Tech Tuesday: Social Media for Genealogy Analysis

Blogging is a great way to get the word out about your ancestors.  It is even better when your readers are 'cousins'!  How do you reach new readers and, hopefully, readers who are researching the same family members?  This was the question I posed to myself about a month ago, when I decided to analyze my blog and create a plan for better use of social media.  I am not a social media guru, so I went to an expert, my daughter, Kirsten. 

Kirsten is a Chicago based social media strategist and creative copywriter for a few national beauty brands.  I 'hired' her to come up with a social media analysis for me concerning my Journey to the Past blog.  I received eight pages of analysis on ways to expand my reach by using social media and blogging.

Kirsten's analysis has been very helpful and I am still implementing her ideas. Kirsten felt my blog was in pretty good shape and the keys to expanding my reach was going to come from a more integrated social media approach.  She suggested using all the platforms that fit right for me and posting content more frequently. What does this mean?

Kirsten broke her analysis down into parts that she felt would get me the best results.  Here are her suggestions, she had compliments too, which I haven't shared.

• Blog  
• Kirsten suggested I post more consistently.  I agree, this has been a struggle the past few months as I haven't been blogging as much as I would like.  
• She suggested I add buttons/links to my social media sites.  I added Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ buttons to the left side of my blog home page.  Clicking on these icons will take you to my social media sites.  Check it out!  
• Next, she suggested that I always share my new posts on my social media sites.  Good suggestion as I am not consistent with this either.
• Renaming my images before I add them to my blog post was suggested so that the images will be searchable in google images.  Ex:  IMG 4510 should be replaced with Bruce Glover's Childhood Home Hazel Park Michigan Genealogy etc.
• Lastly, she suggested I leverage guest bloggers.  Kirsten, you still owe me one!  If anyone would like to guest blog, just leave a comment.  I would be delighted to have you guest blog.
• Facebook
• Kirsten shared with me information on Facebook engagement and algorithms which bloggers probably don't think about, so it was good to try to understand how Facebook works for pages.
• I have a Journey to the Past page.  (Please like me!) I wasn't using it very well and Kirsten helped me to make better use of it. I needed to add a cover photo, change my page type from a personal one to a writer, instead of a community.  I beefed up my about section, too.
• Other suggestions included, posting my new blog posts every time, sharing links of genealogical interest, writing a blog post about my Facebook page, and posting my blog posts to my Fredricks Genealogy Group page, which I started and am the administrator for, when it applies to that family.
• Add photo's to Facebook posts.  Posts with photo's get more engagement and do better in Facebook algorithms.  
• Be funny!  I have a sense of humor, but I don't always show it in my writing.  This is something I will have to work on.
• Comment on other pages and brands as my Journey to the Past page, not as myself.  I didn't know this was an option and had Kirsten walk me through it.
• Aim for 2-3 posts a day.  I am doing this using Hootsuite, which I will talk about below.
• Twitter
• I have been using twitter since March of 2009.  Twitter and Facebook are the social media sites I am the most comfortable with.  One suggestion Kirsten had was to share photo's on twitter.
• Additionally, to keep tweeting my new blog posts, and retweet things I find interesting in the genealogy field.  
• You can find me on twitter @BrendaLeyndyke
• Hootsuite
• Implement Hootsuite.  I had an account, I just wasn't using it to its' full potential, sometimes not at all.
• Hootsuite is a social media management dashboard.  Since Kirsten gave me a tutorial on it, I use it to schedule posts to twitter, facebook, and google+.  I monitor my twitter account for mentions, retweets and scheduled tweets.  Two Facebook sections are set up.  One for Journey to the Past and , one, for Fredricks Genealogy Group.  I can see my news feed, wall posts, stream posts, private messages and scheduled posts.  
• Pinterest
• Hello, my name is Brenda and I am addicted to Pinterest.  I love Pinterest.  I have 124 boards and counting.  I already had Genealogy themed boards, but wasn't using them as effectively for promoting my own blog posts.  Kirsten suggested I pin my blog posts to boards on Pinterest. Slowly, I have been going through my past blog posts and pinning them to Pinterest boards.  It is always fun to see what other boards my blog posts have been pinned to.
• You can find my Pinterest board by clicking on Pinterest above, or searching for BrendaLeyndyke.
• Instagram
• I have an instagram account but I have been using it to see what my daughter, niece, son-in-law, etc have been sharing.  I don't even know if I have shared a picture, yet.
• Kirsten suggested I start using it to leverage more engagement and to find a new audience.  
• I haven't started to implement her instagram suggestions yet.  I left this icon off of my blog home page until I get it up and running, better.  
• Kirsten even gave me post ideas for instagram and using hashtags, adding locations, and announcing new blogs.

