Saturday, May 21, 2016

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Genealogy Life

It's Saturday Night, 
time for more Genealogy Fun!!


For this week's mission (should you decide to accept it), I challenge you to:


1)  
Tell us about your "genealogy life."  How much genealogy and family history work do you do, on average, each week?  What tasks do you routinely perform every day, every month, every year?

2)  Share your genealogy life in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or on Facebook or google+.

Here's mine:

Overall, I spend 50 to 60 hours a week on some aspect of genealogy.  A typical day (without society, speaking, teaching, or creating presentations) consists of:

*  Reading content from over 1,400 genealogy blogs (perhaps 400 each day on average) in several sessions (today it was four sessions) using Feedly (on the website, or mobile devices).  I select some and put them in the Best of the Genea-Blogs post which I publish on Sunday.  This is about 2 hours a day.

*  Write two to four blog posts - at least one is a daily theme post ( e.g., Amanuensis Monday, Tuesday's Tip, Wordless Wednesday, Treasure Chest Thursday, 52 Ancestors Friday, Surname Saturday, SNGF, Best of the Genea-Blogs, etc.), and some are Dear Randy questions, my own research progress, testing genealogy software and websites, plus selected press releases.  This is about 2 to three hours a day.

*  Doing research - finding records using Ancestry Hints, MyHeritage Record Matches,  FamilySearch Record Hints, or searching record databases.  I enter the content and sources to my RootsMagic database.  This can be from one to four hours each day, depending on other tasks and time available.  

*  Matching my RootsMagic people to FamilySearch Family Tree people and standardizing the FSFT dates, and places several times a week.  I often find new information and try to check it out in records and add the new information to my RootsMagic databases.

*  Social media is daily on Twitter and Facebook, but only occasionally on Pinterest.  I try to limit social media to 30 minutes a day but often fail.  This is 5 to 10 hours a week.

*  Watching webinars once or twice a week and or participating in Hangouts once or twice a week is usual.  This is two to three hours a week.

Weekly or monthly tasks include:

*  I am a board member for the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, and attend the board meeting, lead the Research Group meeting, usually attend the Computer Group meeting, and attend the Program meeting each month, and occasionally attend the Saturday Workshop.  I edit the monthly newsletter and the society blog (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).  This averages out to 15 to 20 hours a month.

*  I attend the SDGS program meeting each month and usually write the review article for the SDGS newsletter.  This averages out to 3 to 4 hours a month.  

*  Creating or editing existing presentations and handouts for genealogical societies or libraries or the OASIS class.  I typically give one presentation each month on average.  This work takes about ten to twenty hours a month on average.

*  I teach the RootsMagic class for SDGS once a month when I can at the San Diego FamilySearch Library.  Sometimes I take the opportunity to do some research there.  

*  We attend RootsTech in February and Jamboree in June, and occasionally the NGS and FGS conferences.  I go to at least one and sometimes two all-day seminars.  We also take weeklong genealogy cruises occasionally.  These are over and above the daily or weekly hours.  

That's pretty much my genealogy life!  


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Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


6 comments:

Shirley Ann Rankin said...

I have a blog but I only post when I find a story from my family that interests me, and would likely interest others.

I subscribe to both Ancestry & MyHeritage. I don't use MyHeritage much. I use Ancestry daily, at least 2 hrs a day. Once or twice a week I focus on AncestryDNA & Gedmatch.

I post articles to Facebook daily, usually about 6 per day, to my Society's FB page. I also track the number of hits and "likes." This can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more. I also use Feedly.

I usually view the Legacy webinars, and occasionally others. I only watch if the topic is of interest to me.

I am a Board Member for my Society and I attend 4-5 meetings per month. I have given a couple of talks to our Society members.I occasionally volunteer at the genealogy library, helping patrons with their genealogy.

I am the publisher of my society's journal. This takes at least 1-2 weeks to put together.

I virtually attended the NGS Conference this year. I have attended Jamboree twice and NGS once (Las Vegas).

I have written a book about the search for my great-grandmother's parents. It was privately published and only two copies exist.

Janice M. Sellers said...

Is there such a thing as too much genealogy?

http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/2016/05/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-my.html

Linda Stufflebean said...

Randy, Here is the link to "My Genealogy Life." As always, a fun topic.
http://emptybranchesonthefamilytree.com/2016/05/your-genealogy-life-saturday-night-genealogy-fun/

mbm1311 said...

I started my genealogy 8 ½ years ago and only did so because computers made it possible. I admire the old school researcher, before computers, as I don’t have enough brain cells to research thousands of names without the aid of on line data bases and desk top software.

My number one focus has been to “begin with the end in mind” and for me that end has been to create an accurate data base constructed primarily with vital records, census and obituaries. Then to make sure that everything is sourced, on line, and easy to find. There will be plenty more for future researchers to do. I don’t want anyone to start from scratch but to check my work and move on to probate, land records, manuscripts, in person reserach etc.

You Tube has become my talk radio. When I’m around the house I listen to all things Myrt, James Tanner, Maurice Gleeson (all my immigrant couples are Irish except one) and many others. I listen to Legacy Family Tree Webinar when the topic interests me. I also watch You Tubes created by David A. Cox, he teaches PC and Mac classes and might be the most important resource that genealogist don’t know about.

For me, reading blogs and participating on social media are BSOs, so I don’t. Not enough hours in the day.

The exception that I read Randy Seaver’s blog and the “Best of Genea Blogs”. One Sunday I was distressed when the “Best of” was late being posted to Randy’s blog until I realized that it was Saturday! Every week the Best of has a blog that really makes me think. Thank you for doing it Randy!

I have my research on Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past and Family Search. I am adding, checking and improving.

Family Search was once and done. I will not go back and try to resurrect my research, and carefully crafted sketches when someone one buries them with their ‘updates’.

I took an excellent on line class at NEHGS on writing a book and started a hefty manuscript that will need years more work. It is the ultimate genealogy go over as I see where I don’t have sources for b,m,d and will go out to find them.

My family has the instructions to make my ancestry trees public and to donate my book or manuscript (if I haven’t done so) to 4 of the big genealogy libraries.

I enjoy this hobby and believe that others will carry on with the research when I’m done but I don’t want them to redo the building blocks of research just skeptically check my work and correct my mistakes.

Unknown said...

Here is a link to "My Genealogy Life."
http://discoveringmyheritage.blogspot.com/2016/05/randy-seavers-challenge-my-genealogy.html

Unknown said...

That doesn't leave much time for "normal" life, such as household chores, helping Linda etc! Or maybe you don't do these things ...