The Comment Challenge

I would like to issue a comment challenge to all the genealogists out there. Will you accept?

Less than two months ago, I launched a new website focusing on Social History.

The Social Historian is a longform story website featuring social history themed articles from across the centuries and around the world.

Most articles on the site take about 5-10 minutes to read but considerably longer to research and write. Now, with twenty posts in about eight different categories, the website is beginning to take shape and I’ve settled into writing a once-a-week article on whatever subject has captured my attention.

In the beginning, I was my only reader but as I’ve begun to publicize it, the genealogy community has been stopping by to check it out. I’ve received quite a number of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ on Facebook and Twitter which is fantastic and I know that people are stopping by because Google Analytics tells me so. In fact, since I launched the website in late August, I’ve had almost 5000 page views and between email subscriptions, WordPress followers, Facebook likes and Feedly readers I know that close to 100 people are now following the website.

But what gets me the most jazzed are the comments people make on the articles so a big shout-out to the people who took the time to leave me a note on one of my posts. You have no idea how it makes my day when I see a comment waiting to be approved! I love to hear people’s feedback on what I’ve written and it is that feedback that inspires me to get up while it is still dark outside to do the research and write my next article.

Now for my confession. I follow a lot of blogs. I read a lot of articles and posts. I follow quite a few Facebook groups. And while I often comment to the cat that I’ve just read a great article, I seldom take the time to leave a comment on the post and tell the writer how much I enjoyed reading what they wrote.

Shame on me!

So my challenge to myself is to leave a comment on at least one blog post I enjoyed every time I sit down to catch up on the genealogy blogs I follow.

And I issue that same challenge to genealogy community at large. Are you up to it? Let me know in a comment below!