Monday, May 8, 2017

Six Years and (Still) Counting


It's been six years since I sat down on Mother's Day, 2011, and composed my first post at A Family Tapestry. It took all of those six years for the view count on that one introductory article to make it up to a measly 243 hits, but enough people came through, over the ensuing years, to garner five comments from kind people (even if one of them was my niece). Things like that take time to grow.

Since that first post, a lot has happened in the genealogy blogging world. Genea-guru Thomas MacEntee came, saw, conquered—and decided to move on. His blog roll of "over 3,000 genealogy and family history-related blogs" is now frozen in time. This may not be a surprise to those who, like Julie Cahill Tarr, noticed the decreasing rate of posts in the genea-blogging community—and hypothesized about causes for such a change.

Meanwhile, in the commercial genealogy world, the numbers seem diametrically opposed to the (presumed) plummeting readership in the for-free blogging world. Television productions sponsored by the likes of Ancestry.com and ads for DNA test kits ratchet up the public's interest in finding their roots. Wouldn't that spill over into the domain of genealogy blogs?

I know my numbers, though modest, have increased over the years. For that, I'm thankful. But I also see the uptick in my analytics following the airing of Who Do You Think You Are? or Finding Your Roots or the Genealogy Roadshow. A little genealogical inspiration can go a long way in influencing audiences to seek other like-minded options.

But...blogs? This is the age of tl;dr. Social media should be just the fix for this, not blogs. Right?

Genealogist Amy Johnson Crow instigated a lively conversation on her blog recently when she asked, "Is Genealogy Blogging Dead?" Her conclusion: "Blogging isn't dead; it's just different." Just like movies didn't kill book lovers and ebooks didn't crush print publishers, I suspect blogging has its own niche. And yes, it is changing.

Despite a shifting readership and corresponding change in reasons people pursue genealogical information, I think there will continue to be a group of people still finding blogs to be a useful—or at least enjoyable—investment in time.

Perhaps, though, the difference between genealogy news services (or other professional genealogy blog outlets) and avocational bloggers is that the one writes for the bottom line—payout from what the readership will consume—while the other writes from the heart. For the voluntary blogger, there is little to no financial incentive; we write what we want to say. That is not exactly a promising business model, to say the least. Nor does it accurately predict whether the pull of an audience will still be there to draw the best out of us as we write, tomorrow.

I've always maintained that this voluntary blogging should actually be a conversation, not a monologue. Though that may not be the inspiration leading other genealogists to continue blogging, I know it has been for me. As long as I still feel there is someone there stopping in, periodically, to talk back at me, I suppose I will continue the practice. And I have faith that there are still people out there, willing to give a shout out—or at least an understated tip of the hat—to fuel my resolve to keep going.

Perhaps my alarm at these questions about the demise of blogging fingers a conviction that this is not so much an issue about blogging, per se, but about community. As the genealogy world has moved from face-to-face society meetings, to queries sent to print newsletters and journals, to chatting in online forums, to Facebook groups, as long as we are able to maintain a collective sense of community, that is the important goal.

Genealogy research may seem like a solitary endeavor, but for that very reason, it needs to be counterbalanced by our reaching out, plying each other with our hypotheses about research and organization and all things genealogical—if for nothing else, for the humanizing touch of bouncing our ideas off other minds. When I see signs of people advocating rolling back the carpet and retracting yet another venue for connections, I become alarmed, and want to serve up an antidote.

I wonder how many of those languishing blogs cited in others' observations experienced a corollary drop in reader comments; in a be-the-change-I-want-to-see epiphany, I start thinking I should share the burden by going out and commenting on others' blogs in the hopes they can be resuscitated. After all, nobody wants to perform for an empty auditorium.

Will there be a seventh year for A Family Tapestry? Though we can never guarantee the future, as long as I have a story to share, an ancestor crying out to be remembered, and some friends to cheer me on as I write, I intend to run this relay race another year.

