As a part of my plan to increase my research skills I have been taking advantage of something new to me - Webinars! Wow, what a world I have been missing out on!
On my lunch hour last week I listened to the archived webinar presented by Thomas MacEntee - "Backing Up Your Genealogy Data" As everyone knows, Thomas is a wonderful speaker and it turns out he is just as gifted as a webinar instructor!
I have to admit to being lax about backing up my data on a consistent basis. I thought the webinar would give me hints on developing a back-up plan and it did. But I learned so much more! I now have a firm grasp of what "cloud computing" is and, I am proud to say, am the new owner of a Dropbox account!
The biggest take away from the webinar for me was identifying where my genealogy files reside on my computer. In addition to my FTM files I have files of genealogical photos, documents, emails I'd hate to lose in addition to all those favorite bookmarks. It's been a long process finding all the files I need to backup but, as Thomas pointed out, my research represents a large investment for me in terms of both time and money.
I need to start treating it as such.
If you want to purchase a copy of the webinar Backing Up Your Genealogy Files visit Legacy Family Tree Webinars for more information. And while you are there be sure to sign up for Thomas's upcoming April webinars:
April 6, 2011 - Building a Research Toolbox. Are you overwhelmed with the number of online resources for genealogical research? Are you constantly working with unorganized bookmarks or favorites? Printing out lists of websites you use most? Learn how to build a research toolbox that is organized, easy-to-use, and can be accessed from almost anywhere. Presented by professional genealogist and Geneablogger.com's Thomas MacEntee, participants will learn not only some of the most important online resources for genealogical research, but also how to organize these resources into an easy-to-access and portable virtual toolbox.
April 21, 2011 - Dropbox for Genealogists. Are you familiar with Dropbox – a program that provides 2 gigabytes of online storage for free? Learn how to sign up for Dropbox, install the program and get started ensuring the safety and security of your genealogy research data. Seems too good to be true, right? Two gigabytes of online storage for free? And storage that can synchronize files across your computer, your laptop and even your mobile device? It is true, and you can learn how to leverage the power of Dropbox – a free online program to back up your genealogy data and even share files with friends and family.
See you in class!
great post! as a photographer i have always been careful about backing up my computer...after a fatal computer crash years ago that left me sad to have lost so many photos. i now pay to store my photos and my genealogy items online.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I use Dropbox already, but only for transferring files on a temporary basis. It is really cool.
ReplyDeleteWrestling with all the paper files, artifacts, digital files, etc. that I have has been one of my biggest tasks this past year, but I still have a long way to go. Organization really does make a huge difference.
I also struggle with trying to put my files in such order that if something were to happen to me, someone else could come along and pick up where I left off. Fortunately, my 10-year-old is interested in family history, but unfortunately, he'd find my files a mess right now!
I'm still learning how to use Dropbox so I am looking forward to his webinar on how to use it!
ReplyDeleteLisa