Unlocking the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Blogging

I have been writing about my experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) generators. I decided to see what an AI generator could do for blogging. 

I have been researching a blog post on the lumber industry in Manistee County, Michigan. My great grandfather worked in a sawmill upon immigrating to the area in the early 1870's. The lumber industry was huge during that time.

Using ChatGPT 3.5 I wrote, "Create an outline about the lumbering history of Manistee Michigan." ChatGPT 3.5 returned the following.

I. Introduction A. Brief overview of Manistee, Michigan B. Importance of lumbering in the region C. Purpose of the outline

II. Early Settlement and Lumbering Beginnings A. Settlement of Manistee in the 19th century B. Natural resources in the area C. Pioneering lumbermen and early sawmills D. Impact on local economy and population growth

III. Boom Years of Lumbering A. Introduction of steam-powered sawmills B. Expansion of the lumber industry C. Key lumber barons and companies D. Logging techniques and transportation methods E. Impact on Manistee's infrastructure and development

IV. Environmental and Social Consequences A. Deforestation and its environmental impact B. Labor and social conditions in the lumber camps C. Role of immigrants and diverse workforce D. Effects on Native American communities E. Development of conservation and sustainability efforts

V. Decline of the Lumber Industry A. Resource depletion and economic shifts B. Forest fires and their devastating effects C. Transition to other industries D. Closure of sawmills and consequences for the community

VI. Legacy and Preservation Efforts A. Historical significance of Manistee's lumbering history B. Creation of museums and historic sites C. Lumbering festivals and cultural events D. Modern industries and economic diversification

VII. Conclusion A. Recap of the significance of Manistee's lumbering history B. Impact on the community and the environment C. Preservation of the legacy for future generations

This is a robust outline. One that could be used for a series of blog posts. I regenerated the prompt and included the word 'short'. ChatGPT returned the same outline.

The above outline is a well written one. It is one that provides options to write about. I will use ChatGPT to write outlines in the future. I will use it for those posts that require me to go beyond my family history. For example, occupation posts, places posts, posts for historical context, etc.

For what else could I use ChatGPT? One of my weaknesses when blogging is writing headlines. My daughter, Kirsten, is awesome at writing headlines, but not me. I put ChatGPT to work for me. I wrote "Create five headlines for a blog post about the lumber industry in Manistee Michigan."

1. "Timber Titans: Manistee's Lumber Industry Chronicles"
2. "From Forest to Fortune: Manistee's Lumbering Legacy Unveiled"
3. "Sawdust and Success: A Deep Dive into Manistee's Timber Trade"
4. "Manistee's Logging Legends: Pioneers of the Lumber Industry"
5. "Preserving the Past: Manistee's Lumber History Comes to Life"

Wow! I would have titled it, "The Lumber History in Manistee, Michigan." (Boring!) ChatGPT is more creative than I am. I can see me using ChatGPT to write my headlines.

I do feel like I am taking someone else's work. I think there are going to be discussions about the ethics of using ChatGPT and other AI generators, but if you let your readers know what part of the post AI generated you are giving credit.

It will be harder to give credit and source if you are using it to write blog posts. ChatGPT 3.5 does not cite its sources.

I feel like the space pioneers must have felt back in the 1960's. I am excited to see what AI and AI generators will produce.

Previous AI Posts:

Writing a Family History Story Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Writing a Family History Story Using Artificial Intelligence: Part Two

Disclaimer: I used ChatGPT 3.5 to generate the title of this post. I used Canva Magic Media to create the image using the words Michigan, lumbering, and sawmills.