A number of years ago - when we were all excited about Facebook and Instagram wasn't as common - I created a page there for Raabe family members to post pictures and share news. There were a couple of posts, but then engagement dwindled. (I admit that I forgot about it myself!) At that same time, an Esau cousin and I created a page for the Esau clan. That page became a place to post notices of special anniversaries and birthdays, but mostly for death and funeral announcements. Neither page has developed into a fun place to check every day!
One day last month, I was messaging with Seb Kister in Manitoba about Raabe DNA matches, messaging with Dimitri Bargen in Viersen, and with Willi Raabe in Cologne, all at the same time! It struck me that these people - all from different lines and generations - would like each other. A Raabe family reunion would be an amazing event! What if we could meet each other online?
It was then that I remembered that I already had a private group space in place on Facebook. I just needed to tweak it and send out invitations! It took me a couple of days to resurrect the space (thankfully, I have learned about FB Groups with the book club that I coordinate), and translate all of the instructions into German. I have decided that since more than half of the family members live in Germany, having both languages was more inclusive than leaving it entirely in English.
Seb thought this was an excellent idea, and he set about gathering all the information that he could for his siblings and 88 first cousins. Then he invited them all! 😲
But now what?
We could see that people were accepting and joining...but they weren't doing anything. No likes. No posts. No interacting at all. Just because Seb and I have become close with our MANY messages, doesn't mean that others would jump right in. Nope, they were watching, waiting to see what would happen.
How to introduce ourselves to each other? Welcome posts weren't enough.
How to increase engagement? How to break down some virtual walls?
I posted some pictures from the 50th anniversary party for my parents from ten years ago. Crickets.
Then the solar storm of May 10-12 happened. I posted some pictures from our house of what we saw in the night sky. Those pinks and purples were amazing! That post received some likes. Seb and his brother Tobias posted what they saw in Manitoba. Yes!
I posted an "intro activity" where people can respond with an emoji that represents their family lines. That has the most engagement so far. I moved it to a "featured" item and pinned it at the top so that new members can keep posting their one-item responses.
The most recent post is about the Raabe Family Map. People have been checking it out. As I type up this post, no members have asked to be added to the map, but I am sure that someone will soon.
As I type up this blog posts, there are 24 members in the Raabe Group. Those are the ones who have accepted invitations and joined. There are many more that I can see who have not yet accepted the invitations. And I am working on inviting more people from Canada. I am hopeful that this will take off this summer when people get outside, attend weddings and family events, and start posting about these activities.
If you click on the picture below, you too can join the Raabe Family Group Page. Just make sure you know the name of your grandparent or great-grandparent on the Raabe side of your family!
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