It's not always about facts. And It's not always about 'only online' or 'only offline'.

Really, it's not. Usually after visiting with a relative {and 'visiting with' is code for 'interviewing' in my book and the visiting could be Skyping or a letter written longhand.}, genealogy and family history research can be about what was remembered, said, and ~ at times ~ what was felt.

For instance, when I first started researching, it was what I remembered my Dad telling me about his Dad, Big Paw Paw. Things he remembered his Dad telling him. Things he remembered 'feeling' at the time. Things he remembered knowing, or observing, at the time.

All far from being facts. And closer to being clues. And all very, very important to finding the facts about Big Paw Paw and his origins.

His name was Joseph Marshall.


He was born 17 Jun 1896 and raised in Galveston, Texas.


He died in 1968 in San Antonio, Texas.


He was a fisherman at one time in Galveston


I think he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.


And I think because of that I was raised a Methodist.


He owned a lumberyard.


He had a mistress. I found out about her after his death.

Those recollections of his that he shared with me have led me to countless visits to the courthouse {The Bexar County Courthouse knows me almost as well as they knew my Big Paw Paw. *snort*}; have led me to the original spelling of my maiden name; have led me to property disputes; have led me to family disputes; have led me to the first German Catholic church in Texas where Big Paw Paw and his siblings had been baptized; have led me to a lot where the family farm once was on Galveston Island before it was lost during the Storm of 1900; have led me to Gorszewice, Posen, Prussia; have led me to cousins {some of which still live in the Galveston area and they found me through my personal family history blog}; have led me to 3 wives of his before my grandmother, their divorces, and their resulting stories; have led me to the fact that my grandmother had been one of his previous mistresses; and have led me to his will with a cliffhanger that involved his last mistress who's still alive. {And by then I really wasn't surprised by the drama he'd left behind.} 

Really? My Dad's recollections had me all over the place online and offline seeking Big Paw Paw's story...my Dad's story...my story...my children's story.

So, yeah. The facts are important. And technology can be key in some instances.

But so are the rumors, innuendo, and remembrances.

And it does take both online and offline work to dig up all those buried details that start as clues, but ~ with a little research coaxing ~ can reveal facts.

~Caroline

Kenneth R. Marks [TheAncestorHunt.com] and I have started a Scanning Facebook Group called Sunday ScanDay just for beginner and intermediate hobbyists who 'meet' virtually every Sunday at 3pm CT [4pm ET / 2pm MT / 1PM PT] for 1 hour in order to scan photos, documents, etc. A kind of a scanning support group, if you will.

Because scanning tends to be a boring task, it tends to get pushed down on the to-do list, and many times it never gets done. So the Sunday ScanDay group was formed to give folks who are scanning something a little more to do while getting some scanning done. 

What do we 'talk' about while scanning? Anything and everything. This group is closed and meant to serve beginner and intermediate hobbyists. Bring your scanning questions without wondering if it's a 'stupid' question because there are no 'stupid' questions in this group of beginners and hobbyists. 

Want to talk about something else off-topic? Great! Talk about football [or another sport]. Talk about whatever you want. We're a social bunch.

And? Each week you're welcome to share [upload] your favorite photo, document, or heirloom with the group in the group's photo album, or give a shout out to the group to let fellow group members know how many things you were able to scan that week.

When we're not scanning on Sundays, feel free to ask questions about scanning at any time. Again, there are no 'stupid' questions in this group. Sunday ScanDay is a scanning support group and is labeled as a Safe Zone. We are all working together to get our 'stuff' scanned, and to have some fun while doing it.

Also, if there's a need, we'll setup another official scanning day and time for those who work on the weekends and can't join the group on Sundays. [Sunday ScanDay on Mondays, perhaps.]

We all know it's always easier to do something with others supporting you and doing it with you. While you don't have to 'show up' every Sunday, at least you know we'll be here when you can join us. 

Once-a-week for one hour with other folks who are scanning. Easy peasy.

Professionals, please note: This group is intended to serve beginners and intermediate hobbyists. If you are a genealogy professional, this group is not intended to serve you. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Come join us in the Sunday ScanDay Facebook Group today! The first scanning session [Okay, get-together] is Sunday, 25 Nov 2012, at 3PM CT [4pm ET / 2pm MT / 1PM PT] for 1 hour.



~Caroline

I really, really had to trim this list down. There's a lot of great technological tools out there that we, as family history researchers, can certainly use in some pretty helpful ways to help us find our ancestors.

Which makes me think...
I wonder what our ancestors would think about us clamoring to use all this new found techy stuff to find out more about them? Certainly some would be surprised. Most would probably be puzzled. They might think, "What's so special about me that you'd spend gobs of time and money to find out all my secrets?"

