Wouldn't it be nice if we could exchange contact info at Rootstech without worrying about business cards?

Wouldn't it be nice if I took this awesome photo at Rootstech & I was able to share it with you quickly and almost effortlessly?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could, like, quickly share with you at Rootstech this great app that could help you find more of your dead people efficiently so you don't have to find it online to download?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could quickly share with you at Rootstech an event from my calendar?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could quickly connect on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn?













Guess what!?! We can With the Bump App. Take a look:

Did you see how happy everyone was when they Bumped? I wanna be that happy at Rootstech. Don't you? I want to Bump at Rootstech. Don't you? I've had it on my iPhone since right after I first bought my iPhone, but I noticed at our conferences nobody Bumps. Why don't we Bump? Don't we want to be happy at Rootstech like they are in the Bump video? [Bump. Smile.]

The Bump app is available for the iPhone, iPhone Touch, iPad, and Android. Now, not all the newest features of the Bump app are on the Android version, but they're working on that. The contact info is definitely on there.

And? An iPhone can Bump with an Android phone too. That's right the Bumping is cross platform.

And? It's free.

They even have a short Bump video for the iPhone:

And a short Bump video for the Android:

For more detailed information, take a look at their Frequently Asked Questions page.

So download it. For iOS, get it from iTunes or App Store, and for Android, get it from the Android Market.

Fill-in your contact info.

Then let's Bump at Rootstech.

So we can be happy. [Bump. Smile.]

~Caroline

[Note: I am not affiliated with Bump Technologies nor was I asked to review their app. I just wanna get happy and bump at Rootstech. For more disclosure information please visit my Disclosure Page.]

How to buy technology and gadgets?

Yes, I do reviews of products. Yes, I advertise products and services on my website. I am an affiliate advertiser as I've written on my disclosure page. However, I thought today I'd not try to sell you anything in this blog post. I thought I'd go over how I decide to purchase a technological product. But first? Here's what I don't do:

• I don't make a purchase of anything solely based on the product itself. [OMG. THAT is SO kewl! Must have.]
  
• I don't purchase anything just because it looks pretty or comes in a color that I prefer. [Look! It matches my purse which matches my shoes which matches my eyes. I MUST have it! It's, like, meant to be.]
  
• I don't purchase anything because it's on sale. [It's SUCH a Greeeaaat deal! Look at how much money I'm saving, hon'.]
  
• I don't purchase anything because it's not on sale. [All that stuff they just put on sale? So two-thousand-and-late.]
  
• I don't purchase anything because it's expensive. [It MUST be the best. That's WHY it's so expensive. It's the finest. Duh.]
  
• I don't purchase anything because it's cheaper. [OMG. Look at what a great deal that is!]
  
• I don't purchase anything because so-and-so purchased it. [Did YOU SEE what she had? If SHE has it, then it's gotta be good and I MUST have it.]
  
• I don't purchase anything because so-and-so said I should because they purchased it. [So-and-So said that I must have it. That it's perfect for them. Therefore it will be perfect for me. Which credit cards do you take?]

Now. To clarify, I'm only talking about technological products and gadgets. Most other stuff? Well, duh. Of course I match stuff and justify purchases left and right. Why? Because it's not that expensive, but even then I abide by my budget. Unfortunately.

But when it comes to technological products and gadgets, I have a whole other set of standards that I adhere to simply because I'm not rich. I haven't won the multi-state powerball lottery. And I don't live on my own island. In the Caribbean. With white sands and turquoise waters. [Tweeting.] If I did and had all those things, well, it'd be a different story. I'd buy whatever toy and gadget that I wanted. [Which would be all of them.]

Instead, I have to make intelligent decisions about my technology purchases. I have to weigh needs and budgets, which are usually on opposite ends. [*Big Sigh*] So, how do I do it? This is the process that I go through when trying to decide what to buy.

1. I write down what I really detest about my current product or system and what I love about it. What works? What doesn't?
   
2. I write down what I want my new product or system to be able to do now and 1-1/2-2 yrs down the road.
   
3. I look at online retail places to see what's out there, to see features that are offered.
4. I solicit opinions from others on Twitter and other social media sites. [But mostly Twitter.]
   
5. I explore online many different tech sites and forums to define terms of parts of the tech product or gadget and to explain what each one does.
   
