Monday, January 2, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy Blogs

I've added the badge to my blog using the directions from Thomas MacEntee's Geneabloggers and I'm ready to attempt Amy Coffin's first weekly challenge of 2012.

 
Week 1 – Blogs: Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? Is it one of the earliest blogs you read, or a current one? What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

When I first read this week's prompt,  I thought as a new blogger I wouldn't be able to answer, but the prompt must have stayed in my mind or maybe the addition of the badge to my blog page kept me challenged.  I remembered something I wrote only a few weeks ago comparing my entrance into the bloggesphere to being a kid in a candy store.  Fortunately there is an abundance of free information available so price is not a factor.

The blog for which I am most thankful at this time is Thomas MacEntee's Geneabloggers.  Without his blog I would not have known about this 52 Week series.  His Upcoming Events calendars not only keep me informed about events, but also daily blogging themes, blogiversaries, and webinars.  The Genealogy Blog Roll with over 2,000 blogs listed was one of the main things that made me feel like a kid in a candy store.  As in the candy store, it all looks good.  It's difficult to choose which ones to try and I want to overindulge.

Since choosing is so difficult, I have to list some very honorable mentions.
  • For a long time Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter was the first and only blog I read.  It is still a favorite because of the wealth and variety of information Dick Eastman provides. 
  • Because we're distantly related with ties to Rockdale, Texas, I next found Vickie Everhart's BeNotForgot with it's beautiful digital artwork and "On this day in history..." entries.  It has been rewarding to connect on other sites with her such as Facebook and Find A Grave.
  • Without two webinars presented by Dear Myrtle, her advice, and encouragement, I would not have attempted blogging.  As someone who retired from working with technology, I was not afraid of the technology required; I just never felt the urge to produce a personal blog or website.  My passion for genealogy and wanting to share what I've gathered was the reason. I especially wanted to share information with my niece, Cindy, who has become my research buddy and has given me such positive feedback.
  • Another obvious favorite is Amy Coffin and her We Tree blog. Her blogging prompts and ideas are helping me so much. I enjoy reading her snippets about her non-genealogy life as well as how she has gleaned information from documents. I was so pleased with The Big Genealogy Blog Book I was able to download on my Kindle.  Kudos, Amy, and thank you!
I'm already looking forward to discovering more favorites.  Happy Blogging in 2012 and thank you everyone for sharing!

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