And then some of us who have been researching for even a short while might snort or perhaps even laugh out loud [or both if you're like me] as we think of all the stories and secrets we've uncovered in this crazy journey we've been on and that we are still on.

And, if we could, we'd reply back to them, perhaps underneath our breath, "Oh, trust me my dear ancestor, you and your secrets are well worth it."

Speaking of secrets, today's 7 Gen-Tech Links are brought to you by my Big Paw Paw, who happened to have a lot of secrets.

1. Just released yesterday [15 Nov 2012], the CopyTranslate app, developed by ABBYY, sounds pretty handy. Amongst some helpful features, full text translation while never leaving whatever app you're in stands out as its distinguishing feature. Plus you can listen to and read the translation. I'll be playing with and reviewing this app to run it through its paces to see how helpful this could be for family history researchers who have language translation to be done in their research. But? Check it out in the iTunes store. It's only .99.
   
2. Need help with all your lists and tasks? The Todo Checklist app for iOS might be able to help you out. It boasts alarms, editable notes, sharing your lists offline, and much more. So if you're looking for an iOS app to help you keep track of all those to-do lists for your ancestors, then check this one out. Oh, did I mention it's FREE? [One of my favorite words.] 
3. Seeing As You're Already Taking Photos With Your iPad, You Might As Well Use Blux Camera by Aldrin Calimlim from appadvice.com ~ I use the iPhone version, and I've been really happy with the results. It's like having a photography assistant by your side. And I've been so busy lately, and any assistance is appreciated. Check out Aldrin's review and see if it might be something you can use on your iPad.
4. Tag Faces, Eliminate Red-Eye And Do Much More With Adobe Photoshop Express by Aldrin Calimlim from appadvice.com ~ Need an app to help you tag faces before uploading on Facebook, after you've added some pretty cool filters to it? This recently updated Adobe Photoshop Express app can help you out with that thankyouverymuch. I've been using this app for a while and it's pretty remarkable the features it already had packed into it, but now? Wow. Check out Aldrin's review for all the new updates to it. 
5. SkyDrive Gets Selective Sync, Easier Sharing by Chloe Albanesius from pcmag.com ~ These are some nice features that Microsoft has added to SkyDrive. Now you can pick which files to sync. Definitely check out Chloe's article which details everything you need to know about this update.
6. The Smarter Stand Is Now Shipping For The iPad, iPad mini by Bryan M. Wolfe from appadvice.com ~ Got an iPad Mini or an iPad? You need this. It's brilliant. And on sale now.
7. Okay, my fellow OneNote users, if you've been using the iOS OneNote app on your iPad, you've probably noticed how lacking it is in features. So, you're gonna like the Outline+ app. It adds some pretty rockin' features to your OneNote iPad experience. Basically, what's missing before in the OneNote app is now found in the Outline+ app. I kid you not. It has read and write compatibility with OneNote 2010 on your PC. This newest update includes being able to take notes or draw with your finger or a stylus. Check out all of the Outline+ app's features as well as screenshots in the iTunes store. And check out their video below:

Happy Researching!
~Caroline

There's online storage and then there's online storage.

Confusing? Not really.

I remember when I used to work for my Dad we used to back up every day's business activities on the IBM AS400 - for all the departments [Accounting/Sales/Service/Parts]. We had a nice backup system to tape. And we had a daily set of tapes that were rotated, a monthly backup tape after the books were closed for end of month, and then a yearly backup tape for end of year after the books were closed for the previous year.

Nowadays most businesses of what the size of my father's business had been would probably contract with a 3rd party online backup storage company because the technology has developed enough so that the service is more affordable and more secure. The company would be backing up to the 'cloud'.

In fact the technology nowadays is so much more affordable that it can be offered to not only businesses, but to individuals as well.

And there are some slightly different services out there as well that fall under the 'cloud storage' analogy.

One is what I blogged about before: online file storage services like Dropbox, Box, and SugarSync. Basically, through these services you can sync designated files [in some slightly different ways] on your desktop or laptop to the online storage service and then with any mobile devices where you've downloaded the appropriate app. 

This way you can access certain files on your mobile devices, and that makes life easier for the researcher-on-the-go. An a la carte service, if you will. Also, these services have different collaboration feature sets which can also be handy for researchers. [You know, if they're collaborating with one another on photos or documents.]

Another type of online storage that's available for the individual is online backup storage, and this is more akin to what is offered to businesses. In this model, all computer files are backed up by an online backup service automatically for a fee, which is kind of nice because you don't have to think about it.

Now, in looking at the fees of the first type of service - online file storage syncing, you'd think the prices of online backup storage would be exorbitant, but they are not.

Personally, I have a syncing and backup hybrid plan that is slightly paranoid-esque, but I sleep better at night knowing that no matter what happens, I've got all my important files backed up and accessible.

