Pinterest and Family History? You Bet!

See the red and white "Pin it Button" right above my dad's head? Click on that and you can send your info right to Pinterest.

Serving in two family history centers has advantages. One of the biggest advantages is getting to hear all of the comments that patrons make. Technological changes have made family history easier is many ways. There is also a brand new territory called "social media." Social media is huge and can be used for family history. Pinterest is just one social media site that can be used for family history. If you think that Pinterest is just for pinning recipes and planning your dream wedding, think again. It is a visual representation of a subject. Think of it as your big, huge bulletin board! If you want to know why you could at least try Pinterest, click here to read an article about Pinterest and how you can use it for family history purposes. As you can see from the above picture, FamilySearch thinks Pinterest is worth using to spread your family history to the world. Other social media buttons are also on FamilySearch and it is fun to think about the different ways that you can use social media to get your family interested in family history. After all, you shouldn't be the only one to have all the fun!

The Pinterest Phenomenon

Have you been sucked into the Pinterest phenomenon yet? What is Pinterest? It is a virtual pinboard and it is quite the social networking site at the moment. I have looked at it and I'll admit it is fun to see ideas that my mind can't even begin to put together. To say that I am creatively challenged is a huge understatement! However, I do enjoy seeing other people's ideas. On that note, I wondered if there was anything out there having to do with family history and genealogy. Well, that was a dumb question! I searched on both family history and genealogy and came up with tons of stuff! There were ideas for your own family history, pictures of celebs in high school (do we really care?), and lots of pointers to work on your own family! I was pleasantly surprised. Check it out yourself at Pinterest.com. In the top left hand corner, there is a search bar. Type in family history or genealogy and see what you get! Actually, I have typed in all sorts of family history and genealogy keywords and I am amazed! I think I will create a family history board! My kids might even be tempted to peak! They are both very visual and this might just be the ticket for them! Maybe one day they will see this and say "I know that girl!" That's my mom!

Rayanne circa. 1971!

Another favorite of mine is James Tanner's posts on FamilySearch.org/techtips. I enjoy his insightful remarks. He has even tackled the Pinterest world! Read his post about Pinterest here.

Genealogy on Pinterest!

It seems that the newest addiction in my neck of the woods is Pinterest, which in an online pin board where you can post seemingly almost anything. I have seen lots and lots of pictures of crafts, etc! Yesterday I decided that I would do a little more searching on Pinterest to see if I could find anything genealogy related. Lo and behold, genealogy is even on Pinterest! Just search "genealogy" from the search bar in the top left corner. You never know what will spark the hidden genealogist in you (or at least the crafting genealogist in you)!

pinterest.com