To Pin or not to Pin ...

...that is the question.

Whenever someone asks me anything about copyright my answer/advice is "When in doubt - don't". However when Pinterest was launched I merrily jumped in and signed up for an account. I was one of a few genealogists who was using the tool in the early days. Most of the users at that stage used Pinterest to clip recipes and for home decorating ideas.

I had to go on a waiting list to join Pinterest

Over the next few years I dipped in and out of Pinterest and eventually saw a number of genealogists embrace the platform. Several became pinning evangelists and started giving presentations at conferences so the genealogy community grew. I still couldn't see great personal benefits for this tool and as I didn't have space in my life to embrace another social media platform I just occasionally logged in and pinned something connected mainly with travel or food.

At a genealogy conference earlier this year I was chatting with a genimate that I respect, she shared her enthusiasm for Pinterest so I decided to have another look. Over the past few months I have set up several boards that I and others might find useful.  In recent weeks I have been pinning away and other genies have been repinning my pins.

Then I started to think about Copyright and wondered if I was violating copyright by pinning the images I selected. I did a little exploring on Google and was directed to this 2013 post from Judy G Russell, The Legal Genealogist (I suggest you read it in full. In her post Judy says "So does that mean you should stop using Pinterest? No. It means you need to be careful and stop and think about what it is you’re pinning." In her post Judy mentions things that likely won't get you into trouble.

Well, I haven't been careful. I need to go back to my boards and remove many of the items I have  previously pinned. I will heed Judy's advice when reviewing my pins.  

In future when I think of pinning I will heed my own advice "When in doubt - don't".

Do you consider copyright prior to pinning?

A genealogist’s guide to using Pinterest

 

Social media allows us to connect and interact with family and friends across the globe, as well as people who share our hobbies and likes. It is also a great way to promote or share your genealogy posts. We have all heard the old adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” and Pinterest really brings that thought home.

Pinterest is growing in popularity among adults as well. The Pew Research Center conducted a recent survey regarding social media use for those 18 and older. Facebook is by far the most popular, followed by Pinterest and Twitter.  

A word of caution: do not just pin and move on. During a recent #genchat session one person commented “Love Pinterest but it will take me 3 lifetimes to implement all the ideas I have pinned.” My suggestion: Schedule a time each month – or week if you really get addicted! – to sort through and evaluate your pins. 

Setting up your Pinterest page

1. Sign up. Obviously you will need to register and name yourself if you have not yet done so.
2. Set up your profile. I know it is tempting to hop in there and start collecting pins and sharing pins but take the time to create your identity. Add your name and a photo. Choose your username. There is a character limit. Use the About You section to introduce yourself. The location is of course optional, though chances are you probably listed it on Facebook! Be sure to add your website too!
3. Create a board. I currently have five boards: Genealogical Gems (which only promote my blog of the same name); Literary World; Social Media Tips; Places I’ve Been; and Maps (most of which have a genealogical purpose). To create a board, you simply click on “Create a Board.”  It will open a frame. Type a name for your board, for example “Genealogy Resources.”  Now type a brief description and select a category. There is, sadly, no Genealogy category. In this example, I chose “Education” since it will focus on resources. Now click “Create Board.” Your new board will open and allow you to add pins there. 

 

How to Pin from your blog

Pinning is also a great way to bring readers to your site. I use Blogger and after I post an article to my blog, Genealogical Gems, I click on the promotion tools, which includes Pinterest. So how do I go from my blog to Pinterest? It’s simple, really.  

For this example, I am using a post on my blog from last October titled “Mystery Monday: Who fathered George David Still.” This is a mystery I have been working on, on and off, for nearly 30 years now. I have made progress but I still do not know who my 4^th great grandfather is. Again, I use Blogger so the example is done from there. 

1. Go to the end of your article.
2. Select the social media icon for Pinterest.
3. A new window will appear. Pick your desired board and make any necessary changes to your description.
4. Click “Pin” and you are done!

