It blows my mind, but this is the 1,000th post I’ve written for this blog. I started the website in 1993 as a links website, and changed it to a blog in 2005. Some of the early articles I wrote are still among the most popular.
Most popular posts
The most popular posts of all time have been:
- Top 10 most common Dutch surnames (2013). This page by itself generates about 8% of my page views.
- Why the Little Dutch Boy Never Put his Finger in the Dike (2017).
- How to Find the Father of an Illegitimate Child (2014).
- Prefixes in Surnames (2005).
- What Dutch DNA Looks Like (2016). This still gets more views than the 2018 update. I’ll write a 2020 update after RootsTech. I chose to leave the older articles as-is rather than updating them so we can compare how ethnicity predictions evolve over time.
- English Versions of Dutch First Names (2005).
- English Versions of Dutch Last Names (2005)
- How to Order My Own Birth Certificate from the Netherlands? (2013)
- Using Birth Records (Geboorteaktes) to Find Your Dutch Ancestors (2005)
- Online Cemeteries – Dutch Alternatives to Find a Grave (2013)
It is nice to see my old content still doing so well. On any single day, many of these posts attract more visitors than my newly written content.
The other 990 articles on the website cover a wide range of topics: sources you can use, tips for research, Dutch terms, and case studies including my research into my possible line back to Eleanor of Aquitaine. If you have a general question about Dutch genealogy, chances are I’ve already got an article on it, so make sure to use the search engine in the top right corner.
Future plans
My future plans include:
- Writing articles about topics I have not covered in detail, such as the Dutch role in the slave trade, the various Dutch colonies, and military research.
- Writing a series of articles related to World War II, to celebrate 75 years of freedom.
- Creating better guidance to find the content, in the form of improved navigation and overview pages by topic that lead you to the articles.
- Updating the look-and-feel. The current design is from 2012 and is starting to fray a little around the edges.
- Developing ways to generate revenue from the blog, to justify from a business point-of-view the time I spend writing articles. I will keep the blog and newsletter as a free service but am considering adding ads for related services.
What won’t change:
- The focus will remain on helping people find their ancestors from the Netherlands
- I will be the one writing the articles
- I intend to keep up the current schedule of at least two articles per week.
Do you have suggestions to improve the website? Any topics you would like to see discussed? What are your favorite types of posts?
I would love to hear from you!
About Yvette Hoitink
Congratulations on your 1000th post, Yvette.
Congratulations. I always look forward to see another post from you,
Congratulations with both the large number of posts you wrote but also in keeping up the regular pace in which you write. Your articles are always inspiring and up-to-date. Your blog on Eleonore of Acquitania is very inspiring to read.
I hope to read much more from you.
Congratulations on your mark of achievement, Yvette! You continue to be a source of inspiration and guidance, and here’s to your success on your next thousand!
Debra, how did you get a profile picture on Yvette’s site?
Had no idea you write this newsletter so long already.
Future subjects look interesting to me , but I do appreciate al your writings .
Thank you so much
Henny
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Yvette. All with Dutch lines must greatly appreciate all your work through the years.