Online Resources for Organizing Your Genealogy

 

Blogs 

The blogosphere offers detailed how-to-get-organized advice from researchers like you. Enter organize or another keyword in a blog’s search box, or look for posts tagged with an organizing-related topic.

• Elyses Genealogy Blog, by college student Elyse Doerflinger, includes frequent articles on organizing your research, notes and projects. Elyse is the author of two e-books, and she walks you through “The Basics of Organizing Your Genealogy” in a step-by-step video.
• The Family Curator, where I blog, features articles, tutorials and how-tos on organizing and digitizing your family photos, documents and artifacts. Check out the Family Curator on Facebook for more tips.
• Genea-Musings, by master blogger Randy Seaver, holds a wealth of information on organizing your research, especially as it relates to genealogy software. 
• The Moultrie Creek Gazette regularly features blogger Denise Olson’s tutorials on using technology tools to organize genealogy research.
• Organize Your Family History, from professional organizer and genealogist Janine Adams, is full of great ideas.

YouTube

If you need a demo for an app (such as Evernote) or another tool, head to YouTube. When you find a channel you like, keep up with new videos by clicking the Subscribe button and adding it to your personal channel listing in the sidebar (you’ll need a free YouTube account to save channels).

• 4YourFamilyStory, a channel created by Caroline Pointer, includes videos featuring genealogy organization with OneNote and with Evernote. Check out the 4YourFamilyStory companion website and blog for additional articles. 
• Genealogy Gems has videos from Lisa Louise Cooke, producer of the Genealogy Gems podcast, about how to use your iPad or tablet and Evernote, and how to work with the metadata attached to your digital files. Cooke’s website has more guidance.

Facebook and Google+

These sites let you join group discussions and get immediate feedback on your questions. Before posting on a group page, read any FAQs and spend some time “lurking” to get acquainted with group practices and topics covered.
To find the Google+ groups mentioned below, enter the group name in the Search box of the main Google+ window. Click the Join Community button for access to the group’s posts and message boards.

•  The Organized Genealogist Facebook group mushroomed overnight after Nebraska genealogist Susan Petersen started it last summer. Now more than 6,500 members share ideas, photos and motivation “for organizing our genealogy research—paperwork and digital.” Click Join Group in the top right to request an invitation to join. You’ll find members asking for scanner recommendations, ideas for naming files and scores of other topics.
• Dear MYRTLE’S Genealogy Community on Google + is a central point to keep up with the weekly Mondays with Myrt show. Each live version is hosted as a Google+ Hangout on Air, with recordings available on YouTube. 
• Evernote for Genealogy on Google+ aims to help you make the most of Evernote for note-taking and research.
• Organize & Archive Family Keepsakes & Genealogy touches on digitizing, organizing and preserving family history for Google+ users.
• Tech for Genealogy & Family History Researchers encourages Google+ members to “talk tech tools” that can help you get organized and research more effectively.

Pinterest

The giant community bulletin board at Pinterest.com is filled with photos of organizing ideas, filing tips and office schemes. Individual users “pin” images from the web or from their own computers onto “boards” to showcase ideas on a particular topic. The visual inspiration is usually linked to an online article with information on how to accomplish such organizational loveliness.