Pinning from someone else’s page

The whole concept of Pinterest is in fact to share. So essentially a good general rule of thumb is: do not post it anywhere if you do not want it everywhere! That said, let’s say you found a pin that you would like to add to your board. Genealogists.com has a great pin about Social Security numbers that would be a perfect “Genealogy Resource.”  Backing up a moment, I found it simply by typing genealogy in the search field.

1. Mouse over the pin you like and click “Pin.”
2. Select the appropriate board (of yours) where you want it to go.
3. Edit the description, if you choose. In the example shown here I m editing it to state where I found the Tip.
4. Click “Pin It.” Simple!

You may have to refresh (hit the F5 key) if the new pins do not show automatically. 

Pinning Tips

Think vertical. When choosing an image, think how it looks vertically. Pinterest is widely viewed on mobile devices, such as your phone. A vertical image fits better. 

Always use captions. It does not matter whether it is your pin or a re-pin. Always use captions. This is easy to forget when repining. Unlike Twitter you are not limited to 140 characters, so make use of the space. Think of your caption as a teaser. It may be the deciding factor as to whether someone glosses over your pin or selects it. 

Think like a search engine. By this I mean simply, when writing your caption, ue keywords that someone might use when searching.  

Hashtags are not just for Twitter anymore. Twitter defines a hashtag as: “The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.” 

You can follow a person or a single board. I, by the way, am at: https://www.pinterest.com/jeanneeckman/.  Remember to make a widget for your blog!

Tracking

Ever wonder who is pinning from your site? Pinterest has a simple tool for that. To find mine, I type https://www.pinterest.com/source/genealogybyjeanne.blogspot.com/ and hit enter. Naturally you will replace “genealogybyjeanne.blogspot.com” with your site’s address. My pins – that is, from my site – seem to be mostly myself and GeneaBloggers. 

 

 

Share YOUR thoughts and suggestions

Have you started to Pin yet? If so, feel free to share your tips, thoughts and suggestions in the comment section below. Haven’t started yet? Still have questions? You can use the comment section below to ask your questions below as well.

The Changing Face of Genealogy Collaboration

We talk about collaboration and telling the stories of our family almost as though it is something new. Surely this is the real reason why so many of us get interested in genealogy in the first instance. Whatever our age we all like to hear about things that have happened be it last week or last century.

This month I have decided to write about collaboration and how the perception of genealogy has changed due to the internet and our increasing use of what is available to connect with others.

When I first started researching our family history (I am also researching my husband's family) the internet was in its infancy and we were on dial up. This was expensive and you would go online pick up your emails and read them later.

Collaborating with others was difficult but not impossible and like many others I used some of the Rootsweb mailing lists of relevance to my research interests.

The only other way of communicating with fellow researchers was to belong to a family history society to find other researchers and contact them by post.

Research in those early days, even just finding a reference to order a certificate, meant heading off to record offices or local archives where you had to trawl through microfiche or film to find what you wanted. There were some indexes available mainly through local family history societies which did help you find the right roll of film.

Programmes like WDYTYA http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007t575 which is showing its 11th series in the UK have changed public perception and sparked interest in the hobby. Despite only a small proportion of the resources available being online, what is there has made a difference to the way we both conduct and record our research.

These changes have taken place over a relatively short space of time and it is true that there are those who have not truly embraced the changes.

There has been discussion on social networks about how family history societies may need to change to connect with the needs of their members. Some have been forward thinking and have reached out to researchers across the world by providing access to online education but this may not be an avenue that every society can or should copy.

The societies I belong to in England have changed some of the things they do but we must not forget that they rely upon volunteers. The direction that each society takes will depend upon who has the time and inclination to commit to the development of that society. This can lead to a society stagnating because none of its members has the inclination or time to commit to change. If you belong to a society which may be stuck in the past don’t forget to make suggestions, they may get ignored, but any society is only as good as its members are willing to make it.

What do you want from your society? Don’t forget to tell those who help run the society, you may find that others think the same.

I have mentioned discussion on social networks and these have become the equivalent of the mailing lists of the past but more. Facebook has groups for genealogy and Google+ has its communities. There are also others such as Twitter and Pintrest. Whereas we communicated by email and text in the past we now have a much more visual way of sharing. This has enhanced our ability to share our experiences but opened up more challenges when we publish online what might be copyrighted. Will these copyright challenges limit our experience?

