Alan
E. Mann, AG
alan.familyhistory@gmail.com Accredited
Genealogist
BYU 2007 Computerized Genealogy conference www.alanmann.com/articles
What’s New in Family History
on the Internet
This
session looks at some new things on the Internet. There are so many new web
sites we can’t possible begin to look at even 1% of what’s new. Rather, I would
like to show you several new data sites, demonstrate some new technologies or concepts, examine some new products or services, and give you a
few hints on how to keep find more of the same on your own.
New Data Sites
Footnote.com
has entered an agreement with the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) to make digital images available for millions of records. The first
collections are now available. This service is on a subscription basis
($9.95/mo or $99.95/yr). Free memberships allow you to upload your own images
and view limited records, including the Pennsylvania Archives.
GenealogyBank from NewsBank is a major newcomer in genealogy
subscription web sites. This site has lots of newspapers, digitized books, and
historical documents. For a better description of their content, see www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/keyword.html.
WorldVitalRecords is another newcomer in genealogical subscription
web sites. One interesting feature is GeoMapping,
which has been applied to Social Security Death Index data and several other
databases on their site. From SmallTownPapers to
Genealogy Blog Planet, they have some unique offerings. The company is
aggressively acquiring new databases, and has a valuable offering at a
reasonable price. Take a look at www.worldvitalrecords.com/contentlisting.aspx.
HistoryKat (also familytoolbox.net, sources2go.com, and genealogytoolbox.com)
have a variety of sources. Most notable unique content is various state census
records for
Tutorials
continue to be a popular way of sharing instructions. One new tutorial is http://census.byu.edu/.
Some
sites that are new, at least to me, are lists of various record types available
on the Internet. Take a look at www.deathindexes.com and a site well
worth exploring at http://home.att.net/%7Ewee-monster/databases.html.
New Technology or Concepts
I’ve
been encourage participation in blogging and podcasting long enough not to refer to it as a new
technology. For those interested, check out NetVibes
for blog tracking and iTunes for podcast
tracking. More on this subject appears in my New Technology presentation
(online at www.alanmann.com/articles/newtech.htm).
Calendar
synchronization (www.timetomeet.info) - TimeToMeet
gives you a personal URL that others can use to make appointments with you. For
them, it's like calling up your secretary and asking for a spot on your
schedule. If you want, you can link it with your synchronized calendar and let
others see when you are free or busy.
Shareable
clipboard (www.cl1p.net)
– most of us are familiar with copy and paste. Now, use the Internet to copy
and paste between computers. Copy something to the clipboard, paste it to a
URL, and then retrieve it from any computer. This could also be useful for
teaching in computer labs or trying to help someone over the phone.
The
world’s pedigree online is certainly not a new concept, but has yet to be
successfully implemented. Several efforts are underway (One World Tree by
Ancestry, OneGreatFamily, new FamilySearch, www.zooof.com,
www.geni.com,
etc.) which are worth keeping an eye on. A different approach is taken by GenesReunited, which seems to be ahead of the competition
in the area of fostering collaboration. If you have British ancestry, check out
www.genesreunited.com.
Timelines
are a vital tool for genealogical research. GeneLines
is a program which tries to implement the idea, but which requires software.
Legacy and most other genealogical database programs are now including some
form of timelines in their software. However, timelines are probably something
better suited to a web service. For example, see www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/kings_queens/index.shtml.
Timelines can benefit us by displaying in context:
- Genealogical events and associated records for
an individual
- Genealogical events and associated records for
an individual's family (parents, siblings, spouse, children)
- Modern day and historic maps showing the
geographic locations of these events (think Google Earth or Google Maps)
- Historical events that would have impacted
people in that place and time
- Historical events that might not have impacted
the person but which have impacted their ancestors
- Historical texture (fashion, sports,
transportation, entertainment, etc.) throughout the ancestor's life
New Products and Services
I’ve
often mentioned automatic backup services, and I’ve tried to use several. One
of my long time favorites, Mozy, has introduced
unlimited size backup service for a fee of only $4.95/mo. Alternatively,
you get 2 gb (+256 mb if
you use this link - https://mozy.com/?ref=6H24GG).
Zamzar is a service for online file conversion (from your files or from a web
site). Convert older formats to newer ones or convert large image files to
compressed images for uploading or emailing. For their impressive list of file types
handled, see www.zamzar.com/conversionTypes.php.
OnDemand Books. I’ve previously talked
about Lulu.com as a publishing alternative, but now another phenomenon is ready
to debut - the Expresso book dispenser. Check it out
at www.ondemandbooks.com
(4 minute video on site).
Speaking
of books, how about www.libraryireland.com? This service makes
Irish books available online. You can search or browse the catalog of books,
and search or read the books themselves. This free service has many good Irish
reference works, including Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.
Check
out the experimental life browser at www.familysearchlabs.org/lifebrowser.
Google
has made it possible for those wanting to try a little programming to design customized
Google searches. For a few examples of such searches, see:
·
Louis Kessler Behold GEDCOM search www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=003272412690902578152:w4zkyxikgvi
·
Genealogy Search Engine - www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=016788498868153188874%3Ahdis5clq-wo
·
Genealogy Blog Finder - www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=008603050331564176105:yaixtxoe8z0
·
Genealogy Search - www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=008603050331564176105%3A4jqxeigfu_k
·
Family Matters Search Engine – www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=007395176570678229864%3Aic_yipahyl4
·
Thrall Local History & Genealogy Guide Search - www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=003429394268644649346%3A-bctpapjdnu
·
UTGenWeb - counties - www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=003987159868624404791:_r0z_sdof4o
How to Find More Web Sites
on Your Own
There
are thousands more such sites on the internet. It would be impossible to list
them all here. Even if I could list them all, there would be more that weren’t
listed by tomorrow! So how can you find more? There’s a lot you can do to be
aware of developing technology. I would suggest:
·
Read online newsletters, chiefly Dick Eastman’s newsletter (www.eogen.com).
See www.cyndislist.com/magazine.htm#E-zines for
a list of many others.
·
Participate in or read Genealogy Blogs (http://genealogyblog.com,
www.genhelp.org,
http://genealogysites.blogspot.com,
www.dearmyrtle.com,
www.randomgenealogy.com,
http://genealogy.about.com,
or others).
· Subscribe to blogs, podcasts, and searches via RSS (see www.rssgenealogy.com, or The Bluster about Blogging
).·
Review
Wikis (www.eogen.com, www.familysearchwiki.org) and similar items.
·
Attend
conferences & institutes like this one. Check both speakers and vendors.
·
Use
search tools and directories, such as
o Linkpendium (www.linkpendium.com)
o
Search
Systems (www.searchsystems.net)
o Genealogy Sleuth (www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htm)
o Cyndi’s List (www.cyndislist.com/primary.htm#Online)