6. I then take what I've learned and go back to retailers to start comparing prices with my wants & needs.
7. I explore tech sites, like CNET.com, to see what they're recommending, but I understand it's from a tech geek's point of view. [I just know he's comparing it to his idea of perfection.]
8. I explore retailers' customer reviews, but with the understanding that I have NO idea what these 'reviewers' background and experience is with technology. *snort*
9. Then I go back and compare some more while taking all of the above into consideration. 
10. Then I choose and buy.

In other words, I look at my needs and wants then find the correct tech product or gadget that's going to complete me.

Which is how I ended up with Umber and not an iPad. Not that I didn't want an iPad because the inner big overgrown gadget geek in me wants one, but it wasn't going to complete me. Together, Umber, my Nook, and my iPhone? They complete me. *snort*

So, when I mention, suggest, or review a product, I'm presenting it to you. I'm rarely going to say that you MUST get it. Why? Because I have no earthly idea what it's going to take to complete you. Duh. If I could do that I wouldn't be here.

I'd be on my own island.

In the Caribbean.

With white sands and turquoise waters.

Tweeting.

~Caroline

Who won Thomas MacEntee's fantabulous Dropbox for Genealogists webinar-on-cd from Legacy Family Tree Webinars?

Well, it was someone who subscribes to this blog's Genie-Tech Newsletter.

It's...Jenna Mills from the blog, Desperately Seeking Surnames. Have you seen her blog layout? It's beautiful! So go ooooh & aaaaah over her blog & tell her congratulations! BUT before you go drool over it, are you signed up for the Genie-Tech Newsletter? If not, sign up below:

~Caroline



[Note: I am an affiliate of Legacy Family Tree, which means if you click on a link or an image with a link to their website and purchase something, then I will be paid a small referral commission. Also, as a Geneablogger attendee to SCGS's Jamboree 2011, I received a set of webinar-on-cd's fromLegacy Family Tree, and this is where this particular one came from. For more information please visit my Disclosure Page.

Over the holidays, my 14yo daughter was watching me do my spontaneous ephemera mystery tweet-a-thon, or whatever you wanna call it. I had visited the antique store [again] and had purchased ephemera that had some identifiers / clues on them. [Again.] I do it all the time actually. I buy other family's stuff, try to identify it and the story behind it, and try to see if a descendant or family member is looking for their ancestor online, then try to reconnect the two. Why? I dunno. Obviously I have a problem. I just know how happy I'd be if someone were to email me and say, "Hey, is this yours?" and it turn out to be a photo of my 2nd great-grandmother, Annie O'Brien. I'd finally be able to find out if I have her to blame for my freckles.

Anywho. My daughter said, "Mom, you should, like, give this thing its own site, make it a 48 hour challenge, and get everybody to work on it together. And you could call it The 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge."

This. This is why I had children. So I don't have to come up with all the brilliant ideas. <grin>


I know a lot of you are like me. You like a good mystery. You like things our ancestors left behind. And you love a good story.

Voila! Here's the forum:  http://48hourephemerachallenge.lefora.com/_

It's not perfect. And I'll be fixing it up as we go. But I wanted to start as quickly as possible. I've a stack of people's dreams, hopes, fears, and stories. And they're fading fast. Can you identify them?

So. Welcome, to The 48-Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum, where a new ephemera piece is posted every Friday night, and you have 48 hours to work with others in a forum atmosphere to figure out the story behind the piece using clues from the piece and online resources.

• All people of all levels of experience are welcome to watch and/or participate. That's the beauty of it. We'll be learning from each other. We'll build each other up while coming together to try to solve an ephemera mystery.
  
• This is a public forum. All may watch or lurk. However, to participate you must register. It's FREE.
• To start out, I'll be posting pieces from my collection. However, in the future, pieces from your collection that have identifiers on them [name, location, etc.], may be accepted for use in a particular week's challenge. That's right. Have a bunch of genealogists take a look at your family ephemera conundrum and see if they can figure it out.
• All searching will be done using online resources. BUT our goal is to take the research to the point of offline researching and identify the specific places we would need to look if we were to take the research offline.
• This public forum is fully searchable by Google. So, if a piece from my collection [that I acquire from antique stores] is found by someone searching for their ancestor, then arrangements will be made to return the piece to the family. And if it's a piece that's from your family's collection, then we'll get y'all connected. Cuz BINGO! You're related.
• A form of a citation [basically where we got the info from] will be posted with each clue/document found. This will be explained a little bit more further down below.