This is a synopsis of the analysis Kirsten did for me.  She didn't want to accept any money, but I valued her expertise enough not to take advantage of her.  I sent her a Sephora gift card for all her hard work.

Have you ever done an in depth social media analysis of your blog and social media?  I can recommend a good analyst, Kirsten!  I learned so much from this experience.  I realized one thing while implementing Kirsten's suggestions.  It takes a lot more time than I thought it would.  Social Media and Genealogy seem to be a good fit.  I look forward to making new connections through my improved use of Social Media.

Last Day Local: W.K. Kellogg Auditorium

W.K. Kellogg Auditorium, 50 W. Van Buren Street, Battle Creek, Michigan

W.K. Kellogg auditorium is one of many Battle Creek buildings that bears the Kellogg name.  W. K. Kellogg was Will Keith Kellogg, who along with his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, are the Kellogg's of Battle Creek, Michigan.  W.K. Kellogg invented Corn Flakes and founded what is today, the Kellogg Company.

W. K. Kellogg was very philanthropic to his hometown.  The auditorium pictured above was built by a donation from W.K. Kellogg.  Today, W.K. Kellogg is home to the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra.

The Art Deco style auditorium underwent a major renovation in the mid 2000's.  Renovations were made to include new seating, upgrades to the heating and air conditioning systems and restrooms.  New sound and video systems, lighting, stage rigging and more were updated to make the auditorium what it is today.  

W.K. Kellogg had a thing for the number seven.  He was the seventh son of the seventh son and in his honor the seventh seat in the seventh row is forever reserved for Mr. Kellogg. 

Celebrating 62 Years of Marriage

Happy 62nd Anniversary 

Mom and Dad

Enjoy a few pictures from their early married life together.

 Taken at the farm in Brethren, Michigan

 Young Love

 On their honeymoon in Frankenmuth, Michigan-June 1952

At her sister, Kate's house.  Mom is pregnant with my sister, Linda-1953

Thankful Thursday: Translation of Wilhelmine Fredrich Birth Extract

More information on this record can be found here

Where would our blogs be without readers?  My blog readers are THE BEST!  I certainly appreciate all the comments that have been written on my blog.  I reply to each and every one.  It is one of the parts of blogging that I enjoy.  I appreciate the emails I have gotten asking for more information or giving me more information. 

I especially appreciate a reader that was willing to translate a German Record for me. I was grateful when I received a translation of the above image, from one of my blog readers, Rafael.  What a generous reader! Here is the translation below along with Rafael's notes.  Thank you so much, Rafael.

Extract

from the Birth Register of the Protestant Congregation of _Schubin_

Year 1832, Number 101

Given name and surname:	Wilhelmine Fredrich, Protestant1
Name, Profession and Place of Residence of Father:	Christoph Fredrich, _____2, Baerenbruch, Protestant1
Of Mother:	Susanna née Koenig, Protestant1
Year, Month and Day of Birth	1832 (Eighteen Hundred Thirty-Two
(in letters and numbers):	The 18th Eighteenth of September
Place of Birth:	Baerenbruch, Schubin District3
Date of Christening:	The 30th of September 1832

The accuracy of the above extract is certified by a stamp bearing the church seal.

