IT’S BLOGIVERSARY TIME ~ Celebrating 11 years of family finds and story telling

Who knew?  Eleven years!  I certainly never thought I’d still be sharing family stories and research tips for this many years.

It’s been fun and continues to be rewarding.  Many cousin contacts have been made over these years. I hope with many more to come.

WHO IS TO BE CREDITED FOR MY SUCCESS?  YOU!!!!  And, I cannot thank you enough

Let’s take a quick look at some stats from my blog.

HOW MANY POSTS HAVE I WRITTEN & PUBLISHED?

639 – an average of 58 per year

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE MADE COMMENTS ON MY POSTS?

2,130 – and I have responded to each and every one

HOW MANY HITS OR CLICKS ON MY PAGE HAVE THERE BEEN?

805,746 – an approximate average of 200 per day

Realistically knowing that not all of those hits are people coming to read my content.  But, nonetheless a good indicator that I do have readers.

My goal is to write many more stories this year.  Thank you all for your continued support.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2021   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CELEBRATING MY 10th BLOGIVERSARY ~ WOW!! 10 years of blogging–and still enjoying every minute–where have I been and where am I going?

Who would have thought that I’d still be blogging after 10 years?  Not me, that’s for sure.  But, I am still enjoying finding and telling stories about my ancestors.  I absolutely love the feedback and connections I’ve made.

Blogger keeps track of comments, but once you have over a thousand, they quit counting.  I am happy to say I went over a thousand a few years ago.  THANK YOU!  Not only do I read every comment, I also reply to every single one.  You all make me smile with your questions and your input.  Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

Let’s look back at some highlights from the last decade.

 

Two of my blog posts have stayed at the top of the count for most read.  They are:

• DIGITAL FOLDER ORGANIZING & NAMING MADE EASY with 30,856 pageviews

• ADDING SIBLING LINKS TO FINDAGRAVE with 24,624 pageviews

I’ve been contacted by cousins I never knew existed because they found my blog from doing a search on Google or seeing a link on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

 

Speaking of those traffic sources – which one stands at the top? 

• That would be Facebook – where I connect with many of my readers
• Followed by Google, Cyndi’s List and Pinterest

In 10 years I’ve written 582 blog posts.  Considering I didn’t get serious about writing until the fall of 2013 (only 22 posts for the three years 2010, 2011 and 2012). I’ll divide 582 by 7 which means I’m averaging about 83 posts a year.

Want to see my first post from January 12, 2010?  Here’s the link to Blogging about family research - Day 1 It’s fun to look back at those first posts and see how far I’ve come.

• I’ve redesigned my blog several times over the years, creating new headers and new tabs.
• I’ve learned a LOT by reading other blogs, which I still do regularly.
• Attending conferences and seminars has allowed me to meet other bloggers, many of whom I greatly admire. 
• I’ve helped other genealogists start their own blogs.
• I’ve taught classes about the importance of getting your stories out there with blogging being one way to do that.

(Click on this image to enlarge it)

Left to right - my previous blog header, my genie office where it all takes place and my very first published blog book

So, it’s been a great 10 years.  Enough of looking back, let’s look ahead.

We can’t know what the future holds for any of us.  I plan to keep telling my ancestor’s stories and bringing them to life.  By sharing their names and something about their lives, we honor and remember them.

 

There’s a lot more to find out there.  After 17 years of researching I still have brick walls.

 

DNA has added a new tool for us and learning about it has been my focus for some time now.

I applied to the Mayflower Society this year and am writing about my journey to become a member.

My hope is that I will continue to write stories of interest.  That I will connect with more cousins.  And that my readers will keep coming back for more.

 

Words cannot express my appreciation for every one of you.

So here’s to another 10 years!  Cheers!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

IT’S BLOGIVERSARY TIME ~ I began this journey 9 years ago

It’s been 9 years now since I began this blogging journey.  WOW!  It’s sure been wonderful.

 

I’m a better genealogist because of my blog.  When you are putting something out there for all to see, you realize it better be correct.  As I write about each ancestor I see where the holes are in my research.  I take the time to go back and find missing sources and that will often lead to more records.

 

I’ve made many wonderful friends along the way.  Bloggers are a generous group and we all enjoy helping one another and welcoming new bloggers to the fold.

Each year I have all my blog posts printed into a book or books.  I use Blog2Print and they make it super easy to do.  My current book is in the printing process right now, so here’s a display of my books so far.

The first 3 years I didn’t write much so that white soft cover book on the left covers 2010, 2011 and 2012.

 

I’ve written 515 posts so far and have had well over 1000 comments left by readers.  Blogger stops counting at 1000.  I have responded to each and every comment.

What does the future hold for my blog?  I hope I continue to write posts that people enjoy reading and that I continue to get feedback and make connections with family.

