Genealogy Leftovers: blogs

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13 January 2015

Order of words in a blog post title - why it matters (Tuesday's Tip)

Image by Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Does the order of the words in a blog post's title make any difference to how many people read that post?

Probably!

Why?

https://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/ says, 'Search engines put more weight on the early words, so if your keywords are near the start of the page title you are more likely to rank well. People scanning result pages see the early words first. If your keywords are at the start of your listing your page is more likely to get clicked on.'

http://moz.com/learn/seo/title-tag says, 'The closer to the start of the title tag a keyword is, the more helpful it will be for ranking and the more likely a user will be to click them in search results.'

So...

Kitty (Catherine) ASHTON: ancestor #1 of 52

is probably a better title than

52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge: #1 Kitty (Catherine) ASHTON.

And yes, there really is a blog post about Kitty ASHTON (my great-great-great-grandmother) who married Peter MATTHEW in Yorkshire, England.

(This post first appeared on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/order-of-words-in-blog-post-title-why.html.)

28 January 2014

Finding Broken Links (Tuesday's Tip)

This is how I tackle the problem of finding links that need to be changed:

I periodically use W3C's free link checker to identify broken links in my blogs and Web pages.

I have downloaded and sometimes use Xenu's Link Sleuth.

The HTML code for each of my Web pages is saved in a folder on my hard drive; and the HTML code for my blog posts (copied and pasted from the HTML tab while editing in Blogger) is saved in the nifty little programme Treepad. If someone tells me that a domain address or specific URL has changed, I can easily find out exactly where that link appears in my blogs or Web pages. I simply use the powerful search functions in Treepad (for my blogs) and Powerdesk (for text files with the HTML code for my Web pages).

Have you found other ways to tackle the problem?

(You can see more of my tips here. 'Tuesday's Tip' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)
~~~

16 September 2013

Are you getting fewer blog comments?

Wondering why you are getting fewer comments on your blog?

If you upgraded your Blogger profile to Google+, readers can now only comment on your blog if they have a Google+ page or profile.

Millions don't!

(Reference: Google Support)

18 May 2013

08 January 2012

Blogs (52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, Week 1)

In 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, this year's series of weekly blogging prompts by Amy Coffin, we are invited to make others aware of genealogy resources, share our tips on their use, and show the providers that we appreciate them.

Week 1 - Blogs. Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

For blogs, the word 'abundant' is an understatement. The Genealogy Blog Roll lists over 2,000 genealogy blogs, with more being added each week. In addition to genealogy blogs, I also look for those about the history of places, occupations, health, education, religion, clothing, food and so on. To understand our ancestors, we need to study them in the context of local, national and world history.

I follow many of the blogs recommended by others this week, but I want to highlight two that receive less attention than they deserve.

Sassy Jane Genealogy:

Practical advice from Nancy Loe, a family historian who is also a librarian and archivist, includes 'Five Simple Things You Can Do Today to Preserve Your Family Papers', 'Step Away from the Laminator!' and 'Planning a Genealogical Research Trip'. Nancy's e-book, Sassy Jane’s Guide to Organizing Your Genealogical Research Using Archival Principles, is also very helpful.

London Roots Research:

Rosemary Morgan shares information and tips on research in the Greater London area in England. My favourite posts in London Roots Research include 'London Parish Records Uncovered' (parts 1 & 2), 'A Place in the Sun - using Fire Insurance Records for London Genealogy Research', 'New FamilySearch - Some Tips for UK Genealogists' and 'Spotlight On: The Parish of St George The Martyr, Southwark'.

I learn so much by reading blogs, and I appreciate the time and effort that goes into writing them. On a personal note, I would also like to thank Pauleen Cass for mentioning my blogs in her post Blogs to Inspire.

24 January 2011

Ancestor Approved Award - my nominations

I have been neglecting my blogs due to a heavy workload, family problems, executor duties, a minor back injury, the floods, etc. I therefore felt quite unworthy when Pauleen wrote, I've nominated you for the Ancestor Approved Award as thanks for all your hard work in Queensland family history research.' Pauleen nominated my Queensland Genealogy blog, and this 'Genealogy Leftovers' blog was later nominated by Sassy Jane Genealogy.

The Award was created by Leslie Ann Ballou (whose blog is 'Ancestors Live Here') to acknowledge genealogy blogs that are 'full of tips and tricks as well as funny and heartwarming stories'. Recipients are asked to list ten surprising, humbling or enlightening aspects of their research, and to pass on the award to ten other researchers. Here are my lists.

I was surprised to discover (years later) that a girl in my class at school was my third cousin.
In the early days of my research, while tramping around Helidon cemetery looking for the grave of my great-grandparents James Campbell WEBSTER and Ellen BUTLER, I was surprised to find a nearby headstone for my other great-grandparents, George and Mary HUDSON. I promptly started researching that family too!
As a tourist visiting the museum at Sale, Victoria, I was astonished to find portraits (by Alfred BOCK) of my great-great-grandmother's brother (John CAMPBELL of 'Glencoe') and his wife Susan.
I was surprised to find (from a Justice Department register of criminal depositions) that my mother's uncle, who served in WWI, received a suspended sentence for stealing as a public servant.
I was surprised when records of the Clan Campbell Archives, Inveraray, Scotland, confirmed a family story that my great-great-grandmother, Julia CAMPBELL, was related to one of the Dukes of Argyll. (I will be even more surprised if there is any truth in the rumour that my English grandmother, Florence HUDSON, was related to a 'Sir Benjamin PEACOCK'.)
I was humbled and enlightened by my father's stories about life in outback Queensland. He described his 1920s childhood, education, daily routines, health and home remedies, changes in domestic technology, community attitudes, social events, the Great Depression, the War years, etc.
I was greatly enlightened by an old family document (sent to me by a distant relative) with exact birth dates for William HUDSON and his wife Christiana. This confirmed that an 1806 baptism record was indeed for 'my' William HUDSON. That record names William's maternal grandparents!
The same distant relative also sent me a most enlightening letter, dated 1879, from William HUDSON to his son Charles. It was a thrill to see William's handwriting and to form an impression of the man from the tone, content and composition of his letter.
I am humbled by the generosity of Michael FLYNN, who shares his discoveries about our PORTER ancestors. Michael is the author of The Second Fleet: Britain's Grim Convict Armada of 1790. He also writes for the new magazine Inside History.
I am surprised that more family historians do not use the free on-line guides and catalogues for National, State and other Archives. Some of the most enlightening sources are there, but will never be on the Internet!

In no particular order, here are ten blogs that I enjoy:

Four of my other favourites have already been mentioned by Pauleen:

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