My syncing and backup plan:

• Certain files synced through SkyDrive and Box - Business-related files and personal files that I might need on the go when I'm away from my office or from my laptop.
  
• Daily backup of my laptop [my main computer] to a 1TB Portable External Hard Drive [EHD].
• I've recently chosen to use Backblaze, on online backup service, to automatically backup my laptop files. [I recently did my research, and this is the one  I chose that  I felt was right for me and my situation.]

Is this the right plan for you? 
I dunno. That's something you'll need to decide. I run a small business in addition to doing genealogy and family history research personally. Therefore, I decided to do the offsite and double backup of my laptop for added protection. [I've received the dreaded blue screen twice on my laptop and both times I was able to restore to an earlier backup from my EHD. But I got to thinking one day that if something had happened to my EHD, I'd be outta luck. Hence, the added protection of my personal files as well as my business files. Plus? It fit into my budget. So why not?]

Online Backup Services
So what are some of these companies that do an online backup of your hard drive and any connected external hard drive? [That's right. My backups are backed up.] Here are 3 I'd like you to take a look at if you're interested in an online backup service. However, I'm not listing their features and benefits. I want you to click on the links and do your own research and make your own choices. And? These three links are not affiliate links. They're just links to their websites. Period.

• Carbonite
• Mozy
• Backblaze

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Backblaze [affiliate link]. However, I strongly encourage you to research all the companies to the best of your ability and choose the service that is right for you. If you decide to go with Backblaze [affiliate link] and you click on a link or an image with a link and purchase their services, I receive a small referral commission that would pay for a fancy schmancy coffee. But? I really think you should pick the right service for you and your backup needs. You may even find that you're happy with an external hard drive backing up your computer files, and that's excellent.

Having said that, I'd like to share a video about Backblaze's company. It gives you a sense of the company, the CEO, and what they do to secure your computer's files. Hark! You will be getting a behind the scenes look into the cloud. [And ohmigosh! These clouds are actually a bunch of red metal boxes that store servers that are all virtually connected to each other. Fancy that. ;) ]

And?
Basically, my advice is that you have some type of backup plan for all those names, dates, family stories, secrets, old photos, and documents. Because they're that important. It doesn't matter which one you choose [Don't worry. I have coffee.], what matters is that you come up with a plan and service [if that's what you choose] that's right for you.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline

Here are this week's 7 Gen-Tech Links to help you out with your research efforts. Why just 7? 

Because as a researcher, you'd like to actually do some research, right? [Novel idea, eh?] Or maybe you'd like to do some writing or blogging about your research and the stories you've found.

I mean, sure, you like the new tech tools, but you love to research and find all those ancestors and their silly stories, right?

So. I've decided to bring you just 7 links to tech tools once a week [plus the 3 bonus Gen-Tech links in the Genea-Tech Newsletter]. By cutting the links down, you'll be getting a more meaningful and curated list [And might I add that this is a hand-curated list just for family history researchers?] of some really helpful tools that you can review, select, and put to use over the weekend or whenever the next scheduled research time that you have is.

Because success in researching is not really about finding tech tools. Trust me, there's lots of them. It's about finding the best ones for you and your research style. And then putting them to good use to find those ancestors and their stories.

It's about execution of your research and writing.

Speaking of execution, here's this week's 7 Gen-Tech Links:

1. Voice Recorder HD 6.2 Featured With Trimming And More Playback Controls by Barbh from appcraver.com ~ The holidays are fast approaching. You're about to be rubbing elbows with family members which is a perfect time to capture family stories. But how are you going to do that? [With their permission, of course.] Here's an app that might be able to help you out. Read Barb's review of it.
   
