How do you keep up with all the new information available on the internet for genealogical research?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Liz Pidgeon on July 14, 2009 at 1:24am

I hear you Tami, I subscribe to a number of blogs and newsletters via Bloglines. I am a local and family history librarian so I need to keep up with everything. Sometimes I spend more on keeping up with whats happening than doing my own research. The Internet opens up such a range of resources, but yes, I certainly rely on journals etc too and networking.

Permalink Reply by Joseph Davis on July 15, 2009 at 5:39pm

Well, I found out about Genealogy Wise through Twitter. To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of twitter because I find it difficult to navigate through. This is actually the first social network I've joined that is specifically for genealogy research. I'm not the biggest fan of blogging either, but I hope to change this. I am incredibly new to such research, so I hope to get better at managing my time. I've been pretty one sided by only using the internet, but I will one of these days get to using my library's resources for additional help.

Permalink Reply by Amy Coffin on July 19, 2009 at 9:02am

Twitter keeps me updated on the latest news. I use Google Reader to snag the posts of my favorite genealogy bloggers. Twitter can be an enormous waste of time if you don't learn how to make it work for you. Take some time to search for your interests and you'll find its value.

I also get information outside the genealogy box. Blogs and news geared toward librarians tend to pick up on new research tools quicker than genealogy feeds. I also follow some records management, archives and business blogs as I take the steps to form my own genealogy research business.

Permalink Reply by Deb Irwin on July 21, 2009 at 11:28pm

The information highway has gotten huge with so many lanes to choose from, but I believe that once people find a network that doesn't intimidate them then they'll call it home. I remember the Sun Times and the Tribune newspapers in Chicago and how everyone there swore alligance to one or the other, but not both. We're creatures of habit and how we get our news is part of our routine - like a comfortable pair of slippers. Now instead of 1 source we have many, but the personal reasons why we like them are the same - they're comfortable and they fit well. Twitter is quick and to the point and GW is filled with choices. A lot of good things on this huge highway

Permalink Reply by William Douglas on December 9, 2009 at 6:41am

Tell me more about TheGenealogyGuys.com. I just opened up the website, and it looks like one of the advertising sites?

Permalink Reply by tami osmer glatz on December 9, 2009 at 8:06am

Hi William - I think you had the wrong address - it should be http://www.GenealogyGuys.com - two excellent genealogists (and really nice guys), George Morgan and Drew Smith (who by the way wrote the recently published book, Social Networking for Genealogists). Give them a listen, or a read - they always have something interesting to talk about.

Permalink Reply by William Douglas on December 9, 2009 at 10:21am

Ah! no 'The' then!

Thankx

Permalink Reply by Ellen Healy on September 15, 2009 at 12:35pm

I, too, read the genealogy magazines. I am a bookaholic and like the feel of the magazine in my hands. But I also subscribe to Dick Eastman's blog- I am not computer savvy, but find I can understand his explanations of mostly everything. I am on Facebook, but will not give in to tempatation and join Twitter. As you all have said, there are not enough hours in one day for all of this electronic madness! Lol!

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Fox Allen on September 16, 2009 at 1:06pm

Hello Tami,

One of the reasons that I've resisted joining Facebook is because I know that I'd spend too much time on it - time that I could be spending on research.

Since I'm a Legacy Family Tree user, I keep up with genealogy news through the home screen of the program. It always has news tidbits. I also like the GenealogyGuys podcast.

I feel like in the past I didn't keep up as well as I should, but I think that GenealogyWise has really helped with that. Come to think of it, I found out about GW through Legacy news. :-)

-Kathleen

Permalink Reply by Kurt Laidlaw on March 3, 2010 at 10:59am

To respond to your original question, I don't try. There are not enough hours in the day to keep up with all the new genealogical (or other) information floating around on the Internet. That being said, I do try to look at a few blogs like the Genealogy Guys and Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter on a regular basis. Over time I have found these to be quality sites that touch on the high points. There are some others as well, but if you try to chase them all you never have time for research. I don't twitter, and I try to limit my use of Facebook to checking on what friends are doing. Those who are addicted to FB, having to tell me every time they flush the toilet, I hide so I don't get inundated with useless information.

I'm new to GW, and I will see how long I can remain active before it becomes a bother instead of a help.