awhile:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see how that would be an ideal winter pastime, Far Side. It is one incredible way to pass time--before you even realize it!

      Delete
  2. Perhaps this is the place for all the mystery Bill Bean photos?

    I've a pinterest account... I'll have to ask for the password - its been ages... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea, Iggy! Maybe I can set up separate boards by surnames, and add all my mystery photos. Not only do I have that stack from the Bean family, but I also have a few I never posted from Agnes Tully, too.

      It's been ages since I've been on, too. I first got on Pinterest when you had to beg a friend to send an invitation. So much for the big rush...

      Delete
    2. I'd love to see all the other photos - both the Bean's and the Tully's. I so enjoy them - I recall the "visit to the beach" photos in particular!

      Delete
  3. My genealogy board on Pinterest has been a place to pin ideas for using genealogy as home decor. I'm starting to rethink how to better utilize Pinterest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to come take a look, Wendy. We actually did a seminar last spring for our local genealogical society on using family keepsakes in home decor, so your boards sound interesting!

      Delete
  4. I've been "organizing" my main genealogy pinterest board into sub topics that have to do with genealogy. It goes without saying that is has proven to be another distraction, but I hope some enthusiasts might find it useful. My blog has been neglected lately. I'm flattered that you would mention it on you blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grant, I've always enjoyed the concept of your blog, and now that I see your treatment of the topic on Pinterest, it makes sense. Great idea!

      Delete
  5. I'm especially grateful for the Pinterest guides you include. I'm copying them. If I'me (ever) going to stretch myself onto Pinterest, I don't want to spend whole days doing it! I like to see Pinterest boards, but like you, I don't consider myself a visual or artistic person.

    OK, off to copy your "how-to" guides for Pinterest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mariann, I just stumbled upon another resource today that will make a timely addition to that list of guides. I'll post the link as an update in the blog post, above.

      Delete
  6. Jacqi, I looked but couldn't find you on Pinterest. Can you include your Pinterest URL? I'd be happy to follow you.

    I've included a Pinterest board for each of my blogs, plus one for genealogy websites, along with other boards. Granted, I don't spend a lot of time updating my boards, but hopefully they will prove to be good cousin bait sometime in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jacqi,

    I want to let you know that your blog post is listed in today's Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2013/07/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-july-12-2013.html

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love using pinterest to seek out visuals about the places where my ancestors once lived. I also put my blog posts on their own board.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...