Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Carnival of Genealogy, 43rd Edition


Welcome to the March 4, 2008 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Let's start off this edition with a bit of COG trivia. Raise your hand if you know what the topic for the very first edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was (June 4, 2006). Not very many hands in the air... tisk, tisk. The topic for the 1st edition of the COG was: new technology in the field of genealogy. Back in that 1st edition I shared links to bloggers writing about the new Internet Genealogy magazine, Genealogy Tech podcasts, and genetic genealogy to name a few.

As you know, technology marches on quickly. I thought it was time to take a look at what technology is favored by genealogists today, almost 2 years later. Instructed to choose 1 piece of technology from each of three categories (hardware besides a computer, software besides an internet browser, and a web site or blog besides their own), the participants in this edition weigh in on the technology they use and value the most.

That said, let's get on with the genea-bloggers' technology review!

Janet Iles presents Carnival of Genealogy - Technology & Genealogy posted at Janet the researcher. Janet starts us off with her choice of technologies one of which is Brother's Keeper software. To find out which features she appreciates and her other technology choices, stop by her blog! Thanks for sharing with us Janet!

footnote Maven presents We've Come A Long Way Baby! posted at footnoteMaven. footnoteMaven, aka Techno-Babe, tells us of her dedication to daily use of the scanner and also reveals her source for all those great old photos and books she keeps coming up with. Stop by her blog to find out more! Thanks for sharing Techno-Babe!

Laura aka Lidian presents 43rd Carnival of Genealogy: Technology posted at The Virtual Dime Museum. Laura reveals a great appreciation for the microfilm reader. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I think this is her secret weapon for digging up all the terrific stories and bios she puts on her blog... to find out what else is in her arsenal of technology stop by her blog! Thanks for sharing your technology with us Laura!

Chery Kinnick presents Next to My Husband, I Love My Scanner Best posted at Nordic Blue. Chery, the queen of clever titles, tells us of her love affair with one particular piece of technology and then goes one to tell of others she has a particular fondness for as well. Check out her very zesty post to learn more! Thanks for sharing your love affair with us Chery!

Ken Spangler presents How Do You Spell Relief? T-E-C-H-N-O-L-O-G-Y! posted at Beyond Fiction. Ken has a couple of choices that will surprise you. One in particular will make you say, "huh?". Visit Ken's blog and find out about a technology tool you may be missing out on... it made me stop and think. Thanks for sharing your great technology with us Ken!

Craig Manson presents GeneaTechnology posted at GeneaBlogie. Craig's an on-the-go kind of guy so his choice of hardware won't surprise you. But he's also got a fondness for the tried and true which he explains in his choice of software. Check out Craig's blog to see what GeneaTechnologies (I love that term!) he relies on. Thanks for sharing Craig!

Randy Seaver presents Technology - Hardware, software, web site posted at Genea-Musings. Randy has given me FHC envy. If you're like me and your local FHC relies on the old hand-crank microfilm readers with dim bulbs you'll enjoy reading about the new state of the art equipment appearing at some FHCs! Check this out! Thanks for sharing this great technology Randy!

Thomas MacEntee presents 43rd Carnival of Genealogy - Technology posted at Destination: Austin Family. What can I say? Thomas is a hard driving man. The evidence is on his blog. He's a security minded high tech guru with a message that bears repeating. Thanks for sharing your expert technopinion Thomas!

Sharon Klein presents Invaluable Gen Tech Tools posted at Genealogy. Stop by Sharon's blog and you'll have scanner envy for sure. Yeah, she's got a big one. And it's got whistles and bells too. Go on, you know you want details... head on over and check it out! Thanks for sharing your tech tools with us Sharon!

Jessica Oswalt presents Some Useful Technology For Genealogy? posted at Jessica's Genejournal. Jessica shares a software program you may not have heard of, I know I hadn't. I have to admire the budget conscious genealogist who can find good deals on technology. Atta girl Jess! Visit Jessica's blog to learn more. Thanks for sharing!

