New Technologies and Dimensions of Genealogy

First it's good to see new members showing up to learn more about Genedocs! Thank you all!

As I completed submission of my Rootstech

Developers Challenge, I pondered what technologies are unfolding that will shape the future of our research, storage and preservation, and sharing of our precious trees...

There are many ways to view dimensions of genealogy as the image below portrays:

What new dimensions lay around the corner and via what new technologies?
Mostly we seek new ways to quickly sift information be it on the web, in other databases, or in paper archives waiting to be digitized. I think we all want a program or app that could sift like a burglar through every household's stacks of photos and albums sending us e-mailed hits for any of our relatives and an address to seek them out at;-)

Without busting down all of privacy's doors, however, we can only try to keep up with real and safer technologies and dimensions as they unfold while time presses on. Fingers crossed for new cousins and new information and imagery!

(image from National Archives employee training module.

Talented Tuesday - Our Musical (and Other) Roots

Do you have a string of of generations in certain branches with an apparent flair for musical talent?

Most families do somewhere so you are not alone. Being a musician myself (piano, voice, french horn), and coming from a fairly musical family, I never really wondered where our musical genealogy spurred from until a 1st cousin sent me a photo of a Hardanger fiddle (Norwegian) and its purple velvet lined case that belonged to our common grandfather (who died decades before either of us were even around) apparently played a musical instrument too!


Before I trek off to N'awlins tomorrow, I need to post about,as promised, two more forms for the month of January. Designing forms and other tools to help others with their family research apparently is one of my many talents and hopefully not the last one I myself learn about. It's not overnight that you find out your niche in life - I may have taken thirty eight years or so and am still learning more every day. I can only hope that others encourage the youth of this and fture generations to be open minded to all sorts of possibilites - that plans often change and change can end up being great.

January's two remainng forms are...

1. The file folder cover sheet (FOL) with divider tabs if you have tabbed folders available. See how it looks and think of how it may prove useful.

Clearly there are several organizational advantages to knowing exactly what is in a hardcopy or digital file folder prior to even opening it, but you also probably notice it quickly categorizes contents into life areas (yes if you use tabs on folder viders you can have that amazing benefit) and also prioirizes categoires by listing vital source areas/documents first!

These features allow you to, upon initial view of a folder, see exactly what is stored within, that it is where it belongs, what is most important, and even what still needs to be researched and added.

2. At a glance portrait file labels. The image below says it all!

Most filing systems as us office workers know oh so well are based on the duo orgnaizational systems of alphetabezation and numerical systems and sequencing of each of these or a combination of the two. Welcome the Genedocs tool that makes the duo an unbelievable trio!

Printing these on address labels and affixing to your hardcopy file folders works wonders since you instantly begin ignoring names and numbers and recall by your favorite portrait (inserted using MS Paint).
Did you say digital file version? Oh yes Windows and I'm sure Mac have the capability to view folders with a file image prview of what contents are within - it looks something like this and also works great!:

If you aren't using these Genedocs innovative tools already, trust me, it won't be long.

RootsTech Submission - Finally!

This weekend was busy with class deadlines, recovering from a stomache bug, work at home, and of course the excitement of Genedocs submission for the RootsTech 2012 Developers Challenge.

The Submission:

This year I elected to provide an interactive version of the Genedocs Hybrid Chart (will be elaborated on in February) that both beginners, intermediate, and seasoned family researchers could hopefully appreciate using MS Excel.

Simply, you enter some data and it shows up on other sheets more organized; ancestors, siblings, insert pportraits and source docs, and wham! You have your first chart. Save it under a new name and print if you like. Start over with your next three ancestors for as far as you like or can go.

Since I am learning more in Data Analysis this year at college using Excel, I am getting some helpful new knowledge on tricks I hadn't even dreamed of using yet, sot there are bound to be some impressive and useful improvments as always, but I am working those in MS EXcel 2010 and the Hybrid has only gone to Excel 2003 so far!

Prize money would literally be a lifesaver from the 1K 2K or 5K places, but it is mainly for the fun of the challenge. Fingers crossed and wish Genedocs good luck in the coming weeks when finalists and the winner are selected and announced at RootsTech.

2012 Leisure Series Form Resequence

Welcome to the 2012 Leisure Series of Genedocs

In lieu of rehashing the monthly Genedocs E-magazine I have posted or e-mailed since 2009, the Genedocs blog will now serve nicely as the new reader forum for monthly featured forms. If time allows, I will also try to include a bonus form and a series exclusive.

In past years I elected to begin with the Ancestor Outline List, but this year, I will be shuffling the Pedigree Map View to the forefront of the spotlight. This is mainly due to the fact that sibling data is, more often than not, key to knocking down many of the brick walls we all end up facing somewhere in our family tree. Why are siblings of ancestors so vital to this most frustrating obstacle in our family history vernacular? First, siblings lead to one amazing thing in our research - living cousins! When we trace the descendancy of siblings of our ancestors, we can't help but stumble into a real live person we can claim as our newest cousin who very often has the same desire to know more, may have a mass of family data and precious photos of their own, and, if you are lucky, even a network of other cousins or other relatives who may be able to and will to help you out.