2. Livehistory App for iPad by AlgoCoil ~ This is an interesting app that I haven't been able to play with yet. Developed by AlgoCoil, it boasts GEDCOM import, a Time-Slider for viewing events on a certain date for a particular person in your tree, looking at household information [like when someone enters or leaves a household], importation of photos from your iPad photo library or camera, and more.
3. Irish Homeland Photography ~ Have Irish ancestors? Have you narrowed down where they lived in Ireland, but have yet to make it back to the ancestral homeland? Well, you might like this idea for yourself or perhaps as a gift for a loved one for the holidays. Ryan O'Rourke, an American photographer with Irish ancestry who has moved to Ireland, offers his photography services with scenes from Ireland commissioned by you. I'm just gonna say right now that if you showed up for the holidays with a gift like this, you're totally gonna wow your loved ones. You know, if you & they have Irish ancestry. It's a neat idea for a gift, I think, so check out Ryan's site. I especially like his story. [But I'm a sucker for a good family story. ;) ]
4. The Best Camera Is The One You Have With You (Mobile Photography TIPS) by Michael Toye from digital-photography-school.com ~ With more and more folks getting and using smartphones, more and more folks have cameras on them all the time. Thus making the smartphone is a very handy tool for the family history researcher. In this article, Michael goes over some basics of taking good photos with your smartphone.
5. PhotoCircle is Private Photo Sharing at its Best by Greg Dawson on appcraver.com ~ Speaking of photos, do really like to share all your family photos with the world? Some of y'all are probably not going to believe me, but I don't. Greg does a great review of PhotoCircle, a private photo sharing app. You know, so you share your family photos with just your inner circle. Additionally, you can make multiple circles, or groups. I would also venture to say [because I haven't used it yet] that one could use this for old photo collaboration with relatives because it has commenting features for each photo. So. quite literally, you could snap a photo of an old photo with your iPhone [or 'scan' it into your iPhone although there are better ways to scan photos for long term archiving] and then share it with family members or other researchers who are helping you to identify old family photos. Worth a look and try, no?
6. Scapple Is Way to Get Messy Ideas Down Quickly by Thorin Klosowski on lifehacker.com ~ My name is Caroline and I am a messy researcher and writer. No, seriously, I am. However messy I am, though, doesn't necessarily mean I'm unorganized. It's just that I have artist tendencies.  I 'see' what I want to write or research. I guess you could say that I attack writing and research projects in an artistic way. In an odd way, I tend to draw out ideas and usually a dry erase board is my best friend. But I'm a techie kind of person, so that's why this app, Scapple, caught my attention. I'm not a Mac owner, but Scapple, now free while in Beta, allows the user to just 'dump' ideas down as quickly as you can in a free-form kind of way. So take a look at Thorin's review of it to see if you could use it for researching and writing.
7. Great local search apps for iOS by Jason Parker from cnet.com ~ Many family history researchers find themselves researching in towns and cities they've never been to before, and don't know where the local restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, etc. are located. In this article, Jason puts together a great list of iOS [iPad, iPod, and/or iPad] apps that you can use to search local areas where you might be researching. Very handy tool, no?

If you enjoyed this week's list of Genealogy-Technology Links, I invite you to sign up below for the free Genea-Tech Newsletter where you'll receive a round-up of blog posts, 3 additional Gen-Tech Links, occasional special promotions, and an exclusive article with helpful info for family history researchers.

Happy Researching!
~Caroline

Video is a great way for researchers like us to share our research with our loved ones without boring them to tears. People enjoy a visual show and many times the video format forces us to scale the information down, which in turn makes it enjoyable for our loved ones.

And? It keeps them interested and may get them to start asking questions or sharing stories.

So I've compiled a list of 6 video/slideshow apps that can be used to make short videos on your smartphone or, in some cases, your tablet. A perfect idea to do before the holidays so if you get the chance you can take out your smartphone or tablet and share some stories in video format, and maybe, just maybe, you might get some information or stories shared with you. [Stranger things have happened.]

1. ProShow Web Creates Slideshows Quick and Slick from any iOS Device by Barbara Holbrook from Appcraver.com ~ This is a link to Barbara's review of this app. I haven't used it yet, but it looks promising. So check it out.
   
2. Animoto ~ App for iOS & Android with free and premium features. I've played with it, but it's not my favorite, but that's just me. You might like it.
   
3. Videolicious ~ App for iOS devices with free and premium service. The free service only allows 1 minute videos, but it's SO easy to use. Here's a link to a video that I created using Videolicious [free version]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCaw3StdTSU&feature=share&list=ULRCaw3StdTSU 
   
4. Silent Film Director ~ This app is for for iPhone only and comes in free and Pro versions. This is a fun one to use. What I like about it is the amount of control you have over the editing process and there's no limit to video length. [Bonus!] I purchased the Pro version for $1.99, and here's a link to a video I created using Silent Film Director: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSzCfNmRWSU&feature=share&list=ULwSzCfNmRWSU
5. iPhoneSlideshow ~ for iOS is available in the App Store for $1.99 for the iPhone version & $3.99 for the iPad version. I've been playing with it, but I've not created anything with it yet. [The keyword is 'yet'. =) ]. For family history researchers, it does seem to have all that you need to make a fabulous video to wow your family members. So definitely check it out.
   
6. iMovie ~ iOS [and MAC] with a $4.99 prove tag for the iOS version, it makes some very nice short videos. This was the first video app I ever tried, and I've used it several times. It's limited in its themes for the iOS version, but very easy to use. Highly recommend it. I like being able to narrate over the video and music. Here's an example of me using it to share my great-grandmother's baptismal record: 
   

So. Do you use a different smartphone or tablet video maker app for sharing family history research? Share down in comments below what you love to use and why!

Happy Researching!
~Caroline