Schubin, the 5^th of February, 1938

Parish Office of the Protestant Church

[Illegible signature]

[Text of inked stamp on either side of document, in Polish: “Board of the Protestant Church in Szubin”]

[Text of revenue stamp, bottom right, in Polish: “1 Złoty Revenue Stamp”]

1. I’m 90% certain that the handwritten abbreviation that comes at the end of each family member’s entry is evang., which means ‘Protestant’ and makes perfect sense in context.

2. The handwritten entry for the father’s profession is unclear. The first half of the word may well be ‘Firms-’ (meaning ‘company,’ in the sense of a commercial enterprise or business), so the father could have been involved with a business of some kind.

3. I’ve translated the German word Kreis as ‘district’ here, but it can also be translated as ‘county,’ since either word can signify an administrative subdivision of a province or state. 

Journey to the Past is Now on Facebook

Have you noticed that you don't get as many blog comments as you use to?  I have and I was thinking of new ways to engage with my readers.  One of the ways that I decided to engage with my readers is through Facebook.  

Facebook is a great tool to use for genealogy.  There are over 3000 Genealogy related groups on Facebook.  I even have a Fredricks Genealogy Group where I share my research and pictures I have on my Fredricks family.  It is a great way to interact with my Fredricks' cousins.  

Now, I am introducing to my readers, my Journey to the Past Facebook page. My page on Facebook is where I hope to interact with my readers, other bloggers, Genealogy Industry Brands and more.  I will be sharing my new blog posts here.  I will be sharing other information related to genealogy as well.  I encourage you to check my Journey to the Past Facebook page out and please like me!  

Do you want to set up your own Facebook page?  Setting up a Facebook page is quite simple.

To create a Page:

1. Go to facebook.com/pages/create
2. Click a Page category.
3. Select a more specific category from the dropdown menu and fill out the required information.
4. Click to check the box next to I agree to Facebook Pages Terms.
5. Click Get Started.

That is all there is to it.  If I can do it, anyone can do.  Already have a Facebook page?  Great, feel free to share your link in the comment section for my readers to see and like.

Cutie Pie is 4!!!!

Happy Birthday, Cutie Pie

My niece, Cutie Pie, is four years old today!  She is growing into a beautiful, fun, young girl.  I can't wait to see what the next year brings us for our entertainment.

I got to spend a week with Cutie Pie and her family last fall.  I loved it.  She has a beautiful smile and is so much fun.  She was eager to play outside and do crafts.  I dug into my preschool teacher mind set and with the help of Pinterest came up with some crafts for us to do while I was there.  Many of them centered around a fall theme and Halloween, the time of year I visited. 

Since I was there for Halloween, the weekend before we went on a train ride to a pumpkin patch.  Cutie Pie got to ride the train, pick out a pumpkin, play in a bouncy house, play ring toss and more.  My parents-Cutie Pie's grandparents, Cutie Pie's parents, her brother-Lord Stanley, and myself had a fun time that day.

I was amazed at what a great mommy's helper Cutie Pie was.  It was her job to set the table for dinner each night.  I made the mistake of putting the place mats on the table.  I quickly picked them up for her to do. She is a wiz in the kitchen, too.  We made brownies one afternoon.  She can crack an egg, stir batter, add ingredients and more.  Do we have a chef in the making?

One of the best parts of the trip was when I taught her to play "Red Light, Green Light".  If anyone was watching me run around the back yard I am sure it was worth a laugh.  I was the one saying red light, green light and then after a few minutes she said, "It is my turn to sit".  I had to laugh as I was sitting in the lawn chair while I did it.  She started calling out red light, green light and then yellow light.  What a smartie!  I hadn't used that phrase. 

I hope Cutie Pie has a fabulous fourth birthday, she deserves it.  I sent a special gift to her for her birthday. It is one that, hopefully, will remind her of when I visited.

