Saturday, August 2, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Survey of Genealogy Activities

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 
 It's Saturday Night again - 
time for some more Genealogy Fun!!



Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!): 

1) Answer these questions in my survey about genealogy resources and usage:


a)  Which genealogy software programs for your computer do you use (e.g., Family Tree Maker, Reunion, GRAMPS, etc.)?

b)  Which online family trees have information submitted by you - in either a separate online tree (e.g., Ancestry Member Tree) or a universal (collaborative) online tree (e.g., WikiTree)?

c)  For which subscription genealogy record providers (e.g., Ancestry) do you have a subscription?

d)  Which FREE genealogy record providers (e.g., FamilySearch) do you use regularly?

e)  How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research online?  [Note:  not reading, or social networking, but actual searching in a record provider].  Estimate an average number of hours per week.

f)  How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research in a repository (e.g., library, archive, courthouse, etc.)?  Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

g)  How much time do you spend each week adding information to your genealogy software program (either on your computer or online)?  Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period.

h)  How much time do you spend each month at a genealogical society meeting, program or event (not a seminar or conference)?  Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

i)  How much time do you spend each month on genealogy education (e.g., reading books and periodicals, attending seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.)?   Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

j)  How much time do you spend each week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, websites, and social media?   Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period.

2)    Answer the questions in a blog post of your own (and please drop a link as a comment in this post), in a comment to this post, or in a Google+ or Facebook post.

Here's mine:

a)  I use RootsMagic 6 to enter all ancestral information into a database.  I also use Family Tree Maker 2014 and Legacy Family Tree 8 occasionally to take advantage of their features.

b)  I have my family tree information in these online tree systems:

i)  Separate tree:

*  Ancestry Member Tree (updated occasionally)
*  MyHeritage (rarely updated)
*  GeneaNet (never updated)
*  FindMy Past (never updated)
*  Mocavo (never updated)

ii)  Collaborative tree:

*  FamilySearch Family Tree (updated frequently)
*  WikiTree (updated occasionally)
*  Geni.com (updated occasionally)
*  WeRelate (updated rarely)

c)  My subscription genealogy record collection websites:

*  Ancestry.com
*  MyHeritage/World Vital Records
*  FindMyPast
*  Mocavo
*  GenealogyBank
*  American Ancestors

d)  My most-used FREE genealogy record providers:

*  FamilySearch
*  Find a Grave
*  Google
*  USGenWeb
*  Rootsweb

e)  Doing online genealogy research each week:  Average per week = 8 hours

f)  Doing repository research each month:  Average per month = 2 hours

g)  Adding information to family tree database each week:  Average per week = 12 hours

h)  Genealogy society events and meetings:  Average per month = 16 hours

i)  Genealogy education:  Average per month = 16 hours

j)  Reading or contributing to social media:  Average per week = 32 hours

Adding all of that up totals about 60 hours per week.  Which is about right, I think!

Since I do a lot of genealogy blogging, I spend at least half of my time every day on social media.  I try to streamline my time reading by using my iPhone, and try to limit my time on Facebook to 30 minutes a day or less.  I really should get out more to the local repositories.  I do spend at least one day each year at the Family History Library.  My genealogy education this past year was limited to society events, RootsTech and Jamboree.  The last two years, I also went on a genealogy cruise.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


15 comments:

nancy said...

a) don't use computer software -- my main tree on Ancestry.com; monthly or after big data entry, I create new GEDCOM & store in Dropbox

b) I have my family tree information in these online tree systems:

i) Separate tree:

* Ancestry Member Tree (main tree)
* MyHeritage (never updated)

ii) Collaborative tree:

* FamilySearch Family Tree (updated frequently)
* Geni (updated frequently, also belong to location projects)
* WikiTree (updated occasionally)

c) My subscription genealogy record collection websites:

* Ancestry.com

d) My most-used FREE genealogy record providers:

* FamilySearch
* Find a Grave
* JewishGen, genealogy.net (German), Posen marriages
* Google

e) Doing online genealogy research: Average per week = 7 hours

f) Doing repository research: Average per year = 3 days (cross-USA or int'l trip)

g) Adding info to family tree database: Average per week = 7 hours

h) Genealogy society events and meetings: Average per month = 4 hours

i) Genealogy education: Average per month = 8 hours

j) Reading or contributing to social media: Average per week = 7 hours

Totals about 24 hours per week.

Janice M. Sellers said...

