Educating Nola – Busy Life.

Sometimes life gets complicated and family matters take you away from those activities you plan. That is what happened this week. Now I’m back doing my Blogging 101 course.

Day three’s task on the course, was to write the blog of why I started blogging in the first place. Although I have been blogging on and off for a while, I realised that I had written the blog about where it all started. I was trying my best to get organised with all my ‘history stuff’, both family and local. I have progressed, since I started putting my plans into place. However, I have not progressed as quickly, or as far as I originally planned, but I’m getting there. Blogging on my ancestors, has made me write about them more and put them into context, so that is a good thing. I just need to do more of it, so I can get these promised family history books, together, and share them with family and friends as planned.

Day four of the course, was to ‘Say Hi to my Neighbours- blogging ones that is. People who blog about and are interested in the same kind of things-genealogy, history and such. I spent several hours blissfully reading all about other peoples families and ancestors. Gave me lots of inspiration, ideas and encouragement to really get into the ‘blogging habit’ and consistently write up my research and findings. That will get me closer to getting my books finished.

The fifth day’s task was to ‘Love my theme’. Well, I have kept my theme at the moment, but have added my new title and tagline. Maybe I will experiment more a little later, when I have time and am curious about other ways of presenting my work.

The sixth day was to write a blog for our ‘dream reader’. I must admit I hadn’t thought about this aspect. I have been so engrossed in trying to get my blogs together, to make sense, and to be informative, as well as putting my experience or ideas across. At this stage my dream reader is anyone genuinely interested in family and local history.

Over the next few months I plan that my writing will be more consistent. A release from the daily stress of attending to life’s details, perhaps, but mainly to sort and get those stories onto paper.

Both our family histories and the local histories.

Catch you all somewhere in cyberspace if not tomorrow- soon.

Advertisement

Educating Nola – Still on Course

Today our assignment for Blogging 101 was to edit our blog title and add a tagline.

I can be pretty creative in lots of ways, usually in practical things, but really at a bit of a loss, when it comes to creating names for blogs. Up until today, I had just had my name and was blogging for family and friends, who all knew me. I hadn’t thought about the wider blogging community, but now I have had to think about it.

I have been the author of many books on local and family history, but I always baulked at giving any of them fancy titles. I wanted people to be able to find them in library catalogues. Librarians of my era were always very ‘straight-laced’ and ‘poker-faced’ kind of people and I fell into the same mould, when choosing book titles, so nothing very exciting. Should I take a more bold stand now when looking for a title for my blog?

Yesterday I told you how I’ve been obsessed about family history for a long time, and that my children labelled it ‘Mum’s Magnificent Obsession’. Should I dare to use that as my blog title with the tagline – ‘ another Family Historian always burning the midnight oil?’.

Now after a little reflection, I don’t think so. I might still be a bit obsessive, but certainly not ‘magnificent’- although my children might have thought so once, it seems a bit ostentatious now.

Should I go with a fun title, such as ‘Grandma the Family Detective’ with a tagline – ‘ and always on the case chasing ancestors?’. I can visualise the caricature the grandchildren would draw for that. Not ready for that one yet either, but given time I could get used to it perhaps.

At the moment I have gone for ‘ Nola’s Notes on History’ with the tagline- ‘Sharing and writing about the life and times of our ancestors and families’. Probably a more descriptive title which could apply to me at this stage of blogging.

Given time and experience, who knows what direction I might take in the future.

Catch you all somewhere in cyberspace tomorrow.

Educating Nola – A new beginning.

Today, I’m going back to the classroom. I’m taking the Blogging 101 on-line course over the next few weeks to really get into ‘blogging’ the proper way, or my version of it perhaps. I’m going to be continuing to share my experience, ideas and other stuff on family and local history, and hopefully in an informative but enjoyable way. In other words not too boring and self absorbing.

I’ve been ‘into’ family and local history most of my life. My husband not so much, but he is a ‘saint’ and very tolerant of it all.

Our children have grown up with it, and were not aware for years that other people had Dining and Lounge rooms in their homes, that were actually used for that purpose, and were not stacked high with books, folders and papers everywhere.

Their usual greeting when arriving home from school was- “Find any new dead-bodies today Mum?”- Much to the horror of any ‘visitors’ who might be having a cup of tea, and chat at our kitchen table. Of course what they meant was, had I found any long deceased person named in records that belonged to our family tree.

As the years went by and I was still going strong, our children then labelled my feverish activity -Mum’s ‘Magnificent Obsession’ . (Does anyone remember the old movie of that name?).

No doubt it’s true, as I am still very passionate about helping and encouraging everyone to investigate their own ancestors and heritage. I just love making contact with anyone remotely connected to my ‘family tree’ or anyone just as passionate about researching and writing history as I am.

I started a blog a couple of years ago, but then got cold feet for a while. We have recently returned home from a trip to Europe and Britain. I started blogging again as I got tired of telling the same stories and answering the same questions, over and over again, from family and friends. Now I just invite them to read my blog.

I have been very surprised with the response, and have decided I needed to find out how to do it all ‘properly’.

Now, I’m worried about if I’m doing it right. The family are already shaking their heads.

Catch you all somewhere in cyberspace tomorrow.