Thursday, January 18, 2018

Hopeful Genealogy Plan for 2018

Planning is good. Putting it in writing is good. Following through.. Ah, well, that is often another story. I think many of us have had this problem. Elizabeth's Blog Party for January is a great chance to think about and outline a plan for genealogy research and person growth for 2018. Thanks, Elizabeth.

A list of great possibilities is on the opening site page. You can see the list by clicking the link above. I was surprised at how many suggestions matched some fleeting thoughts I already had! This was a great way narrow down and create my own list of priorities for 2018. One Brick Wall had been solved right after the New Year (more on that at a later date)  so that was a greater impetus to do some serious new planning. My goals include continuing some things I began 2017 but there are a few new ones I really need to pay attention to and settle down and get some real work done.




Here we go. Hope you will be following along this year to see how well I do.A little encouragement is helpful. The *headings are some of the suggested topics from the Blog Party.

*Take a class.  A formal class is probably not in my future. Ahh, but my webinars are. I LOVE WEBINARS.  For the last few years I have been attending Family Tree Webinars. I cannot recommend them enough. They are free to watch. They remain online free for several days. If you join you can see any on the list at any time. That is helpful if you have to miss or want to watch again later on. Great speakers, great topics and great information. There are so many different topics. Some topics build on previous which is helpful. One area where that is true is DNA, which takes me to the next area.

*Learn About DNA I have at 23 and Me, Family Tree and now am doing Ancestry. I have received many emails
and followed through and checked....... none. I have purchased three of the DNA guides from Genealogy Gems Publications and have skimmed them only. That is about to change. DNA is on the list for REAL focus this year. I will be looking for webinars on that area. I am attending two conferences this year. Sessions on DNA will be high on my selection list.

*Attend a seminar or conference  I have already signed up for the National Genealogical Society 2018 Family Historical Conference. It is being held in Grand Rapids, MI in May.  In August, the FGS
 Conference is being held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, home to the Allen County Library that is well known for its genealogy collection.

We all share some areas that are just a part of working on Family Genealogy. Using Ben Sayer's Organizational Method keeps me busy but also makes me feel like there is progress happening. Maybe someday it will all be in place. No idea how it will be until 'someday' arrives. Ever have that feeling?

I am hoping that I will be able to keep up DrGranma'sWorld on more regular basis this year. It looks like I will have a lot to write about.Continuing participation in the Blog Party and the 52Ancestors Project will make sure of that. If you are on Twitter try the hashtag #52Ancestors and see what other folks write about. Each week there is a suggested topic that triggers a bit more research as you write.

So there you have it. A one year plan that should definitely not take more than five years!!

2 comments:

Linda Stufflebean said...

Your list is somewhat similar to mine with a focus on conferences. I'd love to go to FGS or NGS, but they aren't on the list this year. I am attending RootsTech and SCGS Jamboree, though. Enjoy your conferences and hope you learn a lot.

Sandra Williamson said...

All sounds good. DNA is one of my big challenges as well, not on the list this year but I am collecting samples from older relatives (with their permission) and I hope in the future to do more work with DNA. I've joined 52Ancestors as well. Goodluck with everything.