Jewelgirl presents TECHNOLOGY SCHMECHNOLOGY posted at Searching For Family Branches. Jewelgirl's choice of preferred technology may surprise you. She's an advocate of GenBrain, which uses a different sort of memory chip than most technology. To learn more, stop by her blog and get all the details! Thanks for sharing your schmechnology with us Jewelgirl!

John Newmark presents Technology posted at Transylvanian Dutch. Hats off to John for his selection of software! If you're not yet an adopter of the wiki technology check out John's blog and see what you're missing. This is great stuff here! Thanks for sharing it with us John!

Elizabeth presents Another First for Me: 43rd Carnival of Genealogy – Technology posted at Little Bytes of Life. Yahoo! Elizabeth has joined the Carnival! Stop by and visit this first time participant (and veteran ScanFester) in the COG. She has a bigger camera than the rest of us (hers is a pro level) so prepare to envy her. Thanks for sharing your technology with us Elizabeth! We hope you'll join us again!

Terry Thornton presents 43rd Carnival of Genealogy: TECHNOLOGY posted at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, saying, "Low tech --- high tech. Without technology none of my research would be possible. From the simplest to a free complex Internet hookup, here are the three items I use most."

Janice Brown presents Family History: High Tech Or Bust? posted at Cow Hampshire. Janice relies on Snag-It to capture graphic images for her genealogy research. Do you think this is how she keeps her cow in high fashion too? Stop by for a visit and see what other technology tools she favors! Thanks for sharing Janice!

Donna presents Favorite Genea-Technology Tools posted at What's Past is Prologue. Donna suggests you "set your GEDCOM-phasers on stun" for this edition of the COG. Don't you just love her way with words!?! She also has a way of zeroing in on an indispensable web site that aids everyone doing database searches. Stop by and check out her technology choices! Thanks for sharing your Genea-Technology tools with us Donna!

Apple presents Apple's Tree: GeneaTech posted at Apple's Tree. Apple credits the U.S. Gen Web Project as her most valuable web site. It is one terrific web site and best of all, it's free :-) Stop by her blog to find out what other GeneaTech she finds valuable! Thanks for sharing, Apple!

Marj presents Carnival of Genealogy - technology? posted at Sage Gardens Family History. A whole and hearty welcome goes out to first time contributor, Marj! It's pretty rare that I experience Mac envy but I have to admit to feeling a bit of it after reading Marj's article. She mentions a really cool feature in Reunion that I'd love to have in my genealogy software. Intrigued? Stop by Marj's blog to say hello and find out what's got me wishing I had this program! Thanks for sharing your technology with us Marj and we hope you'll join us again!

Ruth Stephens presents Bluebonnet Country Genealogy Blog: The next Carnival of Genealogy posted at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy Blog. Ruth highly values Paint Shop Pro, a program I personally have never used but have heard nothing but good things about. If you'd like to learn about Paint Shop Pro, how Ruth uses it, and her other technology choices, stop by her blog! Thanks for sharing your technology with us Ruth!

Jasia presents My Three Best Technology Tips posted at Creative Gene. You probably know by now that I love to take pictures, so my choice of digital cameras will probably not be a surprise to you. But you may not be familiar with the software I use to organize my genealogy documents. I love it! Stop by and read more about it. I've been using it for over 10 years!

Terry Snyder presents Indispensable technology for the family historian Desktop Genealogist - www.thenews-messenger.com - Fremont, OH posted at Desktop Genealogist. Terry is currently a big fan of Ancestry.com and this along with a couple of other key pieces of technology are what make her genealogy research "hum". Stop by and check out Terry's other "in the moment" choices! Thanks for sharing Terry!

OMcHodoy presents Technology Schmechnology posted at Orations of OMcHodoy. We all need to show a little sympathy here for OMcHodoy. It's hard to write an article about technology you value when your computer is possessed! Fortunately for us, OMcHodoy rises to the challenge and shares with us the technologies she relies on the most. Stop by and show a little sympathy and support while you read of her trials and tribulations. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us OMcHodoy!

Melissa presents Technology posted at in pursuit of a pedigree. Welcome to Melissa, a first-time (but hopefully not the last time) contributor to the COG! Melissa brings us a fresh perspective with some excellent ideas for the budget conscious genealogist. I really enjoy learning about new ways of using stuff I already own. If you do too, stop by Melissa's blog and see if her choices of technology might appeal to you. Thanks so much for sharing with us Melissa!

