Well, I'm taking a leap into the blogosphere! It isn't that new to me, but a lot has changed since I had a LiveJournal blog about a decade ago. And since I deactivated that account I may have read many blogs, but I have rarely engaged with them, and I haven't written a blog of my own since then. So apologies in advance if I break any blog etiquette! Please tell me nicely, and I'll amend my ways (maybe).
A few months ago I made the decision to go ahead with a long term dream to have my own Genealogical Research business, and got myself an ABN and a website. I ordered some free business cards from Vistaprint, and convinced some friends to let me do some research on their family trees for free so I could use the examples on my website (which I haven't uploaded yet).
Then I remembered I still had a job, a full time job, one that pays the bills. And that perhaps I should make sure my genealogical research skills were up to scratch. Although I am a policy researcher for a living, and I have been researching my own genealogy and that of my friends for almost 15 years, I felt I should have some kind of qualification to reassure my clients that I know how to find and verify information. So I enrolled in the excellent genealogical course with The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.
So this blog will probably end up being more about my journey through the IHGS course, and the challenges I face with my own research, than anything else! But I hope I can pass on some interesting information, and share the little victories with you, as I work towards turning my much loved hobby into a viable business.
Thanks must go to GeneaBloggers for their excellent advice to new bloggers, and to Lisa Louise Cook from Genealogy Gems, for always encouraging her listeners to jump in and get involved!