Monday, December 10, 2012

Dear Randy: What are Your 100 Favorite Genealogy Blogs?

On Best of the Genea-Blogs - 25 November to 1 December 2012 (dated 2 December 2012), reader The Acadian Genealogist asked:

"Following 1300 blogs is a LOT! How do you manage it? Can you share your top 100 (for example) with your readers? 

"I know that at least for myself (and probably for most of your readers), I'm always on the lookout for some good reading (genealogically speaking). Are you willing to share some of your favourites?"


Dear Laura,

To the first question:  I "collect" genealogy blogs from the Geneabloggers "New Genealogy blogs" lists, and from links I see on other bloggers posts.  Then I add the new ones each week (I try, but fail some weeks) to my Google Reader.  So there are now over 1300 on my list.  Not all of them are active, but I haven't taken the time to remove those that are inactive.  I typically read about 100 to 120 each morning, and then several times during the day I'll read the new ones.  It ends up being 250 to 300 each day (and they're not all genealogy blogs).  It keeps me informed, and it's an efficient way to read blogs.  If I'm away from home, I try to read them on my smart phone so that I can use my at home time wisely.  

To the second question:  The short answer is NO, because I will leave several hundred genealogy bloggers off the list and they will be disappointed and upset.  I have many of my favorites on the blog roll at the bottom of the right sidebar on this blog - but I don't update that list very often so some of my favorites may not be there yet.

How about 16 "Don't miss these!" blogs?  These have been fairly constant over time -  the ones with seeming staying power and excellent content that I always read carefully (in alphabetical order by first name):

*  Anonymous: The Ancestry Insider

*  Caroline Marshall Pointer:  BloggingGenealogy.com

*  CeCe Moore:  Your Genetic Genealogist



*  FamilySearch: Blog (many topics, many authors)


*  James Tanner:  Genealogy's Star

*  Judy Russell: The Legal Genealogist


*  Lorine McGinnis Schulze:  Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

*  Marian Pierre-Louis:  Marian's Roots and Rambles


*  Michael John Neill:  Rootdig.com

*  Michael Leclerc:  Mocavo Genealogy Blog

*  Michele Simmons Lewis:  Ancestoring's Ask a Genealogist

There are, of course, many other genealogy blogs that have excellent content but have infrequent posts.  the content and frequency of many blogs changes over time as genealogy bloggers become active and/or lapse into inactivity, or go dormant.  There are at least another 16 that I would put on this list if they posted material several times a week.

My list from one year ago would look different because some writers have quit blogging and are using social media for most of their content.  Or life has intervened - family, work, activities, interests, health, etc.  We all do what we have to do, and hopefully, find time to do what we want to do.  

As they say - "Each to his own - your mileage may vary."  My interest may not correspond to the interests of Laura or any other reader.  We are all different.  Blog on, geneabloggers!

Family Tree Magazine has listed "favorite geneablogs" over the years.  The 2011 Family Tree 40 bloggers are listed at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/40-best-genealogy-blogs-2011 (note that several bloggers are not listed because they helped select the Top 40).  The 2010 Fab Forty are listed at http://familytreemagazine.com/article/fab-forty.  International genealogy blogs were highlgihted in 2012 in http://www.familytreemagazine.com/article/learning-from-international-genealogy-blogs.

Who are your "Don't miss these!" genealogy bloggers?  Tell us in your own blog post, or in a comment to this post.  Laura, and I, want to know!


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

10 comments:

DearMYRTLE said...

Thank you, Randy for including Ol' Myrt in your listing. We all learn from each other while refining our research skills.

Caroline said...

Thank you, Randy, for including BloggingGenealogy.com in your Top 16! High praise indeed! :)

~C

Unknown said...

Blog on, Randy! :))

Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith said...

Great post - and list, Randy! I don't read near the number you read, but ones I do read are mostly there - yes, we do each look for different things, of course. Thanks, again, for what you do! ;-) Of course, you are on my list, every day!! ;-)

Lee Drew said...

Thanks for being on your 'nice' list Randy. Of course, you are also on ours.

Unknown said...

Thank you for including me in the FamilyTree Magazine International bloggers. The link is the 40 Top Genealogy is
http://familytreemagazine.com/article/around-the-world-in-40-blogs?et_mid=562112&rid=89886690

I love your blog!



Sonia Meza Morales
Red de Antepasados


Gracias por incluirme en los bloggers internacionales de la FamilyTree Magazine. El enlace es de los 40 Top Genealogy es http://familytreemagazine.com/article/around-the-world-in-40-blogs?et_mid=562112&rid=89886690

Me encanta tu blog!

Sonia

Marian said...

Thanks for the shout out Randy!

Lynn Palermo said...

Definitely an all-star list Randy!

Michael Hait said...

Thanks for including me in your list! I know I have not been as active the past few months as I was last year and earlier this year. I have been busy! But I will probably pick back up after New Year, once things slow down a little bit.

Bubba said...

Thanks for including me in your list Randy--I'm a little behind in my reading, but that't typical ;-)