Introducing Dutch Roots (beta)
As mentioned repeatedly, I have been working on a different Web project. Ever since that PBS show with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I have traced down my own family roots and local history. The original plan was to make a regular Web site out of the data. Recently, I stopped working on that idea, as, per usual, I procrastinate and never find myself happy with what I create. Additionally, regular Web sites are simply not as interesting anymore with all the exciting online developments.
So, I decided to build up a site with family roots and local history using Web 2.0 and social media tools. The main content will be created in a blog, but additional content comes from Flickr, Del.icio.us, interactive Google maps and other social media that comes along the way and can prove itself helpful.
It is called Dutch Roots, but it will have a severely limited focus on the southern Netherlands, centering on the Dommel and Aa river valleys, as that is where my ancestors lived.
One of the benefits of providing content in the blog format is that people can comment when they find inaccurate information or when they have a lead to further information. People who are interested and subscribe to the feed will automatically be updated when content is corrected, updated or elaborated.
Another benefit is the ability to search through the content easily, with tags, categories, and of course WordPress’s search function. I will create a sitemap for easy referencing and a sticky post for introduction and instruction.
Why start a personal site to do this, when there are already structures in place? Unfortunately, many social media genealogy sites (such as ancestry.com) require paid subscriptions and fail to make records, profiles and sites publicly viewable.
Luckily, the Dutch sources used for my family tree are free of charge. Some are even available in English, such as Genlias. Sources used for local history, mostly books, I will translate as much as possible and the Gutenberg Project and Fordham University’s Medieval Sourcebook offer copyright-expired translations of important works.
So be sure to subscribe to Dutch Roots if you are interested; and be not (or be) worried, I will continue with Dutch Perspective as well. And yes, the “beta” is a joke.
>> Dutch Roots
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.