That's it in a nutshell. It's a game. We're gonna have hands on learning with using online resources. It's a game. We're gonna meet a cousin or two hopefully. It's a game. We're gonna solve ephemera mysteries. It's a game. We're gonna learn from each other. It's a game. We're gonna learn how to take our online research and get it to the point of offline research. It's a game. We're gonna hopefully reunite descendants with their ancestors' ephemera. It's a game. We're gonna find family stories. It's a game.

But most importantly? We're gonna have fun. Genealogy-style.

Sometime on late Friday afternoons, I will blog a post announcing the new ephemera piece here on 4YourFamilyStory.com. You can either follow the link on my blog [there's a tab for it now on the menu], or you can check the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum on Friday's. When you see it, get started.

The following will be the instructions posted with every piece:

• Transcribe the handwritten message.
• List all identifying information that can be gleaned from the handwritten message.
• List any information that can be gleaned from the photo.

Then, we can start looking up information on the internet. When you do find something on the internet include the following in your post to the forum:

• A link to where you found the information.
• Name of website or database.
  
• A transcription of all or part of the information from document or site that is pertinent.
• If possible, how you think the information fits into the puzzle. [This is optional. You may not know, and that's okay. Other members may be lurking, and they may see where the piece fits into the puzzle.]
• If possible, what you think is the next logical step. Another online site? Or is offline research the next step? And where would that be?
• Attach of copy of document, if applicable.
  

Note: We aren't going to research offline, but I want us to get to that point and figure out where we might look if we were to go offline. Archives, library, courthouse, etc.

Y'all ready to find some family stories? You've been challenged. ;)

~Caroline

Genealogy is Back in Primetime
I mentioned inmy previous post that watching the 3rd Season Premier ofNBC's Who Do You Think You Are? makes a good reason for you to go to Rootstech. However, even if you can't make it, you can watch the season premier on Friday, Feb 3rd at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT.





3rd Season's Lineup

• Martin Sheen
• Marisa Tomei
• Blair Underwood
• Reba McEntire
• Rob Lowe
• Helen Hunt
• Rita Wilson
• Edie Falco
• Rashida Jones
• Jerome Bettis
• Jason Sudeikis
• Paula Deen

I'm really excited about this lineup!

• I'm a big fan of Martin Sheen's work. I do know his real last name is Estevez and I know who his sons are. It'll be interesting to see if we'll be learning more about his Irish roots or his Spanish roots. Either way, this will definitely be a winning episode.
• I LOVE Marisa Tomei. She tends to play such sassy characters, and for some reason, I like that. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that they'll uncover her Italian roots, which is good. The closest I ever get to Italian research is passing by the Italian section at Clayton Library and eating Italian food. I think I'm gonna have to serve Italian food for dinner that night. You know, to get in the mood. [And? Marisa Tomei was in the movie Somebody Like You with Ashley Judd, who appeared in the 2nd season of Who Do You Think You Are?.]
  
• Another great actor that I admire is Blair Underwood. I remember him in L.A. Law. [See how brave I am for revealing that? Goodness, I'm old.] And while I'm a fan of his work, I know nothing about him personally. Therefore, I can't wait to see what his family tree climbing reveals.
• And Reba McEntire? I'm a definite fan of her, and once upon a time, I read her autobiography and loved it. So, I can't wait to see this Oklahoman country music crooner's roots. Will definitely put on some Reba music that night in prep for the show.
• Rob Lowe's posters once graced my bedroom's walls back in the day. I know who his brother is and his parents because I remember reading about them in Tiger Beat Magazine right before I tore his and his brother's pics out to put on my walls. So, I think I'll enjoy looking at Rob Lowe that Friday night. Oops, I mean watching Rob Lowe climb his family tree in this episode. <grin> Wonder if I saved any of those posters and where would they be? Maybe I should look to St. Elmo's Fire to lead the way. [I know. *Groan*]
• I can't think of a t.v. show or movie that Helen Hunt has appeared in that I'm not mad about. Seriously. However, I know nothing about her personal life. So. Where will the hunt for her roots begin and lead to? [*wink*]
  