I hope other bloggers continue to join me, despite the whispers (or maybe shouts) of those thinking it's time to dismantle the venue and head for the next big deal. As small as our genea-blogging world may be, we are still making a contribution. Whether our posts are just the thing someone needs to read today, or the answer someone will stumble upon in ten years, we've hung out our digital shingle for others to find. Let's encourage our readers to get vocal and talk back—make our posts an invitation to visit, not just read and move on.    

18 comments:

  1. Jacqi, I’m so glad to hear you intend to stick around for a seventh year! Genealogy blogging is time-consuming work. There are surely easier ways to capture an audience and earn your crust – cue social media. But, for those seeking a community of like-minded people, with a distant cousin or two thrown in for good measure, it can be a very profitable hobby. Happy Blogiversary!

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    1. Thank you, Dara. I think you put your finger on it: it's for that "community of like-minded people" that I keep at this blogging discipline. It's so enjoyable to have this way to keep in touch with others devoted to family history research.

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  2. Happy Blog Anniversary! I have enjoyed reading many of your posts & I look forward to reading many more.

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    1. Thank you, Colleen. I certainly hope to be able to share many more, as well!

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  3. Don't stop blogging! I have been following you for several years and even went back to the beginning and caught up on all the posts! I love the way you tell a story.

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    1. So glad to hear that, Georgeann! How encouraging!

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  4. Adding my greeting - Happy Blog Anniversary. I follow your blog everyday where I find many incites and inspiration for my genealogical quests.

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    1. Gayle, so glad to provide some inspiration! I think it is so important that we each spark some new vision of possibilities in each other.

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  5. Congratulations. I've been following your blog for several years. Even though I seldom comment on blogs, know that I look forward to your DAILY posts.

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    1. Lynda, thanks so much for sharing that comment. I know some people prefer not to leave comments, but I hope this will encourage some to think of blogging as a visit between friends over coffee or lunch. It's so much more enjoyable when we touch base from time to time!

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  6. I enjoy you and your blog so I hope you carry on for many more years! :)

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    1. As I do you, too, Far Side. You have certainly been my inspiration!

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  7. Congratulations on 6 years of blogging Jacqi! I hope that genealogy bloggers keep on writing in their blogs. I plan on doing that. :)

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    1. Glad to hear that, Jana; you make a valuable contribution to the blogging world. And I know life has been hectic for you in the last several months...

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  8. Jacqi,

    I want to let you know that your blog post is listed in today's Genealogy Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2017/05/janas-genealogy-fab-finds-for-may-12.html

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Jana, thanks for including my post in your list this week; I'm honored, as always. In fact, what you are doing with your blog is another form of community-building, as you introduce your readers to new resources in the realm of genealogy and blogging. What a wonderful way to digitally network with like-minded researchers.

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  9. I do believe this is the first time that I have read your blog. I started blogging about 8 years ago when I returned to my research after a 10+ year hiatus. But then my father died in 2011, and another long break begin. I didn't totally stop blogging but at best it was only 1 to 2 post a year.

    Every year since 2011, I vowed to get back to both the research and the blogging. This year I made no such vow and yet for some reason, I seem to be blogging a bit more and actually trying to work on the research a bit more.

    I know my readership has dropped and it will probably never come back, but I've decided that whenever life and time allows, I plan to keep on blogging and will encourage others to do the same, so keep blogging!

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    1. Isn't that how it always seems to work, Mavis? You make a vow to surely do something, and...guess what doesn't happen?!

      I've heard from others, too, about the type of situations you've mentioned--all the life events, including outright tragedies, that prevent us from writing the way we intended. They are totally understandable. The best part, in all the inevitableness of it all, is that you kept writing. You were still there. I'm glad it eventually became "a bit more."

      Don't sell yourself short by assuming your readership "will probably never come back." If you are out there, being an encouragement to others while sharing what you, yourself, are finding, that will naturally attract other, like-minded readers. At least, I'm convinced that is the way the blogging universe works.

      Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, definitely, I'll keep blogging. I've just followed your blog, too, so you keep blogging, too! And let's both of us keep being community builders by stopping by to encourage other bloggers with our comments. I really think that is the key to helping each other keep going.

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