Check out a few pictures from Cutie Pie's third year.

October 2013

 Halloween Party, October 2013, at Preschool-I got to go, it was so much fun!

Sitting pretty with her grandparents and Lord Stanley, October 2013

New Bike-What a good girl to wear a helmet.

Dressed up for Dr. Seuss Day at Preschool, March 2014

 Easter-2014 Cutie Pie and Lord Stanley, her brother.  I think Cutie Pie enjoyed it more than her brother did. 

 Look at that smile, I smile everytime I look at this picture.

(Lord Stanley and Cutie Pie are nicknames I have chosen to use for my nephew and niece on this blog to protect their identity at such a young age.)

Where in the World is Adaline Dyer Glover?

Where in the World is Adaline L. Dyer Glover?

I am an organizer!  I enjoy being organized around the house and with my genealogy.  One of the things that helps me in my research is to create charts.  My "Where in the World" posts help me see where I have gaps in my research. I am going through my ancestors and posting once a month their census records in chart form. Adaline Dyer married Samuel Stillman Glover, Jr. in 1857 in Michigan.

FACT	DATE	PLACE OF RESIDENCE	ENUMERATION DISTRICT/PAGE ID./DWELLING
Birth	6 Mar 1838	New York, New York, United States
Census	1840	New York, New York, United States	17thWard/293/
Census	1850	Cazenovia, Madison, New York, United States	/76/1072
Census	1860	Macon, Lenawee, Michigan, United States	/188/1421
Census	1870	Manistee, Manistee, Michigan, United States	3/25
Census	1880	Muskegon, Muskegon, Michigan, United States	193/239/501
Census	1900	Pleasanton Township, Manistee, Michigan, United States	42/5B/109
Census	1905	Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States	/39/802
Census	1910	Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States	58/3B/42
Death	19 Dec 1917	King, Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States

Workday Wednesday: George Poor Mississippi River Shipmaster

United States Inspectors Certificate for George B. Poor, 

Skillful Master of Steam Boats on The Mississippi and Tributaries, 1874.

Have you ever read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"?  This is the image I get when I think about the jobs my second great grand uncle, George Begole Poor had. Huckleberry Finn was set around the years 1835-1845 and George Poor was a ship master during the 1860s-1880's, but I still imagine the Mississippi River as described in Huck Finn.

George Begole Poor, the second child of Samuel B. Poor and Eleanor Begole, was born 29 February 1828 in Steuben County, New York.  He moved with his parents at a young age to Michigan.  Eventually, he moved to the Cairo, Illinois area, where he spent the remainder of his life.

George Poor had a number of jobs throughout his 62 years of life.  The certificate above is only one of many jobs George had.  George's life was detailed in "History of Alexander, Union, and Pulaski Counties, Illinois" book on page 37, available at Google books.  This book combined with help from another Poor researcher gives a pretty good picture of George's working life.

• Millwright (?-Fall 1850)
• Railroad Track Layer for Michigan Central Railroad (1850-1854)
• Supervisor of Railroad Track Laying for Illinois Central Railroad (April 1854-July 1861)
• Captain of Co. K Ninth Illinois, Civil War (26 July 1861-December 1861)
• Commander of Dispatch Boat, Cairo, Illinois (Jan 1861-November 1865)
• Captain of Ike Hammitt, Cairo, Illinois (November 1865-August 1875)
• Farmer, Dongala, Illinois (August 1875-1882)
• Wharfmaster, Cairo, Illinois (1882-?)
• Store Clerk at Osborn and Fisher, Cairo, Illinois (at the time of his death, 1890)

Unfortunately, George's life ended on the Mississippi River.  The last person to see George said he was walking toward the Mississippi River.  He was missing for days and rewards were offered for information on his whereabouts.  His body was found about 50 miles downriver in Hickman, Ky.  George died June of 1890, having spent forty years working in transportation.