• And speaking of Helen Hunt, do you remember that she co-starred in the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks? Remember Wilson the volleyball and dear friend of Tom Hank's character in the movie? Well, Tom Hank's very beautiful and talented wife, Rita Wilson, will be climbing her family tree as well. [Can I make connections, or what?] I'm looking forward to the climb even though I don't know a thing about her family. In fact, it's pretty much Greek to me. [Um, that's a hint.]
• Loved Edie Falco in the Sopranos, and her character certainly put up with a lotta crap from her mob boss husband, Tony. It'll be interesting to see which branch she climbs in this episode. I mean, for dinner do I serve Italian food again or perhaps, oh I dunno, Swedish Meatballs? Oooh. Maybe I'll serve both!
• My daughter and I love the t.v. show The Office which Rashida Jones appears in. I'm not familiar with her personal life. However, a quick look at her bio tells me that perhaps we might watching her climb an African, Irish, or Russian branch of her family tree. Can't wait to find out which one!
• I am, among other things, a Steelers fan, and I'm thrilled to see Jerome Bettis on this season's lineup. Can't wait to see what his family tree climb reveals.
• Okay. While Jason Sudeikis' name didn't ring any bells for me, a quick look at his bio tells me that, duh, he's, like, everywhere. And? He has a long list of celebrity impressions that he can do. So. I've seen him, and he's most certainly made me laugh more than once. What his bio doesn't reveal is his ancestry. However, he IS the nephew of George Wendt. You know, Norm from my absolute most favorite t.v. show of all time, Cheers? [Oh gawd. I'm old.] So, it looks like Jason gets his funny bone from the family tree. Will definitely watch some episodes of Cheers from Netflix to help me get in the mood for Jason's climbing the family tree episode. [Like I need a reason to watch Cheers. *rolling eyes heavenward* ]
  
• Speaking of food,Paula Deen will be featured in this 3rd season. [Yes, we were talking of food. Remember that Cheers episode where Norm is eating Cheetos and complains about 'Cheeto fingers'? And remember how Norm loved to eat at The Hungry Heifer? So there.] I LOVE Paula Deen. I liked her Facebook page and I signed up for her email subscription mail list for recipes. And I've even made some of her dishes. So, it'll be fun to see if her cookin' is passed down and from what branch. I'm gonna have to make Paula Deen dishes that night to get ready for her episode. YUM! Down home Southern cookin'. Can't. Wait.

So. Can you tell I'm excited about this season's lineup? Which episode are you looking the MOST forward to seeing? And what are you gonna do to prep yourself for the show? I think it'd be cool to do some episode-related cooking. Who's with me on this?

Take a look at the complete press release from NBC on the Who Do You Think You Are? 3rd Season Premier.

~Caroline

Note: I am an ad affiliate of Ancestry.com, which sponsors NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? series. Please visit my Disclosure Page for more information on my disclosures with vendors.

A deleted scene, Walking Across History, from Lionel Richie's episode from Season 2. Watch more deleted scenes from past episodes on NBC's Who Do You Think You Are?'s website.

The 2nd Annual Rootstech conference will be held 2 Feb 2012 through 4 Feb 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"Why should I go?" you might ask. "Give me 10 good reasons I should go, Caroline. And I said good."


Okay. I'll give you 10 good reasons you should attend Rootstech 2012:

1. To attend all the great lectures that are on the schedule that will be given by even greater speakers. Learn genealogy research tips, research strategies, be entertained, and tackle that word, 'technology'.
2. Speaking of technology, learn how technology can help you in your research and learn which technology is best for you and your situation.
3. Get out of cooking, cleaning your house, and doing the laundry. [Seriously? This needs no further explanation.]
   
4. Score: Brick walls, 150. You, 4-1/2? Take a well-deserved break so that you can go back to your brick walls with a sledgehammer. Stop thinking about beating them down. Come learn how to beat them down then go back home and do it.
   
5. Get away from your family. Yes, it's ironic. We research family. The dead ones drive us nuts, but so do the living ones. They don't want to listen to our stories about the dead ones. They look at us as if we're crazy. [And they're probably right. Normal people don't usually talk to dead people and get mad at them.] But sometimes you need to take a break, recharge those batteries, and meet folks like yourself who want to listen to your romps through your family tree. Then after getting it out of your system, you go back rejuvenated for your family.
6. Remember all that fuss about book vendors? Yeah. Come support them. Buy a book.
7. To watch the season premiere of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? with a bunch of genealogists. [Can you just see that?]
   
