Friday, December 28, 2012

Better Know Your Chapter! - Challenge #2

If you are reading this, you've already made your way to our Chapter's blog. The blog makes it easy to keep members informed of events as they happen. We can post pictures of the Heritage Luncheon, for instance, the day it happens. Pictures, in color, can easily be included. Upcoming events are listed in our calendar. And best of all -- it's free! So here is today's challenge:

Challenge #2

1. Focus on the bar at the top of the post that looks like this:



This bar is a list of "pages" in blogger language, each containing different information. Move your cursor over the "Calendar" page and click on it. You will get an image that looks like this:



Explore the options that allow you display events by the week or month and allow you to move forward and backward. Click on one of the events that looks interesting to you and see where it takes you. Did you have any idea that so many resources were at your fingertips? For other calendar options, go to the left hand column where three separate calendars are found. 



Chapter members including Liz Stratton, Linda Dietrich and Gail Burkholz work to keep these calendars updated. The calendar listed on the page you just explored combines all of these calendars into one. If you're only interested in Hamilton County Events, you may prefer using this calendar.

#2 - Click on the page that says "Links to Member Blogs."  To be listed on this page, you must have a blog with a genealogy focus and you must be a member of this chapter. You may want to check out the blogs of a Chapter member and leave them a message. One of our members, Carol MacKay, lives in British Columbia, Canada! I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. Click on her blog, Family Photo Reunion.

#3 - Click on the "Events" page. We often collaborate with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Chris Smith regularly sends us fliers of specially-developed programs. In addition to being posted on the blog, these fliers and other Chapter-developed fliers are posted here. If you scroll down the page, you can view a nice history of some of the programs from the past year.

#4 - Click on Books, CDs and DVDs tab. Did you know that you can order a few of our more popular Chapter resources online? I placed an order this way and could not believe how easy it was. Liz Stratton, Chapter Treasurer, created this page.

#5 - There are several ways for you can keep up with new blog posts without having to check in. You can sign up to receive any updates on this blog by typing your email address in the box. You can also have new posts sent to you if you have a "reader."  You can sign up to be a "member" or "follower" by clicking on the "join this site" button. We currently have 43 members and would love to increase that number.











#6 - Finally, like the HCGS website, you can search on this blog. Do you want to find a post that contained some information but you can't remember where it was? Just search! For example, try searching for "Sanborn" or "1865 Births" and see what comes up.

If you've accepted this challenge, consider posting something you learned about this blog that you didn't know before. Just leave a comment in the box below. And again -- if you need help, feel free to email Kathy Reed at khreed@cinci.rr.com. 

Tomorrow's challenge -- facebook!

5 comments:

  1. Fabulous content, Kathy! You've made me wonder if the societies I am a member of, or SHOULD be a member of, have anything half this comprehensive.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You may want to have a "Contact Us" page with a form that people fill out rather than having the email address itself spelled out at the bottom of the left sidebar. The latter will get you a ton of spam, and once you're on those lists, it's pretty much impossible to get off.

    I absolutely LOVE the background you chose!

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    Replies
    1. Kerry,
      That is a WONDERFUL idea. We do get a lot of spam. I'll have to get my techie friends to help me figure out how to do that.

      Delete
    2. The background is a vintage postcard of Cincinnati and its hills along with the Mt. Adams incline that no longer exists. We used to have three inclines.

      Delete

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