In his latest genealogy column in March issue of The Beaver columnist Fraser Dunford identifies four, and only four, genealogical uses of the Internet. They are:
1. to look at original documents;
2. to search indexes;
3. to look at prepared genealogies;
4. and to contact others who are interested in the same families as you.
Contrast this with a list I found through Stephen Abrams blog which had a bar graph of online activities of interne
t users worldwide. They aren't specifically genealogy but most have application to genealogy. I certainly check the weather forecast online before deciding about going to genealogy meetings at this time of year.Here's a longer list specific to genealogy/family history: getting news about new resources; getting news about meetings, conferences and workshops; registering for genealogical events; online genealogy education; ordering books, magazines and other published genealogical resources; consulting library or archive catalogues; reserving a computer to consult databases at the local library; ordering certificates; discussing genealogy; viewing transcribed or abstracted material; viewing maps; finding photographs; backing up genealogical data; organizing speakers for meetings, conferences and workshops; accessing cloud resources, e.g. "Google documents"; accessing and writing blogs.
Dunford takes far too narrow a view, and in doing so misses much of the importance and potential of the internet for genealogy.
This could probably fit into several categories, but I use the Internet specifically to verify or correct place names on documents, either using Google (or other) Maps or reference databases such as Wikipedia. Of course, once I find an appropriate reference, I get other information, such as neighbouring places, history, and/or current place names.
ReplyDeleteHere’s a few more:
ReplyDelete-Collaborating with others in historical/genealogical research – privately or on public wikis or websites like Footnote
-Searching/reading digitized books, articles for e.g. at ourroots.ca; also to read digital magazines like 'Epitaphs'
-Archiving personal/family photos, bookmarks, family stories and genealogies for ‘posterity’, for backup or for use when away from home, either keeping them private or making them public
-Backing up your computer files/data (using a company like Mozy.)
-Organizing and promoting both new and established genealogical/historical groups and events, whether informal or formal, for instance, on Facebook
-Getting and giving help/tips for using genealogical programmes on blogs, websites, forums.