8. Meet the vendors of all these companies you see advertised all over the place on the internet. Ask them questions. They want to meet and talk to you. [Plus, quite a few of them give stuff away and some even have free chocolates on their booth table. Chocolate, anyone? Calories don't exist at Rootstech. Did you know that?]
9. To go to the Family History Library! Come see where all that microfilm you order comes from. Perform research. Wallow in its genealogy-ness. And I promise you there won't be anyone telling you that you're spending too much time in the library, asking you what's for dinner, or telling you that they just aren't going to go into that library. Nope. You're gonna be around genealogists. Folks just like you. [How do you like them apples?]
   
10. If you live in a warmer climate, come to Rootstech for a change of weather. Cooler weather. I've looked at the 10-day forecast on Weather.com and I've checked their monthly weather planner. It indicates the high's average in the low 40s and the lows average in the high 20s during Rootstech. For some, that would be a refreshing change of pace. So, there's that.
    

So. There you go. My 10 good reasons why you should go to Rootstech. It's not to late to register. Visit Rootstech2012's website for more details about registering and the speaker schedule. I'm going. Will I see you there? [Psst. They have a special right now on registration, $149. After Friday, 13 Jan 2012, it will go back up to the regular price of $189.]

~Caroline

Note: I am in no way affiliated with Rootstech or FamilySearch.org. I just think we're gonna have a good time, and I'd like to see you there.

With more and more genealogists being introduced to social media, there are more and more genealogists trying out Twitter. And I still advocate that Twitter is the best way to connect with other like-minded individuals for their genealogical research goals as well as their genealogical social goals. Therefore, I thought I'd give some very simple steps and suggestions for those just starting out on Twitter.

• Realize that using Twitter can be done through Twitter.com [which is how most people start using it], but it can be accessed and used through other 3rd party platforms [which is just a fancy word that means software]. Many people who use Twitter eventually use these other 3rd party platforms because the actual Twitter site does not have a lot of functionality. But I highly suggest a beginner to use the Twitter site until they are comfortable and ready for more functionality.
• While on Facebook, privacy is a big matter. On Twitter, we're not so private. Yes, the Twitter.com site allows you to have an account where you approve who follows you, but that's not really how we rock-n-roll over here on twitter. The whole point of twitter is to be social. So be social. [If you have someone who is following who turns out to be inappropriate, you can block them.]
  
• Know that the world you are tweeting to is only as big as who is following you. If you have 4 followers, then they are the only ones to whom you are tweeting.
• Realize that if you tweet something to your followers that is funny, newsworthy, etc. and they want to share it with their followers, they will do something that's called a 'Retweet' and as the name suggests, your tweet is then shared with that follower's followers. So say for example, you shared a link from the internet to this great online database with your 4 followers, and 1 of your followers decides to retweet it to or share it with their 550 followers, then your tweet will be seen by those 550 followers. Now, any those 550 followers can decide to retweet it as well, and so on and so forth. So if you say something clever, interesting, informational, etc., more than just your followers may read your tweet. And in the Twitter world we consider this a good thing. It's called 'going viral'. [Some of us actually pray for this. Okay. I'm kidding. Maybe.]
  
• By the same token, you may retweet something someone you follow tweets to all of your followers. In fact, this is highly encouraged on Twitter. We're very social and supportive here and we like to retweet and we like to be retweeted. So, yes, by all means, RETWEET tweets. Don't worry or think about if someone else has already tweeted it. Just do it anyway. [There are specific reasons why you should not worry about redundancy in tweeting, but that's too much for right now. Just feel free to retweet. Please.]
• As evidenced above, success on Twitter is tied to your followers. You may have come to Twitter to only network with other genealogists, but many more tweeters will start following you. This tends to alarm newbies. However, don't be alarmed. We tend to be very social here, and there are many reasons why you should not be alarmed and welcome your new followers, whether their marked for genealogy or not. But I'm not going to go over all these reasons now. [That's a post in and of itself.] Just roll with the flow. Trust me on this. [Please.]
  
• Realize that Twitter and tweeting is like a conversation. It's not a billboard or message board where people blast whatever message they want to blast and then never interact with any of their followers. Even though you'll see this, it's just not the way we roll here on Twitter. We like to interact. We want to get to know you. And we want you to get to know us. And with the relationships that are developed through this networking comes success with Twitter and ultimately your goals.
• Many people like to categorize their tweets with a common keyword. For example, on the [what I like to call] 'Genealogy World' on Twitter, most genealogy-related tweeters use what is called a hashtag, #, then the word genealogy. Like this: #genealogy   [Here's an example of a tweet with the hashtag genealogy: Hey everybody! Come look at my new blog at mynewblog.com #genealogy   ]. Why do they do this? Please read on.
  