It only takes a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel to plug in names into cells and format line colors of cell borders and before long you have an amazing reference tool that most genealogists don't even know about! Here is an example image...

The PMV is a great intro tool for several reasons:

- It is visually appealing with a new look
- It effectively combines ancestor data and sibling data
- It can be as detailed or as simple as its designer desires
- Any researcher exponentailly increasese their odds of craking the case with the PMV!


On the other hand the Ancestor outline list (pictured below) is a pretty plain although also useful key form especially for beginners.

Stay tuned - next week I'll be going into the awesome organizational power of the Folder Cover Sheet/Tabs and At-A-Glance Improved File Labels for both physical and digital storage methods.

Let 2012 Begin with a Bang!

First I must say that it is nice to see 13 followers of my new blog so thanks for following!

What will 2012 bring for Genedocs? It has been a bit hectic starting school again (why two weeks went by in January without a post;-), but exciting things have been going on in many areas:

Sister published her first music CD so if you love jazz, contemporary, or classical flute and small ensemble work, please check it out on CDbaby.com.

That's it for the shameless plug, but she is my last living blood relative!

Security at Genedocs is understandably tight these days as RootsTech 2012 is also brewing to its 2nd year start. Genedocs is participating in the Developers Challenge (if Jim Ericson and crew can get the e-mail details out before whoa... tomorrow! I need to cut this short and check e-mail again;-) Anyway, as wonderful as it would be to attend the conference in person, there are still ways to be involved, blogging, following blogs, and planning for this and next years innovations for instance.

Ancestorville on facebook remains a great place for family networking and photo enhancement - here is a fine example from Candace Milsop and her son John who fixed great grandmother Johnnie (Gause) Dawes' shattered image as a 6-year old very well.

Candy's version:

Google Maps still useful (Use Global Streetview!:

This photo may be of Charlotta Swensdtr a sister of my great great grandfatehr Victor G Edlund. She supposedly also came to America, but no idea if she survived since ports and censuses don't list her. But the back of the photo was key in telling me where this lady was at one point. using Google maps and a simple search of the word on the reverse I end up with a street view of where the photo shop was!

Post Holiday Gearing Up for 2012!

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As we prepare to bid 2011 a fond goodbye, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas or other celebrated holida this December and know my like-minded genealogy friends are already ramping up for a spectacultar 2012. A few major events in store for the coming year are:

- - 2012 Reslease: The 1940 U.S. Census (72 years in the making!)
.....via The National Archives and Ancestry.com

- - February's 2nd Annual roots Tech Conference in Salt Lake City, UT

- - April's National Archives Genealogy Fair in Washington D.C.

- - May's NGS Annual Conference in Cincinati OH

I can't wait to see where my mother and her parents were in 1940 (suspect OK from Nana's journal of their 73 moves from 1935 - 1946!)

Genedocs is participating in the 2012 Roots Tech Challenge although not able to attend personally - I will be following the e-casts.

Working for the National Arichives now, I should be able to find a way to participate in this years DC Genealogy Fair???

It would be nice to get out to OH - we'll see.

Have a great year!

Genedocs joins Geneabloggers

___2011 GENEDOCS STATS:

---------334 Friends of "Genedocs Wetpaint" on facebook

----------76 Members at Genedocs.wetpaint

----------24 Members at gdinnovativformslibrary.wetpaint.com

----------A few more followers of Genedocs on Twitter


Well, it finally happened - yours truly has joined the masses of die hard Genealogists known as Geneabloggers. You only need to publish a genealogy related blog or read them to join - then a few simple steps later you are sporting a nifty logo on your blog, have a blogiversery on file, new followers jump up to see what your blog is all about (thanks you six new ones!)and so forth.

Anyway, as the Christmas and 2012 are fast approaching I, as many others passionate about genealogy continue to dream up ways to improve genealgy and one day even hope to make a living at it. I chose to take on the roots tech challenge for 2012 to see how biz-ready genedocs may actually be since facebook and twitter followings alone a profitable buiness do not make. My apologies Yoda and Thoreau! Seriously there are fascinating and daunting challenges to starting a business in genealogy...

..

1. How do you get paid - quick and per click with pay pal or another means - setting up the pricing scheme with Pay pal buttons was interesting to explore earlier this year!

2. Will you offer merely services to avoid dealing with mandatory taxes on physical goods? Good to know from managaing both a busy cemetery office and a proifitable records management company.

3. What niche will you specialize in that is more than a trend (that has room to grow for decades if not centuries within the family research community)? On-line research, charting and tools, Graphics and 3-D, Animations and movies? So much to choose from!

4. What are the time proven foundations that technology will and will not influence your niche and others key to what market segment you want to focus on?

5. Has anybody asked you to provide something AND offered to pay or are you driven toward a non-profit/volunteer/RAOGK status?


To all of you out there pondering these and other Genbiz questions - just make an outline, decide what to charge that will keep you very afloat, and go for it! Genedocs will also be aiming for just that in 2012!

There's always more to learn so Merry Christmas and have a safe and Happy Dec and 2012!

- Eric /Founder