Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Genealogy Blog Party FAQs
If you’ve been blogging for at least a decade, you may remember the old blog carnivals. There were a few just for genealogists: The Carnival of Eastern European Genealogy, The Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture, I Smile For the Camera, and the granddaddy of them all, The Carnival of Genealogy.
A blog carnival was like a party for bloggers. The host would announce a theme and deadline for post submissions, and then the bloggers choosing to participate would write a post pertaining to that theme. After the deadline, the host would publish a post linking all of the submitted carnival entries.
The Genealogy Blog Party is basically the same concept. The difference is that participating bloggers add their own links using a third-party tool from Inlinkz (don’t worry, it’s easy), and posts are visible right away.
ANYONE may participate! You don’t have to blog exclusively about family history, but the post you submit must fit the monthly theme. Off-topic posts will be removed from the linkup without notice.
- Click the +Add Link button to expand the link options
- Type the URL of your link in the URL field. Images will be loaded automatically in the area below. Optionally you can change the Caption text.
- The Email address will be entered automatically.
- Select one of the images listed in the area below or you can upload an image manually with the Upload tab.
- Save your submission.
Visit the InLinkz help section for detailed assistance.
Yes! You can share posts from social media or upload images from your computer.
- Add the URL to a photo you’ve posted on social media or another online repository (i.e., Flickr, Dropbox, etc.) OR
- Upload a photo that is not already online using the linkup tool.
After you log into InLinkz, click the Upload button. Drop or locate your image OR add the URL to your social media post.
Social media posts must be publicly viewable and not set to private or shared from private accounts. Remember, all links must adhere to the monthly theme or they will be deleted from the collection.
The Genealogy Blog Party is powered by the InLinkz linkup tool. When adding a link for the first time, users must create an account using either an email and password or log in with a Google or Facebook account. When using the first option (email), a verification email will be sent from InLinkz, and the user must click the link in the email in order for the account to be valid.
Please note that any changes to the InLinkz linkup tool are out of my control. You can read more about the reasons for verifying your entry here.
However, if you have trouble creating an account or any other issues using the InLinkz linkup tool, please contact us.
Your post can be published at any time before or during the period when the collection is open. The only requirement is that you add your link during the submission dates.
Absolutely! If you have already written a post that fits one of our monthly themes, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. You are welcome to link a post that you wrote earlier or to “repurpose” an older post.
Please note that off-topic posts will be removed from the collection without notice. If you are unsure as to whether or not your post is appropriate for a particular month’s theme, please feel free to ask.
You are welcome to participate in as many, or as few, Genealogy Blog Parties as you would like.
Yes. Every GBP specifies how many posts can be submitted. Please note that each post will need to be submitted individually.
Because if you don’t include an image, your post’s thumbnail will be empty and nobody likes an empty thumbnail. Joking aside, potential readers will be more inclined to click on your post if you include an image.
Nope, not at this time.
If your post is nothing more than an advertisement for your product or service for sale, then no. If your post is relevant to the topic and mentions your product or service for sale in passing, then it is probably ok. As a general rule, please refrain from selling products in the Genealogy Blog Party.
The short answer: Because parties are meant to be social. And you can’t be social without talking to the other guests.
The long answer: When we visit another person’s blog, read what s/he wrote, and leave a comment, we validate that person’s hard work and encourage him/her to keep going. Your comments do not have to be long or offer research assistance. Sometimes just saying, “Hey, good job!” is enough. Think of it as taking a walk in the genealogy blogging community and saying hello to your neighbors.
The Genealogy Blog Party is an inclusive community where all are welcome to participate, regardless of genealogy skill level. Participants are free to interpret the prompts in a way that fits their needs and abilities. If you wish to write an “academic” post using advanced research and methodology skills, you are welcome to do so. But not everyone wants – or is able – to do that. We do not exclude participants who are not advanced researchers.
Sure thing! You are welcome to send us your topic suggestions.
Right here: Read Past Genealogy Blog Parties.
You can get a Genealogy Blog Party Badge for your blog at this link. There are 2 designs in 2 different sizes!