According to the Record Click website, you can hire a genealogist to find long-lost family members. Since the Internet reaches throughout the world, it’s easier than ever to find and match distant relatives to a family tree.
Along with professional help, you can also use the power of the Web by creating your own genealogy blog. Using a few key tactics, a blog can be visible to many people who may hold keys to your family history.
Basic documentation
A blog is essentially an online journal that allows you to document family events, both past and present. To make the initial blogging posts relevant to the current day, start writing short pieces about family members today.
If a loved one is fighting cancer, for example, document your feelings and the patient’s progress through the blog. Along with helping their peace of mind, the blog also connects with others that are concerned about your loved one or related to the person biologically.
Use surnames
To help people locate the blog, use surnames throughout the text. Where possible, talk about several family tree limbs with various surnames.
Marriages and divorces occur in all families, so last names are constantly changing, especially for women. The more surnames you mention, the more search engines will latch onto that information and direct potentially interested parties your way.
A distant relative searching one of those surnames is more likely to find your blog, which enables that person to contact you and fill in empty spaces in your family history.
Link it
Along with surname keywords, use links strategically throughout your blog to build more Internet connections. For example, link a word or phrase on your site to a website that discusses California’s Gold Rush days, if there’s some connection to your family.
Your linked blog should mention the Gold Rush and the family’s connection to it. As people search the Web, they’ll find these links between history and your specific family, which may possibly open up connections between married partners or long-lost cousins.
Increased blog visibility only improves your odds of filling in a complicated family tree.
Keep hard copies
Computer malfunctions occur at times, and corrupt blog posts. It’s safer to keep a hard copy of all your writings so they can be recreated, if necessary.
To make your blogging even more connected in the world, send a hard copy of all your blogs to the Library of Congress. The federal government compiles and inputs family history into its databases for historical and census purposes. Many people access the Library of Congress for their family history, so you may encounter a connection at some future point.
Simplicity is key
Some bloggers are tempted by the idea of posting several blogs for more visibility. Avoid this pitfall because it’s better to concentrate on a dedicated blog that’s constantly updated, as opposed to stretching your content too thinly across many blogs.
Mention surnames in that single blog consistently, and allow readers to connect with it easily. Several separate blogs about the same family risks confusing readers, and causing them to look elsewhere for information.
Take a look at all the blogging exposure a family could have to complete their historical documentation. It’s easier than ever to track down your ancestors.
