What is a blog?

Short for web log, it is simply an easy-to-manage mini-website. Because of its simplicity, you can be writing in 2 minutes.

How do I use the blogging tool?

Watch this slide show below for step-by-step instructions.

Why should I blog?

It is the easiest way to share your research with others. You can also use it to gather more information as others can send you comments. The internet is a powerful tool in family research and an Ancestry24-blog is a good way of tapping into that, especially if you want to network with broader family.

According to Geneabloggers, the advantages of having a genealogy blog are:

• Researching: Your posts will be picked up by Google and other search engines. Your information will even be displayed within the search results on this site!
• Sharing: Alert your family and other interested parties around the world of your blog's unique URL. Now they can easily follow your research.
• Connecting: There are accounts of genealogists having found distant cousins on the web through their blogs.
• Writing: Having a blog tends to help you package your information and research into a readable format.

What is the benefit of hosting the blog at Ancestry24?

By writing your blog at Ancestry24, you are part of an active community interested in South African genealogy. You can easily incorporate your family tree, groups and link to other areas of interest and relevant documents in our database. If you are interested in being found amongst the millions and millions of websites, being associated with Ancestry24 will help you to be found in search engines.

What to blog

Define your focus upfront. Here are some things you can do:

• share and publish your family history
• document your research as you progress
• collaborate with others
• tell, record family stories
• share photographs, documents, video's

Another way of looking at a blog is as a journal. That means you don't have to write long pieces. In fact, it is much better to write shorter bits more frequently. At certain times you may only want to post a photograph. The important thing is to keep it alive and updated.