Bill West presents A GENEALOGY TRIAD posted at West in New England. In addition to choosing three pieces of technology to share with us, our ever clever Bill has taken the concept of a triad to a whole other level. But let us not be distracted by his triadism (Is that a word? Yep!) for he too has some great ideas for budget-conscious genealogists. Stop on by Bill's blog and see for yourself :-) Thanks for sharing your genealogy triad of technology Bill!

Becky Wiseman presents Genea-Techie Stuff posted at kinexxions. Becky points out a piece of technology that is often taken for granted which she acknowledges is indispensable to her (and the rest of us!). Stop by Becky's blog and see what this vital piece of technology is! Thanks for sharing Becky!

Lori Thornton presents Technology - for Carnival of Genealogy #43 posted at Smoky Mountain Family Historian. Lori is fan of Legacy Family Tree for compiling her genealogy data. She's tried others but always comes back to it as her program of choice. That's a great recommendation if you ask me! Read about Lori's other technology choices including her workhorse printer (Yeah! Let's hear it for printers!). Thanks for sharing Lori!

Brian Zalewski presents COG: Technology I Rely On posted at Zalewski Family Genealogy. Brian is a fan of RootsMagic, a program I myself need to check out one of these days. I like what I hear about this program and I appreciate what Brian has to say. It's just one of the technologies he shares with us in this article. Stop by and check out the other technologies that Brian uses and recommends! Thanks for sharing with us Brian!

M. Diane Rogers presents My Genealogy and Technology - Carnival of Genealogy posted at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'. Here we have an eco-friendly genealogist! I applaud Diane's environmental consciousness. Good for you Diane! Stop by her blog and see what's up with her choices of technology. Thanks for sharing your ideas and technologies Diane!

Amy Crow presents Technology I Can’t Live Without « Amy’s Genealogy, etc. Blog posted at Amy's Genealogy, etc. Blog. Amy brings her sense of humor to this edition of the COG with her review of the technologies that she relies on. It seems our Amy sometimes finds it challenging to play by the rules but this time around she does a fine job! Check out Amy's article and you'll leave with a smile. Thanks for sharing Amy!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff presents Technology and Genealogy posted at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. Well Miriam, you aren't the only one who values your scanner. All who participate in Scanfest are glad you have it too! Check out Miriam's article to learn about the technologies she values the most. And think about joining the next Scanfest on March 30th where you too can have fun with scanning technology! Thanks for sharing Miriam!

Kathryn Doyle presents 43rd Carnival of Genealogy - Technology posted at California Genealogical Society and Library blog. Please welcome Kathryn as a first-time participant in the COG! Hopefully it is the first of many times :-) She has developed quite a fondness for her iPhone (I want one!) and is happy to have it as a part of her cadre of technology. Stop by her blog and say hello and learn about how she's using her iPhone for genealogy education. Thanks for sharing your favorite technologies with us Kathryn!

Steve Danko presents My Technology Toolbox posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve embraces some current technologies not immediately thought of as basics for genealogy research. I could have written this post myself as I too embrace these very technologies. These are all winners! Check them out! Thanks for sharing your technology addictions Steve!

One additional posting of note... footnoteMaven has designed posters for several editions of the COG. Check out her gallery of COG posters and see what she has done with technology! Thanks so much for all your support and promotion of the COG fM!

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I'll bet you learned about some technology you weren't aware of and new ideas for using existing technology too. I know I did. I don't know about you but now I'm in the mood to go shopping! (I'm a techie girl at heart ;-)

And now it's time for a Call for Submissions! In keeping with the month of March being National Women's History Month, and March 8th being International Women's Day, the topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will once again be: A Tribute to Women. Write a tribute to a woman on your family tree, a friend, a neighbor, or a historical female figure who has done something to impact your life. Or instead of writing, consider sharing a photo biography of one woman's life. Or create a scrapbook page dedicated to a woman you'd like to honor. For extra credit, sum up her life in a six-word biography (thanks to Lisa Alzo for the suggestion!).

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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