I started this blog five years ago yesterday. How nice of everyone to take the day off in honor!
I really had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I conceived of it as a place to update research, tell some family stories, report relevant genealogical news,and set out some opinions and philosophies. And I hope I’ve done that.
Some great people and terrific experiences have come my way as a result of this blog. I found cousins I didn’t now I had, reconnected with friends I hadn’t heard from in years, and made many new friends. I’ve learned a lot about genealogy and I have had the chance to ponder the role of technology in our lives. I’ve seen the blogosphere expand at an astounding rate and mainly for the better.
I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers on issues of common interest. And to dispel a misconception about the alleged insularity of the genea-blogging community, I have many regular readers who are not bloggers and some who are not that interested in doing family research themselves. Some come for a story or a bit of info about a hometown. All are welcome here.
It’s all been great fun for me. As longtime readers know, I’m an old radio guy (i.e., an old guy who used to be in radio). My first radio mentor nearly rorty years ago told me to speak to the audience as if it consisted of only one person. That was good advice then and I’ve tried that approach with the blog.
Sometimes, like on the radio, the blog misses the mark. Or I think it does. Other times , it hits exactly the right chord. For example, in hindsight, I thought the series on Paul Harvey was overbaked and even beyond the scope of what I usually do. The Walter Cronkhite piece on the other hand seemed to reflect the collective memories of my generation.
From a genealogical vantage, my favorites have been the discovery of my Birdsong relatives starting with the piece She’s Spanish, published on September 17, 2005, and continuing over several months; and The Greatest Genealogical Find Ever; and The Wrong Longs and The Right Longs.
Naturally I like doing the bits on the law: copyright, privacy and so on.
Pieces that I enjoyed writing the most were the three-part series Art, Science & Serendipity [the story of a week's visit from my parents to my then-home in Virginia] and the Revealing Heroes series about Medal of Honor winners.
On the side of whimsy, I loved doing the “Delta” series that began with Another Sleepy Dusty Delta Day in June, 2007.
I completely enjoyed our 2007 Research Trip [starting here ] and the French Negroes series, which now has become a major academic research study.
Come to think of it, I like it all! Most of all, I like the fact that I’m part of a community that takes pride in its work and enjoys what is does. That would not be possible without you–reader, colleague, commenter, occasional visitor who got a one-time chuckle or smile from something–thank you, merci, gracias, vehlen dank!
So on this anniversary, look forward to more to come because Resistance is Futile!