Here’s to a really productive 2019!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

IT’S MY BLOGIVERSARY ~ WHAT’S HAPPENED IN THE PAST 8 YEARS ON MY BLOG?

I can’t believe it’s been 8 years since I decided to start a blog. I honestly had no idea who would ever read it.  I’d never had a web page or authored anything, up to that point.  But, I’d read other blogs and I like the idea of sharing family stories in a format that others could access.  More than names and dates, actual stories about their lives.

This is a time when we, as bloggers, can look back on our accomplishments.   

Here is the text from that first blog post on January 12, 2010.

Blogging about family research - Day 1

I have just created this blog as a way to try and connect with more family members. I have been researching my family, including my husband's family, for over 5 years. I've never had a blog before so this will be a learning experience.

Here are some of the surnames that I am researching. This is not a complete list, but includes some of the primary names: Boggs, Bowen, Bowden, Bright, Fink, Frampton, Gillen, Goodbody, Gould, Hall, Hart, Hunter, Lindsay, Milne & Thorp

I hope that this will be a way to share this incredible journey. I currently live in southern California, although I was born in Michigan. My parents and grandparents and many other family members were born in Michigan and many still live there. There are also family connections in many other states.

Stay tuned and let's see how this blog thing works.

Til next time,

Michigan Girl

How did I do that first year?  I wrote 5 posts.  I had few, if any readers.  What about the following couple of years?

2011 – I didn’t write a single post

2012 – Decided I’d pick it up again and give it a try.  I produced 16 posts that year.  Again, not many readers (judged by the views) that Blogger keeps track of for us.

2013 – I started out slow and only wrote 4 posts between January and September.  But, then in October I decided that if I was going to do this, I needed to give it every chance to succeed.  By the end of 2013, I’d written 44 posts. That means that in October, November and December I managed to write 40 posts.

In the years since that first post in 2010, I’d been reading a lot of other blogs and I’d learned a thing or two.

• Make your content interesting and give the readers a reason to come back
• Use images in every post – many people are visual, I know I am
• Promote your blog on some of the social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter
• Be consistent.  Don’t go a month without publishing something.
• Read other bloggers posts and comment on them.  They appreciate it and they will, in turn, read your posts.
• Share research tips frequently – this has been very appreciated by my readers

From 2010-2013 I wrote a total of 66 posts. 

From 2014 through 2017 I have written 377 posts.  That’s an average of 7 per month.

I’m so grateful for the faithful readers that follow my blog.  I love reading their comments and I reply to each and every one.  To this date I have had 1480 published comments!

My total pageviews “all time” is 445,439. 

What are my most viewed posts of all time?  I don’t know, so let’s find out.

ADDING SIBLING LINKS TO FINDAGRAVE – 18,134

DIGITAL FOLDER ORGANIZING & NAMING MADE EASY – 16,743

TUESDAY’S TIP – HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH WAR YOUR ANCESTOR MAY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN – 5,326

MICHIGAN DEATH RECORDS ONLINE – WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM – 3,328

A CHECK BOX ON ANCESTRY AND HOW I FINALLY LOCATED THE 1870 CENSUS FOR MY 3rd GREAT GRANDPARENTS – 2,847

Those are the TOP 5 with many others in the 2,000 – 2800 pageview range.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet many other bloggers and I can easily say, it’s a wonderful community of people.  We meet up at conferences and seminars and hang out together.  We have a Facebook group where we share ideas with each other.  I completely appreciate when one of my fellow bloggers or a reader points out a typo or some other error in one of my posts. 

Blogging has made me a better researcher.  How?  Because when I am writing something I want to have as many facts as possible and I want them to be correct.  Therefore, it’s caused me to dig deeper and look harder.  You can’t imagine the things I’ve found just because I decided to write about a particular ancestor.

I hope that I can continue to write posts that will be helpful to others and allow me to connect with the many cousins out there.

Here’s to a great 2018!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HAPPY 6th BLOGIVERSARY TO ME ~ 2010-2016

Hard to believe it's been six years since I began.  I wrote a few posts those first 3 yrs, but only got "really" serious in the fall of 2013.  Since then I've had so much fun.

• Blogging has made me a better researcher
• I've gotten to know some wonderful people in the blogging world
• I've had cousins contact me, who otherwise may never have found me
• I've discovered a love for writing that I didn't know I had

What could be better than all of that?

THANK YOU READERS

THANK YOU FELLOW BLOGGERS FOR SHARING MY POSTS

Here's to another year of discoveries and connections.

HERE'S A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF MY FIRST FEW POSTS 

My Very First Post - http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2010/01/blogging-about-family-research-day-1.html 

How to Find A Maiden Name & Locating a Marriage Record 

Breaking Down A Brick Wall 

Cheers,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION