Thank YOU for Making DNAeXplained the #1 Genealogy Blog

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Yesterday morning, I received an unexpected gift.

Let me tell you one of my guilty pleasure secrets.

I read Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings on my phone laying in bed every morning.  It’s my way of getting my day started off on the right foot.

When I received the e-mail saying that yesterday’s article included “Selected Genealogy Website Traffic Rankings” as of December 29th from Alexa.com, an international website traffic monitoring site, I was excited to see who was on the list and what Randy had to say.

I always look forward to discovering new resources and what they might produce for my genealogy. I was hoping to find a new gem hidden here. I did, but not exactly what I was expecting!

Randy divided his results into two categories, companies including websites and then blogs. Blogs offer a different type of content than websites.

I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the top 5 in the company/website category.

I was, however, shocked to see the #1 genealogy blog.

That’s not just GENETIC genealogy blogs, but ALL genealogy blogs.

If you would have told me back in July 2012 when I first started DNAeXplained that New Years just 5 years and a few months later would be celebrated by not only ANY genetic genealogy blog being #1, but DNAeXplained being that #1 blog, well, I would have wondered what you were smoking.

Of course, being curious, I checked to see where DNAeXplained ranks with the websites.

It fell just after Steve Morse’s stevemorse.org and just before…are you sitting down…Rootsweb.com.  I have to tell you, I feel terrible that Rootsweb isn’t getting more hits. Rootsweb is a wonderful genealogical resource, often neglected today in favor of social media.

That puts DNAeXplained at about number 58, which isn’t bad at all considering that I’m not selling any products nor have any database lookup functions like Steve Morse’s free searches.

To say I’m thrilled is an understatement.

Genetic Genealogy Leads the Pack

The not-so-subtle message here is that genetic genealogy is no longer the undervalued step-child of genealogy.  My blog and other resources that help people understand and utilize the messages carried from our ancestors and found in our DNA today are clearly some of the most popular genealogy sites on the internet.

First and foremost, a huge, and I do mean HUGE thank you to all of my readers who visit DNAeXplained, subscribe (the “follow” box in upper right hand corner of the main page) and search for answers to your questions.

Needless to say, this blog wouldn’t be #1 without all of YOU. I’m extremely humbled by your confidence and support. It’s sometimes awfully quiet sitting alone at my keyboard, but these numbers make your presence felt in the most wonderful way. Thank you.

I try to find innovative ways to make this blog super-useful.

In addition to the 52 Ancestors series, I’ve also begun both a Concepts and Glossary series in an effort to make finding answers easier and more understandable.  Take a look and remember, I’m always open to suggestions.  In fact, many articles originate with your questions and comments.

If you’re not already aware, this blog is fully keyword searchable in the upper right hand corner search box.  I see so many questions on social media that I’ve already answered in an article.

Speaking of questions, I want to be sure that you know that it’s perfectly fine to share the link to any blog article I’ve written on Facebook or anyplace else.  Please DO post links to articles!  Copying and pasting the actual content is another matter and violates copyright, but posting the link is quick and easy. You can even post to your own pages by using the Facebook and Twitter links at the bottom of each article.

If you’re interested in copyright law, dos and don’ts, please read Judy Russell’s articles on this topic.  You’ll notice that Judy’s blog, The Legal Genealogist, also placed in the top 5. Judy’s blog is pure enjoyment and every Sunday is DNA day. Congratulations Judy!

Another genetic genealogy blog in the top 5 is Blaine Bettinger’s The Genetic Genealogist that celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary in 2017.  Congratulations on both fronts, Blaine.

Speaking of other bloggers, I want to congratulate each and every one, including Randy himself.  Lots of effort is invested in blog articles that are shared freely with all.

Please take this opportunity to read Randy’s article (subscribe to Genea-Musings if you haven’t already) and find a couple sites or blogs on his list that you’re not already familiar with. Get a mug of something hot (here in the VERY FRIGID USA), put your feet up by a nice warm fire and enjoy!

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Disclosure

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase the price you pay but helps me to keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if you are purchasing products or DNA testing.

Thank you so much.

DNA Purchases and Free Transfers

Genealogy Services

Genealogy Research

76 thoughts on “Thank YOU for Making DNAeXplained the #1 Genealogy Blog”

  1. Roberta, you deserve to be number one everywhere. Your ability to elucidate such a complex subject is second to none. Congratulations from a cantankerous old geezer.