• Speaking of goals and hashtags, you probably came to Twitter because someone said it's a great way to look for those related to you, or it's a great way for you to connect with other genealogists, or if you're a professional genealogist with a business someone told you Twitter is a great place to connect with possible clients, or something like that. Well, yes, this is true, but how do you find these other genealogists, and, more importantly, how do you find what they're saying about genealogy? Here's a tip to help you find the 'Genealogy World' on Twitter using the Twitter.com site to access Twitter.

1. From your HOME screen at Twitter.com, click the search box that is located on the top right-hand side & the search box will expand.
   
2. Type the following hashtag into the search box: #genealogy
3. A list of tweets that contain the hashtag #genealogy will appear.
4. This is what I like to call the Genealogy World on Twitter.
5. Now, since you'd like to visit this new found Genealogy World on Twitter as much as possible, you'll want to SAVE this search so you don't have to re-search. [Just nod your head.]
6. So, from the screen that has your Genealogy World on Twitter list, click the icon in the top right hand corner of this list that looks like a gear.
7. A drop down menu appears with 2 things you can click: SAVE SEARCH and ADVANCED SEARCH.
8. Click on SAVE SEARCH.
9. Then next time you want to access your saved search to the Genealogy World on Twitter, from the HOME screen, click on the search box and a drop down menu will appear with #genealogy as a selection.
10. Click #genealogy & voila! The Genealogy World on Twitter.

While I could go on and on about different aspects of Twitter, I'm not going to. This is enough for you to start chirping, to test your wings, and to see if you you'd like to learn to soar.

If you have any questions, please let me know in comments. Please remember that the only stupid question is the one you DON'T ask, but really want to ask.  So ask. Please.

Oh, and please follow me on twitter: @FamilyStories

And if you liked this article, feel free to let your followers know by clicking the tweet icon below this article and tweeting it to them. Don't forget to add the hashtag: #genealogy

~Caroline
   

Goals? I've got plenty of those. It's just hard to write them all down, but it's even harder to remember them if I don't write them down. And if I don't write them down, I'm less likely to get them all done. That's why I am SO every lucky that I have a genea-buddy goal goddess. She's organized, on the ball, and I've no doubt she'll keep me on track. Who is this genea-buddy goal goddess? She's Kim Von Aspern-Parker from the Le Maison Duchamp blog. She's already a week ahead of me. But? Duh. She's my Genea-Buddy Goal Goddess. She's right where she should be. We'll be working hard to keep each other on track throughout the year. That's right. I'm going to work real hard to make sure she stays a week ahead of me. ;)





Now for my goals for 2012.

On 4YourFamilyStory Blog

• Blog 5 posts a week [Mon-Fri] on 4YourFamilyStory.com, with some being video posts when appropriate.
• Add tutorials to the blog postings where appropriate.
• Send out the weekly newsletter for 4YourFamilyStory.com on Friday afternoon for the weekend.
• Introduce the 48 Hour Challenge which will be a forum added to the site where readers can work together over the weekend using online resources only to solve an ephemera mystery [find the family story behind a piece of ephemera] similar to my Postcard Tweet-a-thon that I did over the holidays. Will also involve either ephemera from my personal collection and reader provided ephemera. Can you solve it in 48 hours? Each week's piece of ephemera will be introduced every Friday in a blog post.
• One Heritage craft how-to video per month.
• Consistently set-up auto-tweets for blog posts taking into consideration that readership is worldwide. Post at optimum times.
• Every Saturday, write 6 blog posts for the upcoming week, 5 for the blog and 1 for the newsletter.
• Every Sunday, analyze ads and decide which ads to place on blog and where.
• Pursue more guest blogging and product/service reviews.
• Ebook involving technology and genealogy [Idea and name of book are already fleshed out and domain is already registered for it because it's that big of an idea. It needs its own website.]
• Explore the idea of a Heritage Craft How-To ebook for holidays. [This one is pushing it, I think, but we'll see.]
• Promote blog posts and ebook(s) through social media.
  

On BloggingGenealogy.com Blog

• Launch BloggingGenealogy.com on January 31, 2012.
• Continue writing a blog post a day for the month of January so that when blog is launched, over a month's worth of posts are completely written.
• Continue writing a blog post per day to stay over one month ahead.
• As blog posts are written, expand on each concept to prepare for ebook to be published by FGS2012.
• Promote blog posts and ebook through social media.
  

