New here? Let me show you around!

Projectkin is here to help you in your family history storytelling journey. You'll discover a community of fellow travelers, events, and inspiration. I'll show you everything you need to get started!

Our Cuddler-in-Chief, “Zarabeth,” beckons you to Projectkin HQ from her ringside seat in a blueberry box.

At Projectkin, we’re a global community, so creating a sense of community in an online world can be awkward. It’s not impossible, though. A generation of bulletin board and blogging innovators has taught us a few best practices. I hope this post helps you understand what we’re all about and gives you the pointers to get the most out of the community.

It’s all about family stories

If you’ve found your way here, you’ll know we’re a community of family historians hooked on stories. Stories help us understand not only our ancestors and the world they lived in, but also the world around us today.

We’ve been defining ourselves as families with every origin story told. These stories help us teach our children about shared values and offer guidance during times of stress. They also provide motivation, encouragement, and the courage to take risks.

Why talk about “Projects?”

When we started, a Projectkin subscriber suggested the term “projects” precisely because it is so all-encompassing. From poetry to film, there were already countless ways to tell a story. With the advent of media-rich creative tools, there are now ten thousand forms, too. The trick is to select among those options to capture, preserve, and share your story with the people to whom it will matter most.

Our role as a community is to encourage creativity by supporting each other with ideas, resources, and techniques. (The enthusiasm is a bonus!)

WHAT is Projectkin?

Projectkin is the name I gave to our publication on the Substack platform, but we also host events on Zoom, a YouTube channel, and a lively community of collaborators.

Using rich media tools, we’ve been able to recreate an online community where we get to know each other and care about our stories. We are also here by choice. Substack’s attitude about “exit rights” ensures that I can take my email list and media with me should I choose to decamp to another platform. That’s vital. I see my relationship with you, not the platform.

Since many of you are new to Substack, I’ve made an effort to learn the ins and outs so that I can help you get the most out of the rich features.

Can anyone join? Just subscribe, that’s it.

Yep, it’s pretty much that simple.

Our online events are an excellent way to get to know each other as real people, and everyone is welcome. All of our community events are also free. Every event is recorded, and recordings are shared directly with members via email. Comments, chats, and more events keep the conversation going between meetings. Learn more about our events here:

And explore our archive of recorded events here. They’re even available as podcast shows here.

What’s a Project Recipe, and is food involved?

Great question. Unfortunately, since the events are online it’s a BYO thing..

Ideas, as they say, are a dime a dozen. What’s interesting is when someone has completed a project and is willing to take the time to explain

• What they did,

• How they did it, and

• What they might do differently next time.

A Project Recipe narrows all possible approaches down to one project that’s been completed. We then share that project as a step-by-step recipe, including resources and more. In that sense, it’s like a recipe you’d use in the kitchen. I borrowed a bit from the New York Times Cooking app to establish a standard format for all recipes. To learn more about our approach to projects, see “Project Recipes » Step-by-step creativity.”

Recipes are just one kind of event. We also have events where professionals in photo organizing and genealogy share insights to help get you going. You won’t want to miss:

• Kathy’s Corner featuring

  Kathy Stone

• Emma Explores featuring

  Emma - Journeys into Genealogy

• A limited series about How We Memorialize featuring

  Jane Hutcheon

• Special programs covering a range of subjects, from One Place Studies to tackling challenging topics.

Can I see recordings?

Of course! Recordings, resources, recipes, and other goodies are all available for free to both subscribers and the merely curious. Recordings are sent via email to all subscribing Projectkin members as soon as possible after events are over.

Substack users can freely explore posts and recordings and add their insights in comments. Transcripts are now searchable, and clips can be generated to share on social media and in Substack’s own Notes channel. Join the conversation from your browser or the convenient Substack mobile app.

Hold up. How is Projectkin free?

Great question. Yes, it free because this is important work. To make it work, we keep costs low and welcome generous contributions from Patrons. Learn more on our About page.

Quite simply, I’m able to support this community as a free space because of the economies of scale this platform provides. Substack is designed to create a space for writers to earn money for the work they love to do. Their fee structure ensures that they make money when publications charge for membership.

Substack doesn’t charge me to create a publication or manage subscribers. Though I manage operations very tightly, I do have expenses. During the first 18 months since our launch on Substack, we’ve managed to cover operational costs (like Zoom and the calendaring tool we use for Events) with member contributions in the form of “Tips.”

Starting in the middle of 2025, I’ve transitioned to the Substack payments mechanism by introducing a paid “Patron” tier. A small number of Patrons chip in with their paid subscriptions to support community operations even as programming remains free. To learn more about the approach, please read “Introducing Projectkin’s Patron Tier.” Of course, you’d be very welcome to join the small cadre of Patrons. Learn more about this approach, our policies, and me on our About page.

⮕ Did you know you can subscribe to support a publication, without stuffing your inbox? It’s a nifty trick and the kind of thing we share all the time.¹

We’d love to welcome you in.

I’ve been honored by the extraordinary support I’ve received since launching Projectkin. Our vibrant community has grown by supporting and encouraging each other.

If you’re comfortable sharing it, a voice of support would mean a great deal to me and would be very influential to others. Take a moment to recommend us and add a few words about why. I’ll add yours to the rotation of 3 “blurbs” on our Welcome page.

Note: Substack has more on how this works. Most importantly, you can only do this if you have a Substack (newsletter/publication) of your own. 😉

Finally, I’d love to know what brought you here. That will tell me what to invest more time in — or what other newsletters I might recommend for you:

Thank you again! Reach out anytime with questions:

1. To manage your inbound email from Substack, make sure you’re logged into Substack, then open your browser to: substack.com/settings. From there, you can manage the inbound from Substack writers just the way you like it. PLUS, you’re still supporting the writers you love. What’s not to like about that.