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  2. I understand why. Because you explain complicated issues easy and clear. I follow your blog closely. Thanks for your all your work and effort.

    Happy New Year
    Warm regards
    Ralf.
    R-M269, X2c1

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  3. Congratulations, and a well deserved one at that! So proud of everything you have taught all of us, and I see you are already Having a Happy New Year! – A

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  5. A well deserved placing by my reckoning. If anyone asks me a question about genetic genealogy I give them the link to your blog. Thank you for all your hard work, for sharing your knowledge and your sense of humour.

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  6. It’s because of you, and only you, that I half understand genetic genealogist. Thank you so very much and a great big congratulations !!!!!!!

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  7. Congratulations, Roberta! You deserve it!!!! (BYW, you rank well on Steve Morse’s 100 top websites of 2016 …only three blogs were listed! Can’t wait to see the 2017 List as you could be higher!)

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  9. Congratulations!!!! Not only do you help educate genealogically impaired folks like myself, but you also saved me lots of $$$ over this last holiday season. Thank you for all you do!
    Ken

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  12. If it wasn’t for you I personally wouldn’t know half as much as I do about dna. Keep up the great work you deserve this award for sure.

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  15. Congratulations on your success, Roberta, and for providing the genealogy community with excellent resources, great articles, and DNA testing advice of the highest credibility.  This is great news all around and great recognition for the world’s best genealogy blogger!

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  16. Huzzah! Huzzah!
    Roberta, you and your blog collaborate with me and my research friends all the time. Together, we learn, grow, and make new findings. I think you would be astounded to see how many collaborative research groups you participate in around the world without even knowing! Keep the words coming! Congratulations!

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  17. WOW! THIS IS HUGE! CONGRATULATIONS FRIEND AND COUSIN! You do such and awesome job. I remember telling you once that your writing and clarification was so good that I believed you could do it for a living!

    Anyone who is new: We are so fortunate to have Roberta Estes. She was at the very front of autosomal testing and has done countless hours of research utilizing YDNA and mtDNA results. Seriously, it is one thing to have results and another to know how to utilize them. Roberta has been on the forefront of genetic testing and its utilization for genealogy. Go read her blogs, every day, just one a day and apply the knowledge. You will be years ahead in your research.

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  18. I really enjoy reading your genetic genealogy blogs, and often find your older blogs in Google searches. You’re a great scientific writer.

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  20. May I add my congratulations and thanks too for your “down to earth” and easy to understand style of writing giving great examples of the subject matter. You’ve been a tremendous help for me in sorting out DNA results and guiding my research. Because of this, I do forward some of your articles — intact with full disclosure @ your blogsite and encouragement to follow you — to classmates or DNA contacts to clarify a point under discussion, so I will read your above remarks re: copyright issues and see what, if anything, I need to change. Thank you for your valuable time, effort and insights.

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    • What you are doing is absolutely fine. In fact, I encourage sharing like that to spread the word. The only issue is when someone copies content and doesn’t attribute.

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  25. Wow, but not surprised. Your name is table talk, even without the wine and DNA Kit.

    Congratulations, so very proud to be a follower.

    Ally ♡

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  26. Wow, but not surprised. Your name is table talk, even without the wine and DNA Kit.

    Congratulations, so very proud to be a follower.

    Ally ♡

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  27. Congratulations! You deserve the recognition for all of your hard work and professionalism!

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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      • this is what I shared with my project members –

        Good Morning –

        Just wanted to share with you some exciting news – just in case you are not already signed up on Roberta Estes DNAeXpalined Blog –

        – Roberta Estes’s blog – DNAeXplained, was named the “BEST GENEALOGY BLOG” in 2017, as well as being #58 for Genealogy Research Web Sites.

        She is thrilled, and we (her followers) are thrilled for her.
        Cut and Paste this article to your URL bar and read for yourself. https://dna-explained.com/2018/01/03/thank-you-for-making-dnaexplained-the-1-genealogy-blog/

        I’ve met Roberta. Besides being very knowledgeable – because of her educational background in science and computers- she is a guiding light for us researchers, who use DNA as a “tool.” She speaks openly, in a “I’m your best friend” way, sharing her personal family stories of both the passed and present day experiences. She doesn’t hold back any of her personal research, unexpected and sometimes – surprising, because she knows it’s going to help others in their research and how they deal with their own surprising issues. Her generosity in all that she shares is contagious, and many of us want to emulate her. It’s “Karma” in the best way, “Paying it Forward”, everyone helping others.