Shades of the Departed In2Genealogy Column

• Research, compile, and write an article every 2 months according to set schedule.
• Promote past articles through social media on a regular basis.
  

Houston Genealogy Examiner Column

• Write 3 Examiner articles per week.
• Visit at least one local possible genealogy repository or resource per week to be featured in one article per week. This will involve video and slideshows where appropriate.
• One article per week will rotate between focusing on how readers can share their research with others, on techniques to help new researchers, and on ways to organize research.
• One article per week will focus on Clayton Library's weekly programs as well as that week's genealogical societies' events for the next week.
• Once a month will be an article showcasing genealogy research on a local family's line. This will involve video and/or slideshows where appropriate.
• Promote articles through social media.
  

Conferences:

• Rootstech 2012
• SCGS Jamboree 2012
• FGS 2012
• East Texas Historical Association's Spring 2012 Meeting in College Station, Texas
• Texas State Historical Association's 2012 Annual Meeting
• Family History Conference in Kingwood, Texas
• 2nd Annual Houston History Conference
• Angelina College Genealogy Conference in Lufkin, Texas

Genealogical Societies

• Attend & participate in the once-a-month Chaparral Genealogical Society Meetings.
• Attend & participate in the once-a-month Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society Meetings.
• Member of the following long distance societies: Johnson County Illinois Genealogical and Historical Society and the Texas State Genealogical Society.

Education

• NIGS ~ Google for the Genealogy Wise Genealogist
  
• Explore and register for 2 more courses.

*BigSigh*

It's a big list. Can I get it done? I'm gonna try. =)

~Caroline

_If You’re in a Hurry, the Quick Version

• App: How To Write Your Family History - a family history writing course tucked into an app for iPhone and the iPad.
  
• Website: The Professional Writing Academy; on Twitter, @profwritingapps, on Facebook
• Cost: $5.99
• Platform Availability: iPhone and iPad
  
• Where to Purchase: The Professional Writing Academy; iTunes / App Store
• My review: 2 Thumbs Up [Out of 2 thumbs because I only have 2 thumbs.]

If You’re Not in a Hurry, the 'Get a Cup of Coffee and Get Comfortable' Version
I’ve been asked a few times, “How do you write your family stories?” And I’m always at a loss as what to reply because I don’t know how to explain it. I always start with pre-writing. You know, that boring writing exercise no one wanted to do back when they were in school? Yeah. I brainstorm on paper. But before that, I think about an ancestor and their life. I try to liken them to something in modern times and try to make them real for my readers. [You see, at this point, they’re already real for me. I’ve poked around in their lives. I’ve learned some of their secrets. I’ve brought to light things my ancestors never thought in a million years would be made public knowledge. I’ve even conversed with them. But I digress.]

I definitely look for an angle, usually a humorous one. Okay. I’ll admit to adding a little sarcasm as well. [So sue me.] And there is, of course, a beginning, a middle, and an end. And I kind of tie it all together. [No, not with a ribbon. I’m speaking metaphorically.] And I definitely try to play up the aspects of the story that I think are interesting. Then I add my two cents into the mess [usually in brackets], and I try to talk about the setting and try to explain what was going on at the time. All in a conversational style like we were sitting at a local café talking about family stories over a cup of coffee [or two] and a slice of cherry pie. [And our waitress is Flo from that old T.V. show, Alice. You know the one with the tall hair who was always callin’ everyone ‘Honey’ or ‘Sweetie’ and tellin’ everyone to ‘Kiss my grits!’ when they upset her?]

See? Not very helpful, is it? I’ve never really broken my writing process down to try to explain it to others. I just do it. The creation of it starts in my head, and it keeps growing and growing and growing until my head is about to explode. And I quickly start writing ideas down ‘cause heaven knows I don’t want my head to explode. [I’d just have to clean it up.] Then as I write down the ideas, a story starts to emerge. No, not like a phoenix arising from the ashes. Nothing grand like that. But more like a lost and beaten up soul tripping its way through the murky forest and finally stumbling out of the fog and into the blinding light.

And this is why I’d never suggest to someone who was trying to develop a writing process that they follow mine. However, it looks like I don’t have to worry about trying to explain my writing process, or any writing process for that matter, because someone has already done it. And there’s an app for it as well. That’s right. A writing course tucked into an app that can be accessed with your handy dandy smartphone anywhere you and your smartphone might happen to be.

