Saturday, January 1, 2011

2011 Genealogy Goals and Objectives

No, silly, I don't have 2,011 specific goals and objectives for the next year...it just seems like I do sometimes.

While I haven't yet tallied up my success at meeting the 2010 set of Goals, I know that I have major FAILs and a few significant successes. 

Plunging on, here are the stated goals and objectives for 2011 (which look quite similar to 2010 and 2009):

1) Research

* Go to the local FamilySearch Center and local/regional libraries more often in order to pursue ancestral information.
* Go to at least one major genealogy repository (e.g., FHL, ACPL, NEHGS) and do research over several days.
*  Keep up-to-date to-do lists for research challenges and up-to-date research logs for significant research tasks.
* Concentrate on brickwall ancestors, but spend time finding family history information for known ancestors.
* Update the Seaver/Carringer/Vaux family database using recently added/updated data collections on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Footnote, GenealogyBank, etc.

2) Data Organization

* Convert items in computer file folders into couple-based digital file folders, including photographs and documents, using systematic file naming protocols.
* Continue weeding out extraneous paper from bookcase binders, and enter useful sourced data into genealogy database.
*  Sort the Carringer/Auble/Smith and Seaver/Richmond paper photograph collections into useful and accessible albums, determine if photos they have been scanned and blogged, and scan the ones that haven't been scanned before or were poorly scanned previously.

3) Genealogy Database

* Continue adding source citations for unsourced information in my database (with author, title, publisher, date, page, comments, etc.).
*  Add specific page numbers to existing source citations.
* Critically evaluate genealogy facts for ancestral families relative to authoritative published material.

4) Education

* Attend at least two genealogy conferences (or cruises) in 2011.  I'm hoping for SCGS Jamboree in Burbank, California and FGS Conference in Springfield, Illinois.
*  Participate in more  bloginars and webinars.
* Obtain or borrow genealogy resource and how-to books of interest.

5) Society Activities

* Attend CVGS, CGSSD and SDGS society programs and seminars.
* Lead CVGS research group effectively.
* Be an outstanding editor of monthly Chula Vista Genealogical Society Newsletter.
*  Keep the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe blog full of news and information helpful to CVGS members.
* Contribute articles to SDGS and CGSSD newsletters.
* Respond to research queries received by CVGS and CV library.
* Help society colleagues and friends with their research if requested.

6) Speaking and Teaching

* Speak to at least five different local and regional genealogical societies in 2011
* Teach three adult education "Beginning Computer Genealogy" classes for OASIS (4 sessions each, 8 hours total each class)
*  Teach at least one "Genealogy 101" beginners class (4 sessions, 8 hours total) for CVGS
* Speak at local libraries and service groups about genealogy and family history.

7) Writing

* Blog a bit... on Genea-Musings, The Geneaholic, the South San Diego County Graveyard Rabbit, and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe blogs.
* Produce four "Genealogy 2.0" columns for the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine.
* Produce four "Digging for Answers" columns for the Online Graveyard Rabbit Journal.
* Publish Volume 24 of the Seaver-Richmond Family Journal (16 pages) in December for the extended family.

8) Real Life

* Take my wife on at least one long vacation trip - perhaps to the Midwest in late summer to attend FGS, and visit Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin family history sites, and hopefully Allen County Public Library.
* Visit our daughters and grandchildren, our brothers and their families, and our cousins and their families, more often in order to make more family history and spread the joy of genealogy research around [yeah, right... they might even read the yearly Family Journal].
*  Exercise more!  Lose weight!  Eat fewer goodies!  Dream on...
* Limit genealogy activities to no more than 10 hours a day... [who put that in? Linda, do you know how to edit this? At least it doesn't say 3 hours]

More of the same, eh?  It's a full plate.  Who knows what life will bring in 2011.  Stuff happens.  I'll adapt.  Or not... 

The beauty of goals and objectives is that they can be changed at a moment's notice.  I am not chained by these goals - they are only guidelines.  You can be sure that if I have a major, unplanned breakthrough through hard work, serendipity or the kindness of others that I'll follow that path. 

I look forward to 2011 - to celebrating my fifth year of genea-blogging, to meeting many more Genea-Musing readers and geneablogging colleagues, to talking with representatives of genealogy companies, to sharing my knowledge and expertise with the genealogy community.

2 comments:

Cheryl said...

Wow! Such lofty goals and all in 10 hours a day!! If anyone can accomplish it, this would be you.

Julie said...

Best of luck in accomplishing your goals for 2011!