One of the many new wonders I have discovered since entering the world of genea-blogging is the Carnival of Genealogy which is a collection of blog posts around a designated theme.
I've decided to jump on the carousel this month and describe my three technology picks. Carnival hostess, Jasia, asks: "What technology do you most rely on for your genealogy and family history research? Select one piece of hardware (besides your computer), one piece of software (besides your internet browser), and one web site/blog (besides your own) that are indispensable to you. Resist the urge to dilute the impact of your 3 choices by mentioning several others you use and appreciate as well."
So here goes...
Hardware: I consider myself moderately techno-savvy but gadgets and toys didn't really interest me until the iPhone . It is literally with me 24/7. I'm just beginning to tap into its genealogical potential by downloading and listening to a variety of podcasts. I'm especially enjoying the old Irish songs at Mike O’Laughlin's Irish Roots Cafe.
Software: I've been using Reunion for Macintosh by Leister Productions, Inc. since 1990 when I had my Mac SE with its 20 MB hard drive. I upgrade to every new version, now up to 9.06. It has grown into an amazing program, always keeping up with the technological advances of the Mac OS. There is plenty of support at ReunionTalk, an online community of users.
Web site: One of my favorite "sharing" sites is findagrave.com, which grew out of founder Jim Tipton's love of visiting the graves of famous people.
The site is a collection of memorials (now over 21 million), arranged by cemetery, which include biographical information, photographs and even "flowers" for the "gravesite." I especially like the way that you can create virtual cemeteries and link family members together, even though they may be buried in different places. In the seven years since joining the site, I've been involved in many collaborations with volunteers from all over the country. Please take a look at my memorial for my ggg-grandfather, William Hainey BRIGGS. You can leave flowers if you want.
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29 February 2008
43rd Carnival of Genealogy - Technology
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Carnival of Genealogy,
Find A Grave,
Jasia
7 comments:
Kathryn,
I'm glad I stopped by. It's been a while since I visited the Find A Grave site but it has challenged me. I have so many pictures of tombstones from all over and I would love to upload them to this site for others to be able to enjoy.
Thanks for the great read!
Ken
Kathryn:
I have iPhone envy! I have an iTouch, but no iPhone (Verizon user). I'm always glad to see another Mac user attend the Carnival.
I absolutely love Reunion -- it is so intuitive.
fM
Enjoyed your post. I'm glad to meet another Mac user and Reunion fan!
Ken,
Thanks for looking in. Find a Grave makes it very to easy to add the photos; it's a bit more work if you have to add the memorials as well. I tend to work on one cemetery at a time - that way you can batch enter them. I'm sure others will appreciate your efforts.
Kathryn
fM and marj44,
It's so nice to meet new Reunion users. We are a smug lot, aren't we? I've only recently upgraded to 9 so I'm still learning the bells and whistles. Thanks for stopping by!
Kathryn
Kathryn,
I'm glad you brought mentioned "Find-A-Grave." It really is a remarkable web site and your post reminded me that I should post a few tombstones there!
Thanks for the fine article.
Janice
Blog: Cow Hampshire
Janice,
Thanks for your kinds words. I must admit that I joined findagrave years ago, posted one memorial and didn't add anything else for years. When I finally made it back there I started finding so many answers to my family research questions that I became hooked and an active, though sporadic, contributor. Glad to have inspired you to post something!
Kathryn
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