This was a fun and interesting poll! I answered Randy's questions over here on my blog:

http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/2014/08/randy-seavers-genea-musings-saturday.html

Janice

Kathy Holland said...

a. Family Tree Maker
b. Ancestry and Family Search
c. Ancestry, Fold3, Genealogy Bank
d. Family Search, JewishGen, Find-a-Grave, US GenWeb, Rootsweb
e. doing research: 8 hours
f. repository research: 4 hours
g. adding to a database: 2 hours
h. society meeting: 2-3 a month
i. education: 3-4 hours per month
j. social media: 3 hours a month

Carrie Smith said...

Here's Mine! http://underthenuttree.blogspot.com/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-genealogy.html

Carrie Smith said...

Here's Mine! http://underthenuttree.blogspot.com/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-genealogy.html

Dana Leeds said...

Thanks for the weekly Saturday Night Fun! I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what subscriptions others use.

Mel said...

Here's my post:
http://dna-explained.com/2014/08/02/autosomal-dna-matching-within-projects/

Judy Webster said...

Interesting! My answers are on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/genealogy-activities.html.

GeniAus said...

And here's my contribution on a chilly Sunday afternoon. http://geniaus.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun.html

M. Diane Rogers said...

I'm in on this SNGF survey at CanadaGenealogy, or, Jane's Your Aunt: http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.ca/2014/08/its-been-while-since-ive-had-time-to.html

Unknown said...

I posted my responses in this blog post.

Anonymous said...

What a fun survey! And, before I respond, I want to say how much I enjoy your blog! Thank you for all the effort you put into it!

Survey responses:

a) Computer genealogy programs:

Legacy 7.5
RootsMagic 6.0

Caveat: I much prefer data entry from RootsMagic, but their fonts are too small to read on most dialog boxes, so I do most data entry in Legacy. I'm not so fond of Legacy's source entry system - it's time consuming. RM's is more intuitive.


b) Online trees I've submitted to:

Gen Circles Global Tree - both individual and global. Never updated, due to my electronic data loss.

c) I subscribe to Ancestry.

d) Free sources I use include:
Family Search
Archive.com
Internet Archive
RootsWeb
Ancestry Community Message Boards
Find A Grave
Genealogy.com's message boards (which are going to read only soon)


e) Weekly online record research - 8 hours.

f) Weekly in-person repository research - 0 now, as I don't have access to a good repository.

g) Weekly time adding data to online program - 10 hrs - trying to replace data after a loss.

h) Monthly genealogical society meetings - 0. I wish I had time for this!

i) Monthly genealogy education - 6 hours.

j) Weekly genealogy social media time - 2 hrs.

Anonymous said...

Posted on my blog!
http://lifecitation.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-survey-of-genealogy-activities/

R R said...

1) Answer these questions in my survey about genealogy resources and usage:

a)  Genealogy software programs
Family Tree Maker
Family Tree Builder (on occasion)
PAF (was my first one I used until I started using FTM)

b)  Family trees have information submitted by me.
Ancestry (updated occasionally)
MyHeritage (rarely updated)
Family Search (updated occasionally)

c)  Subscription genealogy record providers
Ancestry.com
Findmypast.org

d)  FREE genealogy record providers
Ancestry.com (Free index database, when I am taking a break from my subscription to do clean up on my tree)
FamilySearch
Missouri Digital Heritage
Find a Grave
Rootsweb
Google
USGenWeb
National, State, and Local archives
State and Local libraries
College sites that have special projects such as Plat maps
Publicrecords.onlinesearches.com
Surname mail lists...yes I still subscribe because I have found gold mines in those emails.

e)  Actual genealogy research online
15 hours a week, sometimes more.

f)  Actual genealogy research in a repository
0 However I do contact libraries and courthouses etc. via email, phone, or mail. (I am wheelchair bound, unable to drive, and caregiver or family cannot or do not want to drive me 30 to 100 miles one way to the archives or State library)

g) Adding information to your genealogy software program
30 hours a week, as I have decided to change how I enter data into my trees and am trying to go paperless other than actual vital and court documents. Normally it is only about 15 hours a week and hope this number will go down once I have my new system in order.

h)  Genealogical society meeting, program or event
0 the genealogical meetings in my area are two late for me to attend as the buses stop running before the meetings start or end. So I YouTube, Podcast, and Facebook all the genealogy information I can from various sources.

I) Genealogy education
40 hours a month

j)  Genealogy blogs, websites, and social media
20 hours a month

FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF…60 hours a week. Wow I thought it was more like 160 LOL!!

2) AND POSTED!
2

Dana Leeds said...

Great point R R had about learning online. My favorite Podcast is Genealogy Guys. I also watch videos online - both paid & free - and use Ancestry's wikis & webinars! There are so many great places to learn online!