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Any advice for blogging about your family tree

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  • Any advice for blogging about your family tree

    Hi. I've spent some time searching but I can't find anything to help, so apologies if this has been asked (in which case, can someone please direct me to the relevant thread?)

    I used to be a keen genealogist and then had my son and had no time. I keep dipping back in, have every intention of writing up what I have found (both my side and my husband's), but never quite get round to it.

    I was thinking that maybe if I had a blog, I could take one person at a time in my tree and then write up what I know, and carry on the research if necessary. It would be an ordered approach, rather than my current rather scatter-gun approach.

    Years ago I looked and thought maybe a Wordpress blog was the way to go. I don't want to spend any money on it. It will mostly be for me, but I will give the site address to relatives who have shown an interest. This may help me with motivation at writing it too.

    But, I'm stuck. I want to write up my whole tree. And that of my husband. What do I call it? Does it matter if it's suitably generic (I.e. doesn't have the surnames listed). Is there anything I need to consider before I start?

    I have googled and see there are quite a few mostly US sites with information. But I thought as you lot have been so helpful in the past, maybe more personal advice would be helpful.

    Many thanks in advance for any advice.
    :D Charney Jo

  • #2
    Honestly? It's your history, yours to write as you want it.

    I've got my own site with a mixture of articles about family, a section with an online tree which works through https://www.tngsitebuilding.com/ and have just started a sort of intermittent blog. I used to use joomla but have moved it all to wordpress recently. I uploaded wordpress and use it that way as I'm already paying for hosting.

    TNG (the link) needs you to have your own paid for web space and you pay for the software but it can be organised through them and the recommended web hosting will upload the software for you, There is scope there for writing pages/stories so that is all you would need. There are lots example sites there for you to get the idea https://www.tngsitebuilding.com/usersites.php and an active help forum.

    If you just want to write and try it for free, then a Wordpress site will do the job. www.wordpress.com. You need to pay for using their hosting if it gets too big. You could start with one and then expand if you feel you have got more to have there. You can upload a tree to ancestry free (or elsewhere) and link to that.
    Last edited by Caroline; 12-09-19, 12:01. Reason: Changed the Wordpress info as I got it wrong at first
    Caroline
    Caroline's Family History Pages
    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

    Comment


    • #3
      I've just tracked down two blog type sites I know of by FTF members:

      https://chiddicksfamilytree.wordpress.com/ - genealogy

      http://craftsbycarolyn.blogspot.com/ - various but different way of hosting

      I am sure there are others.
      Caroline
      Caroline's Family History Pages
      Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks Caroline. I'll maybe start with a free Wordpress one and see how I go.
        :D Charney Jo

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Charney Jo View Post
          Thanks Caroline. I'll maybe start with a free Wordpress one and see how I go.
          I've also been mulling over using Wordpress and came across this guide which looks useful: https://www.wpbeginner.com/start-a-wordpress-blog/

          Someone I know has various Wordpress family history blogs and they look fantastic - I'll have to ask him what Wordpress theme (ie what I would call a layout template) he uses as I think it looks really crisp and clean. You can have a look at a sample page to which I contributed here: https://mprobb.wordpress.com/2014/08...undy-champain/
          and then navigate round the website to see things he has included (eg search option, tags, contact form, comments options, related posts etc) and how he has organised things.

          Good luck...
          Christine
          Last edited by Karamazov; 12-09-19, 17:54.
          Researching:
          HOEY (Fermanagh, other Ulster counties and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) BANNIGAN and FOX (Ballyshannon, Donegal, Ireland and Portland, Maine, USA) REYNOLDS, McSHEA, PATTERSON and GOAN (Corker and Creevy, Ballyshannon, Donegal, Ireland) DYER (Belfast and Ballymacarrett) SLEVIN and TIMONEY (Fermanagh) BARNETT (Ballagh, Tyrone and Strangford, Down)

          Comment


          • #6
            My husband has just decided he wants to learn more on WP, and I note we have had 2 books recently delivered, he reads them! so I might be able to get you some answers if you get stuck.

            I had a play a while back, and it seemed quite easy. I have access and have written blog posts for someone else on here but that is a really basic one.



            You can now make them more like a website these days, with menus etc. One thing I have learnt you can play about with the format at any time, so once you have a few pages/posts you can change it around. You could do pages for each family and then posts within for more detail.

            I have this one also https://daysoutampthill.blogspot.com/ I think the initial style will depend if you have a lots of images or more text.

            Not sure what to say about a name. I am pretty sure you can export and then import so can always start another with a new name one day.

            key words and a search box will also help you get around.
            Last edited by cbcarolyn; 12-09-19, 18:57.
            Carolyn
            Family Tree site

            Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
            Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

            Comment


            • #7
              I should have said, the theme I use is called Divi by Elegant Themes, it's a paid one but I got a lifetime subscription for very little in a special offer, and I use various plugins to make it do what I want.

              I used Wordpress for Beginners 2018 to start me off and then very quickly moved on to https://www.wpbeginner.com/guides/ and google ....

              I have also moved all the FTF magazine articles to the same platform and theme but using different colours and layout and it works more like a blog.
              Caroline
              Caroline's Family History Pages
              Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

              Comment


              • #8
                So, it looks like Wordpress is the way to go. I’m hoping to have a better look next week. Lots of interesting links and information posted.

                Thanks all for your help.
                :D Charney Jo

                Comment


                • #9
                  I have been looking at the links Caroline gave, tempted to have a go with the TNG software. Now that I have the time, I think I need to do something with the info I have.

                  Just in the process of changing to a new hoster, as not prepared to pay the price now I no longer 'need' it for a business. There are some good deals out there at the moment that last for 3 years, will worry about what to do at end of three years.
                  Last edited by cbcarolyn; 15-09-19, 09:11.
                  Carolyn
                  Family Tree site

                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I have decided to give WordPress a go, so as decided to change hoster for website etc, I am all fired up to make a start! Decided to go with a subdomain. Not sure how long that will last for, as I have just started sewing some things too....

                    So my journey is starting, front page only and links to pre-existing, although I don't intend to change the gallery in the near future.

                    I can see that there are plug ins to publish the tree, nothing tried yet.

                    Would be interested to hear if anyone is doing anything.

                    Carolyn
                    Family Tree site

                    Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                    Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Have just had a look at your site. Looking very good and easy to find your way around. Only one thing stuck out like a sore thumb - you haven’t put in a link to familytreeforum.com
                      Last edited by GallowayLass; 11-10-19, 18:56.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by GallowayLass View Post
                        Have just had a look at your site. Looking very good and easy to find your way around. Only one thing stuck out like a sore thumb - you haven’t put in a link to familytreeforum.com
                        thank you I will add it, tbh the page that it points to is very very old and probably some of the links are not even working. That page will be replaced, once I have go the hang of wordpress, that was a very old HTML page I wrote.
                        Last edited by cbcarolyn; 11-10-19, 20:23.
                        Carolyn
                        Family Tree site

                        Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                        Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          fixed now, and removed broken links for now
                          Carolyn
                          Family Tree site

                          Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                          Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                          Comment

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