Have you wondered what a woman like me (e.g., stepmom of one self-sufficient teenager, guardian of one oversize dog, unemployed magazine editor, owner of one small house, thrice-weekly blogger, beginning gardener) does with all her spare time? I'm ready to share.
For one thing, I was hired by a former colleague to be the freelance writer on a cool new project from Ancestry.com. I've spent the last three months (a grueling 3 to 18 hours a week!) writing page after page of copy for the Expert Connect website, which is now live and open for business. I also wrote banners, email invitations, printed invitations, FAQs, and other collateral pieces. I've written a lot of advertising and website copy in my day, and I have to say it's a million times more rewarding when you can write about something you truly believe is a good idea.
Here's the idea in a nutshell:
Expert Connect is kind of a matchmaking service that connects experienced genealogists with people who need help with family history—no matter how big or small their needs are! Pretty brilliant.
Are you into scrapbooking but not necessarily genealogy? Well, the Local Photo service through Expert Connect could still really come in handy. If you live in Montana, but your grandma lived her whole life in Missouri, you can visit expertconnect.ancestry.com and hire a researcher who lives near her hometown to take a photo of grandma's headstone, or her old house, or the cafe on the street corner where she had brunch every Sunday. Isn't that cool?
Imagine the other possibilities. Desperate for a photo of your old college dorm, but you don't have the means to travel across the country right now? Kicking yourself for not taking a picture of the hospital where your kids were born? Wishing you had a photo of the very site where your husband proposed to you? These problems are now officially solved.
Here's a sample of a handout I wrote that explains each of the services. Or click here for more info.
Oh yeah, and maybe I should mention that I'm also starting a fantastic new business! I can't say much about it just yet because I don't want to spoil the surprise, but there will be lots more info to come in the next month or so. Let me just say that it's been a TON of very rewarding and very exhausting work. Here are six little hints:
1. It's a real business with a real partnership agreement, start-up capital, a professionally-designed website, business cards, the works! My title is "President."
2. I have a partner in crime, and her title is "CEO."
3. If you are even slightly interested in scrapbooking, then you'll LOVE it.
4. Our logo (designed by my talented hubby Trav) is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.
5. There are elephants involved, but I can't say how.
6. We have the support and the involvement (on various different levels) of Wendy Smedley, Cathy Zielske, and Stacy Julian, among others.
Are you intrigued?
If you'd like to stay in the loop as we unveil this new business, just leave me a comment here that says "add me to your email list!" And, in return, I will add you to our email list. :-)