_Now, I’ve played with the How to Write Your Family History app for several weeks. [And you thought all I was doing was making heritage craft videos over the holidays and messing around on Twitter. *snort*] I wanted to actually take the course, run it through its paces, and compare it to my writing process.

And I’m very pleased with the outcome.  Developed by The Professional Writing Academy from the UK, the How to Write Your Family History app is cleverly designed to help the family history researcher learn to write their family history as well as publish it. The course takes you step-by-step through a very sound writing process.  As family researchers sometimes we get bogged down in the amount of research we have, and we simply do not know where or how to begin the task of writing. We want our family history to be recorded in an interesting way ~ more than just a ‘who begat who’ tome that no one but the geekiest of genealogy descendants will read, but how do you accomplish this?

Well, with this app, you begin at the beginning. There are 8 main sections of the course:

• Getting Started
• Planning Your Story
• Developing Your Story
• Further Research
• Formatting Your Story
• Get Writing
• Editing Your Work
• Publishing

They are further broken down into bite-sized steps with information that will guide you to your goal of writing your family history. For example, in the ‘Getting Started’ section, there’s an overview of this step that includes links, or prompts, to more information and activities that work to further your understanding of the step or concept.  The links in the ‘Getting Started’ section include thinking about what or who you want to focus on in your writing; gathering and analyzing your information and research; identifying further research to be done; and organization of all your research material.

After every concept is discussed in every section, a ‘Learning Checklist’ is provided so you can evaluate if you are ready to go to the next concept or section. With each point in the checklist, if you are not sure or ready to go on, there are ‘Questions to Ask Yourself’ in order to give you additional information to prepare you for the next section.

Additionally, throughout the app you have the ability to take notes, bookmark, consult the additional reading recommendations, and track your progress through a ‘Course Map’, or outline.

_My Impressions
This app is definitely for beginner to intermediate family history writers. In app form, the course is convenient for those who are on the go, but who still have made it a goal to write about their family history in story form. Moreover, it does discuss and help the user to explore the different ways to publish their writing in all its forms. Compared to taking a writing course at a community college or compared to buying numerous books on the subject of writing one’s family history in all its different forms, it is quite affordable at $5.99.

At first glance one might feel some sections could be strengthened with more information. However, as I glance at my large stack of books that fall within the genre of ‘how-to write your family history’ sitting on my bookshelves, I’m not sure if this really is a con in that more information does not necessarily translate into writing. At some point, the writer must make the jump and begin writing, and it’s my opinion this app gives the complete information and suggestions that are needed to learn the writing process and to complete the writing process, and does it in such a way so that it does not intimidate beginners.

Further, it has thought-provoking prompts that would be helpful for the intermediate family history writer to brush-up on their skills and tweak their writing process. I especially enjoyed and appreciated the lists of further reading for the different types of sub-genres of family history.  I have always advocated that reading in the genre in which you wish to write is imperative to becoming a better writer. It’s what I like to call the ‘what goes in, comes out’ reading-writing phenomenon [which obviously needs a better title].

This app does what it advertises by teaching the user to write their family history and publish it in the myriad of forms that exist to publish such a history, and I will be incorporating certain aspects of the course into my writing process so that my writing resembles less a lost stumbling blind soul and more a phoenix rising from the ashes. [A flying family story sounds more fun than one that stumbles. Does it not?]

Additionally, I highly recommend visiting The Professional Writing Academy website. Along with this app, they offer online writing courses for all genres, mentoring, and support for those writers of all levels who would like their writing to not only fly, but soar.

_Recap

• App: How To Write Your Family History
• Internet: The Professional Writing Academy; on Twitter, @profwritingapps, on Facebook
• Cost: $5.99
• Platform Availability: iPhone and iPad
  
• Where to Purchase: The Professional Writing Academy; iTunes / App Store
• My review: 2 Thumbs Up  [Out of 2 thumbs because I only have 2 thumbs.]

~Caroline

Have a genealogy-related app, family history-related app, or an app that can be used for genealogy or family history research in some capacity and need it reviewed? Please contact me.

Disclosure Note: I am not affiliated with The Professional Writing Academy. I was contacted by them to review the app and I received a complimentary copy of the app from them for me to review and keep. However, as always, my opinions based on my use of the app are just that. My opinions based on my use of the app. For more disclosure information please visit my disclosure page.