We also interact using our blogs such as this one and many other individual blogs see Geneabloggers http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-blogs/  maintained by Thomas MacEntee.

Whilst webinars http://blog.geneawebinars.com/ are an educational resource they can help provide pointers to things you may not be aware of and they are a great way to get information to those who may not be able to get to conferences or other genealogy events.

Video blogging using the Hangouts on Air on Google+ is becoming increasingly popular and allows genealogists from across the world to communicate by live discussion. They can also be used as a tool similar to webinars and a way to share how you do things.

To finish I would like to tell you about a Google+ community I am setting up to discuss how we get our genealogy software to work for us.

I will post on my blog http://masteringgenealogysoftware.blogspot.co.uk/ when I launch. I want this to be a discussion forum so that we can learn from each other, we all need to collaborate.

Hi from Another Aussie Blogger

Hi all, firstly I would like to thank Julie Goucher and  Jill Ball for drawing my attention to, and inviting me to join the Worldwide Genealogy collaboration. I don't know about you, but I continue to be amazed at how the world of genealogy and family history research is advancing. Every day, new and innovative programs, social media  and access to more and more records and information becomes available. One of the keys to this advancement is the collaboration and sharing of information and ideas, so I am really thrilled to be involved in this new venture.

A little about me. I live in Sydney, NSW, Australia and work at The University of Technology, Sydney. Yes, another Aussie! I think I have been interested in our family history ever since I was a little girl! when my father used to entertain me with colourful stories of our family history as passed down from older generations. Stories of life on the gold fields, working in the timber industry, driving bullock trains and bushrangers! A collection of elements made to ignite the curiosity of a young girl.

 

 In my early twenties (such a long time ago) I began to seriously research our family history, collecting photos, stories, old letters, newspaper clippings, writing to extended family, searching cemeteries and visiting elderly relatives. The luxury of Internet research wasn't even thought of at this time.

For me the fascination of family research is more than the dates of significant events in family member's lives. I want to know what they thought, if they went to school, what work did they do, what significant social events affected their lives, why did they immigrate, how did they contribute to their community and so on! I believe it is this approach to family history that has led me to take up blogging. It provides me with a platform to share stories, discover connections and in my small way preserve some of our family history.

 

I started my first blog, Family Stories:Photographs and Memories, about two years ago, not really knowing where it would take me. It has been an interesting journey, with my interests, experiences and connections expanding continually. The realisation that most of the family stories that had been passed on to me were about my great grandfathers and great uncles led me to start a second blog, The Other Half of My Tree - stories of my female ancestors. I view both these blogs as a learning process and an opportunity to connect and share with those who are researching similar themes. I also have to admit that I often procrastinate, have so many stories to tell but as yet haven't put pen to paper.

As others have mentioned access to family research and genealogy is accelerating with amazing developments in new programs, social media and the opportunity to share and collaborate with others.  Let me share a couple of sites and tools that I have found useful. 

Evernote: I have found Evernote to be an extremely helpful tool for collecting all my family tree bits and pieces. You are able to tag and file articles, pictures and websites with appropriate family connections for further use and reference. On my recent trip to the UK I used Evernote to tag and file photos (taken with my IPad) of gravestones, church and street signs, family homes as well as interesting articles, maps and pages of books discovered while researching in the local library.

Pinterest: Besides being lots of fun, this visual tool is a great way to collect photos and links to articles and blogs on "boards". I have found Pinterest a rewarding method to share blogs and to link with other people interested in genealogy and family tree research.

Two web sites that are definitely among my favourite are TROVE and The British News Paper Archives. These web sites which are being continually updated, hold collections of newspapers from Australia  (TROVE) and the United Kingdom (British Newspaper Archives). Both of these sites have not only provided me with many clues in solving family tree links, but also allowed me to learn more about the times and events surrounding the lives of my ancestors.

Though I am an amateur genealogist come family tree researcher I am only too happy to share or assist others with their family tree discoveries if I am able. Looking forward to future interaction and collaboration!