Blog 2.0

I started this blog, like most people do, with the fuzzy intent of sharing some viewpoints and opinions, sharing some knowledge, and reveling in the joys of writing and being read.

Now that this blog is approaching 6 months next week, I have decided that it is time to refine the scope of the blog and begin to apply a scheduled posting pattern for you, the gentle reader.

A New Tagline

To start with, I have refined my tagline somewhat, to reflect what I feel is the obvious focus of this blog: the role of the internet in genealogical research.

Technology is too broad a term for what I discuss, as I tend to focus almost exclusively on the internet to the exclusion of other technologies like wireless technologies, software and hardware. Thus the narrowing of terminology.

At the same time, I want to broaden the scope of the blog to encompass the greater implications of the role of the internet in genealogy, including its obvious benefits and detriments. The evolution of the internet in general is fascinating to me, and since genealogy is a lens through which I enjoy viewing the world, it seems a logical source of topics for me to explore and discuss.

To the above ends, I have revised my tagline to the following:

This blog discusses the use of the internet in genealogy research, providing links, reviews, tools and techniques. It also considers the broader implications of internet-centered genealogy and its potential to both enhance and degrade quality of research.

Focused Topics

I am also going try to balance the content of this blog better by averaging out my content across what I feel are some of the more important areas:

Quick Tips: Shorter posts with graphic instructions, Quick Tips are designed to make it easy for users to adopt newer applications and technologies, and organize and make efficient the ones they already use. Even small tweaks like installing browser extensions can make a huge difference in your online life! An example would be Adding Ancestry search to LookItUp2.

Site Reviews and Roundups: Reviews will be in-depth explorations of online tools of potential use to genealogists. An example would be my post on Remember the Milk.

Roundups will be burst lists of new tools and services online which I have not yet used. An example would be this roundup.

Reference Shelf: Reference Shelf entries will explore data and information available online, across multiple sites. An example would be my post on the deep web.

OpEds: A blog wouldn't be a blog without a little personal blowhardism, so these posts are inevitable. An example would be my lukewarm reaction to the trumpeted Ancestry newspaper rollout.

On a serious note, I would like to introduce some thoughtful posts on the role of the internet in genealogical research, even touching on how generational and technological differences are changing how genealogy is "done", how it is "discussed" and how it is vetted.

Last but not least, I will include the occasional random tidbits of interesting and fun facts that I run across during my genealogical wanderings.

In Conclusion
I hope that these changes will prove to help both myself and the readers of my blog. Here's hoping the next six months go swimmingly! Check it out in the next couple of weeks and feel free to let me know what you think.

-Jennifer