New Look

This won't make sense to those who learn about this blog after today, but I've just changed the look and layout. I'm trying to make it more readable, get more information on the page. Mostly I need Tam's input.

Getting Ready for Prime Time

Okay, soon we're going to actually tell someone other than the two of us that this blog exists. When we do, I guess I'll put up a "how to use this blog" post, since after inviting most of our relatives to come join our private Flickr and YouTube accounts, only one did. Believe me folks, it's not just a fad. I have my Dad's WWII letters to my Mom. Yes, the Iraq War generation will have only their inboxes, but their family hear from them daily if all is going okay.

I have no idea why I'm posting this. Guilt, I think, since I haven't posted much lately.

New Newsgroups

I haven't been blogging because I've been busy at work (so far I haven't tried blogging from work for fear of getting into a time-wasting habit) and doing other things in the evenings. I've created -- but so far done very little with -- some Google newsgroups for genealogy.

One is called Jones-Cleary. Back around 2001-2002 my cousin Steve Jones had a newsgroup that was very active for a while, raking in cousins. But it dwindled away. We're getting older, and genealogy gets frustrating if you aren't learning much. But I decided to revive it. Also created a Collins-Dunn one for my paternal side, one for The Estimate readers when we get back up and running, and a "Dunn-Mehuron" one intended as a family newsgroup exchange. I'll be letting everybody know about this when I let them know about the blog. (Meanwhile, no one is reading this anyway.)

I've put links to the newsgroups in the "Our Personal Links" box at the right. You need to ask to be members: just tell me who you are and why you want to join, and if your reasons are reasonably sane and nonviolent, I'll say yes.

General public Comments are permitted on this posting.

A Note on Comments Policy

I've mentioned before that we aren't looking for comments from the general public. Comments from friends and relatives are generally welcome: we want a dialogue. But we're still testing the waters here. So far nobody knows this blog exists, but that won't last forever.

For now, only some posts are open for comments. All my family history posts will be, since dialogue is essential there. So will posts like our Jamestown and book review posts. But more private stuff will not be inviting comments. Tam's asleep now and I have to ask her if she wants comments on her tuna salad recipe. I'm still working this out, and we may have a trial-and-error period. Bear with us.

UPDATE: I guess I should allow comments on this post,shouldn't I? Okay, done.

Some Late Night Thoughts on Privacy

It's the middle of the night and I should be asleep, but I think the devil invented computers (and blogs) to keep us awake. I've only been blogging a few hours and already I'm up late.

Anyway, the point I want to make is that Tam has raised issues about privacy. Well, I will be blogging elsewhere to express my opinions about the Middle East (my line of work). This is for communication with family and friends, discussion of genealogy, stuff like that. Or whatever else we want to talk about. Our names and info are already out there, along with pictures (we've had a personal website since 1999 or 2000) at tamandmichael.com; we'll be discreet here about things like where we live, and are keeping pictures of our daughter off this site (if you're family we've told you where to find them).

In a world where privacy is at a premium and everyone's on YouTube and MySpace, and lots of people seem not to even want privacy, I think that, short of turning Amish or ignoring the Internet, a relatively low-key, not too detailed family communication site will work. I hope I'm right. I'm limiting comments for now to the genealogy posts, but would rather allow free discussion throughout. I just fear spamalanches and intrusive comments that aren't on topic.

I'd really like this site to become a place where our family and friends can come and comment, even perhaps create a chat site, but where outsiders, spammers, and others won't impose. If the latter happens, I can make the whole blog accessible only by login, but I know that that will mean a lot of our family and friends who aren't all that cybersavvy will opt out.

So if you find this site, please respect who we are and what we want to do here. If you know us, drop in and say howdy. If you're kin, c'mon in. I want to have a nice get-together on a cyber-front porch where we all catch up with each other. If something else turns up in the mailboxes, we can always shut it down.

All that being said, let's talk a bit.

Michael Dunn

Family History

As most of you who find this website will likely already know, I've been doing family history (genealogy, but with a lot of historical background detail) since I was in high school. In recent years, with two jobs and as the father of a young child, I've had little time to write. Some information is online, accessible through my genealogy homepage at http://tamandmichael.com/genealogy.htm, which includes my draft Collins family history, some material on the Dunns, and other material on other lines, plus an old and very out of date version of my genealogy database. [UPDATE: The genealogy database was updated online on July 16, 2007. See this post.] All these need updating. This blog for the time being will be a way to update it all, and I intend to let all my genealogy posts, at least, be open to comments.

I also plan to use this site to post new material. I've been gathering information for years on interesting Native American connections with both the Dunn and Collins lines, though I have no reason to believe I personally have direct native ancestry, at least so far as I've learned to date. This may give me some opportunity to raise some questions that others may wish to comment on.

I'll also use the posts labeled "Family History" to post new stuff I find, until I can incorporate it into the genealogy website, or to raise questions. I welcome comments to these posts.



Michael Dunn

An Introduction

First, let me emphasize what is already stated in the header above. This is for our family and friends. Michael Dunn will be creating a blog either at The Estimate's website (http://www.theestimate.com) or at a new Blogger website for The Estimate in the near future. The Middle East Institute (http://www.mideasti.org) is planning a group blog in which he will participate as Editor of The Middle East Journal. Tam's professional work is viewable at the Air Force Magazine website.

So we're not seeking comments here, although my family history postings will be open for general comments and conversation. We won't generally be posting pictures, to maintain our daughter's privacy; our private accounts at Flickr and YouTube can be accessed by those we choose to allow. If too many people seem fascinated by our private family blog, we may make it more private still.

But for the moment, this can be a useful way to record events. We didn't get a Christmas letter out the past two years. This can bring folks up to date, I hope. I also intend to use this to update my family history material, which will be referenced in my next post. Tam can use the blog for anything she wants to: rants, meditations, communication. As can we all. Sarah's too young to post just yet but this is her blog too.

More soon.

Michael Dunn

Welcome to the Dunn Family Blog

The Dunn family will begin blogging soon. We need to get our act together for a bit, so this is not quite ready for prime time. Stay tuned.

Michael Dunn