Category: Software

Weebly And The Switch

9/2/2012

So, if you managed to see my Facebook post, or my "I'm Moving" post on the old blog...you are probably wondering why the switch to Weebly. Honestly, until a day ago, it didn't hold much interest to me. I had created a site with the Ancestors Before Me url, but hadn't done anything with it.

Then I found a pin on Pinterest Thursday. It lead me to an amazing set of 3 videos by Caroline M. Pointer of 4 Your Family Story. In these three videos, she walks you step by step through setting up a Weebly account, and then setting up your first pages.

I did try a couple templates before I found one that worked for what I wanted...no real header. I had forgotten what she said in video two about how to get rid of it...so as I set my site up, I used her videos to refresh my memory.

A few of the reasons I think this site is a better fit than Blogger:
-I like the layout and ease of use better. Blogger is super easy, but you are limited a bit in what you can do with a straight blog.
-I like that this looks more like an actual website...because it is. And if I decide to buy the domain down the road, I shouldn't have to do much other than change a few "behind the scenes" settings.
-I think it will be more user friendly for family who come to see the updates. If they don't want to read through all the blog posts, they can check out photos, maps, etc. They can follow my thought process and see where they fit into the equation. Who knows, they might have a light bulb moment and be able to help me solve a brick wall.
-I think that the elusive "missing cousins" that I don't know will find me more easily with this format than with Blogger.

So, I think I have gotten the really important blog posts moved and published. I will be adding photos and such here in the very near future, so please bookmark the site and visit often.

And you really should go watch Caroline's videos. They are amazing! Thank you for taking the time to make them Caroline!

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Computer Geek Heaven

5/1/2012

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I am going to be sharing my genealogy research with family soon. Currently, I have folders set up on my computer by Surname, and then individuals within that. But to have it make sense to someone who isn't into genealogy, or how it is set up, it seems like a lot of random facts.

Enter OneNote software, from Microsoft. I have had this software for a couple years now, and love playing with it. I have set up notebooks for things like crocheting and gardening, so it seems only natural to use it to share genealogy with family. If you cannot afford to buy OneNote, there is a free option called EverNote, that will do much the same thing.

Here is an amazing video made by Brian over at The Paperless Genealogist, which will give you an idea of how it works, and intial ideas to set it up.

My initial thought to other pages that could be included in each person's section would be:
-Photos (make sure you label who is in them, and dates if you know them)
-Census records (this gives a timeline of sorts to where they were)
-City Directories (again, provides a timeline of their location)
-Maps (a map from 1845 of the area your ancestors lived in is really going to add perspective for those looking at the information)
-Miscellaneous (this I would use for things like photos of heirlooms, odds and ends of things you might find online, etc)

For my Blanchard line, I think I will include a Google Books page as well, where I can insert excerpts from numerous Google Books that have information on them, especially the early ancestors. It will make it easy to provide documentation too, of random items from various books into one place, for those who don't want to go read every single book like I do.

One thing to remember, even in using this set up.....CITE YOUR SOURCES. This will be invaluable to those who do more research down the road. It is also the best way to prove your research is worth it's weight in gold. Don't just go off willy nilly, adding things that don't belong, unless you can prove it.

Things that I find, that are a "maybe", will be kept in the General Notes page at the beginning of each person, until I can prove it. This is also where I will keep a list of questions that will crop up and need answers, theories, etc.

One of the most exciting things I can see about using OneNote to share what I am finding in the family history, is that it can be saved as a pdf. This makes it so much easier for anyone wanting to print it out as actual book. By being able to update the information as I find new things out, sending out a new copy, with a note as to updates, will be invaluable.

How do you store your genealogy on your computer, and share with family? Would love to hear your ideas.

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CamScanner for Android

4/29/2012

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My old standby printer, an HP Deskjet, has finally decided it doesn't want to work anymore. I still held onto it a few years ago, even though I bought a new wireless printer, because the copying and scanning functions were working fabulously still, and it was one of those printers you could refill the ink cartridges without it going haywire. It won't copy anymore. Frankly, this is ok. I have to move in a few months, and I need to pare down what I take with me. Enter a neat little app that I downloaded a few weeks ago, but hadn't played with yet. I found CamScanner in the Google Play store on my Android phone and decided to give it a try. My cousin is anxiously awaiting a copy of my grandparent's marriage license, and I hadn't gotten it into the mail to him yet, so thought I would use this as my test piece. You take a picture of the item to be scanned using the camera on your phone, from within the CamScanner program. It will then crop it to be just the document, and then enhances it. I first saved it as a simple jpg (you can click on it to see it larger).

You also have the option of converting it to a pdf, before you send it to where you want it to go. I really like this option. I prefer pdf's over jpg's, but that is a personal preference.
The app gives you a lot of options for sending your document to another location. You can email it to yourself or someone else, you can upload it to Dropbox, Facebook, pretty much anywhere.
This is definitely going to be a useful tool for my genealogy research, and also my homeschooling with my children. Super simple, easy to print out what you scanned. Win-win.

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Weebly And The Switch

Computer Geek Heaven

CamScanner for Android

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