How are you saving your family’s history?
Do you use a genealogy program like Family Tree Maker to collect information about your ancestors? Or, maybe you prefer one of the online networking sites like We Relate, where you plug in information for others to see and share.
Heaven knows there are many options to choose from today and there will be even more tomorrow. While researching, saving and sharing family information may be easier than ever in this digital age, just getting to the point of productivity often means navigating a confusing minefield of ways to accomplish our goals.
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest tools that are dangled before us. Most are easy enough to use and the cost is usually right, often free. But, just as you get familiar with one, another comes along to entice us down another path.
It doesn’t need to be that way. The only requirement for saving one’s family history is a desire to do so, moderate research and organizational skills and a means for saving what we learn. A pencil and paper works quite well when combined with an inquisitive mind and a persistent attitude. Wouldn’t you be satisfied if your ancestors had saved their stories for you in just that way?
I have learned in my work as a personal historian that what most people need more than the latest genealogical or historical widget is someone to give them appropriate tools and steady encouragement while directing them to an uncluttered path that will take them toward their own goals.
Writing tip for the day: Review your own personal history plan. Is it clearly designed to achieve a specific goal, or have you been sidetracked by technology (or anything else)?
Do you use a genealogy program like Family Tree Maker to collect information about your ancestors? Or, maybe you prefer one of the online networking sites like We Relate, where you plug in information for others to see and share.
Heaven knows there are many options to choose from today and there will be even more tomorrow. While researching, saving and sharing family information may be easier than ever in this digital age, just getting to the point of productivity often means navigating a confusing minefield of ways to accomplish our goals.
It’s easy to be seduced by the latest tools that are dangled before us. Most are easy enough to use and the cost is usually right, often free. But, just as you get familiar with one, another comes along to entice us down another path.
It doesn’t need to be that way. The only requirement for saving one’s family history is a desire to do so, moderate research and organizational skills and a means for saving what we learn. A pencil and paper works quite well when combined with an inquisitive mind and a persistent attitude. Wouldn’t you be satisfied if your ancestors had saved their stories for you in just that way?
I have learned in my work as a personal historian that what most people need more than the latest genealogical or historical widget is someone to give them appropriate tools and steady encouragement while directing them to an uncluttered path that will take them toward their own goals.
Writing tip for the day: Review your own personal history plan. Is it clearly designed to achieve a specific goal, or have you been sidetracked by technology (or anything else)?
Larry Lehmer is a professional personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.
Flickr photo courtesy ofkurtthomashunt.
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