        Ally

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        • Ally, as a long time admirer of Roberta, It means a lot to me when she gets such positive responses. I am honored to play a minor role as a Co Admin , since I started out with so much to find and so little information at Ancestry. Had I not noticed a migration pattern of some of my Taylor;s, Bogg’s and Carr’s from VA now WV, I would have missed eMeeting her on Cumberland Gap’s Yahoo Group. Indeed, the more I ‘asked questions’ in my head, the more she took time for me. During the time I have known her, I found a 1/2 sister, 1 full cousin, and that everyone can be vulnerable to wrong information. In the last 2 years, my sister turned out to be a distant 1st Cousin, my full cousin is related to my paternal family, but that I am not related to my own family, which means my Jewish (*51%) has to be my ‘unknown father’. Imagine that, all of this before I turned 70 in October. However, I was well prepared for shocking results because she is such a good teacher. and because she shares her personal stories that have had their own ups and downs. Thank you for your acknowledgement of her and the kind words.

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          • Anniedear, there is no such thing as a “minor role,” and your role is not minor. We’ve sure been through a lot together, haven’t we!

  28. Congrats, Roberta! I’m not surprised by this either. You explain complicated things in an easy to understand and enjoyable way. That takes skill! I’m proud to be a follower and a distant cousin!😊

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  29. Congratulations! I’ve learned so much reading your blog and now refer my newby matches here to help lose the “deer-in-the-headlights” look that we all once had.

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  32. YES!! All of us know we’ve only reached our levels of understanding because of you and your generosity ☺️ You’re a star in our universe, Roberta!

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  33. Congratulations from Sydney, Australia. As so many have said, you explain everything so well. Thank you.

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  34. Ah. I was going to remark that you are most definitely in a league of your own, but Fern’s, “You’re a star in our universe”…well, spot on! I am a fairly new subscriber who did not have much time to glean from all of your expertise last year. I save each of your emails for days when I have time to soak up the knowledge you so generously share. Thank you, Roberta! Here’s to our DNA and all of the matches forthcoming!!! ♥

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  35. There is a reason your Blog ranks so high — its a fabulous read and just full of relevant, good information. Congratulations Roberta. I have been telling people to sign up for your DNAeXplained any time they ask a question about DNA. And I intend to keep doing that, so next year I expect you will rank even higher.

    You bemoan the ranking of Rootsweb, but as a user of their Lists myself, I think they are no longer being used because of their limitations. First, we discovered that a Yahoo Group would allow you to post images, something you couldn’t do on a Rootsweb List. Then we discovered how much easier it was to use Facebook. To top it off Facebook continues to keep up with technology adding features all the time. I now follow many more genealogy groups on Facebook than I do anywhere else.

    On Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 12:14 AM, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy wrote:

    > Roberta Estes posted: “Yesterday morning, I received an unexpected gift. > Let me tell you one of my guilty pleasure secrets. I read Randy Seaver’s > Genea-Musings on my phone laying in bed every morning. It’s my way of > getting my day started off on the right foot. When I” >

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    • You’re right about the ease of Facebook, and right now, the Rootsweb archives are broken. Ancestry took them offline to fix a security issue. In any case, the thing I don’t like about Facebook is that the search facility isn’t anything like what Rootsweb was, nor are the FB threads available through search engines of course.

      I wish they would develop something more archival in nature and easier to mine for data.

      And thank you for the compliment.

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  36. Hello Roberta, Considering my previous orders, what kind of upgrade do you suggest me to do? Sincerely Bernard Fesselet >

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    • Everyone’s goals are different, as so is the amount of effort they are willing to invest in any given technology or tool. My rule of thumb for a male that wants it all is FTDNA: Y including the Big Y, full sequence mito, Family Finder, then Ancestry, then 23andMe and then MyHeritage transferred from Family Tree DNA. If it were me, I’d skip the last two because I find them much less useful than the others. But like I said, everyone’s goals are different.

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