A Few Genealogy Challenges For You!

Yesterday I completed the Genealogy Meme proposed by Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions and it got me thinking.

There are a couple of items not on the list that I see as important or growing more important in the genealogy community.  So I'd like to propose a couple of items be added and I'm challenging you to try them yourself!

Attend an online Webinar (or Explorinar)
Few of us can afford to attend all the conferences we would like in order to hear all the speakers we would like to hear.  Lucky for us we all have the opportunity to attend an online Webinar or Explorinar from the comfort of our own home and most times for FREE!


One of my favorite sources for free Webinars is Legacy Family Tree.  This month alone they have featured free webinars by Thomas MacEntee, Paul Allen and Marian Pierre-Louis!  Upcoming Webinars will feature Dan Lynch and Lisa Alzo.  Just go to the Legacy website to register.  If you can't attend the Webinar at its scheduled time, many are available to listen to for FREE for 10 days following the presentation.  Most are also available for purchase.

You can also find a list of webinars by visiting the GeneaWebinars site.

Explorinars are a creation of Thomas MacEntee.  He describes them as "A casual exploration of a website, an application or some other program that could be useful to genealogists and family historians.  Explorinars are free and limited to 100 participants.  There are no handouts so please take notes."  I have attended a couple of these and find I really enjoy this format.  It is strictly an hour long (perfect for my busy schedule) and while there are no handouts the interactive chat feature allows you to ask your questions in real time and receive real time answers!  To find out about upcoming Explorinars keep an eye on the Genealogy Education tab on High-Definition Genealogy.

Join Google+ 
At first I didn't understand the reason for joining Google+.  I have my Facebook page so why would I be interested in Google+?  The answer is...for the circle feature!  On my Google+ page I have created a circle for all my Genealogy friends.  I love being able to go to one source to get updates on what they are doing or their latest posts.  If you haven't been invited yet to join Google+ just leave a comment below.  I have many invitations still to give.

To learn more about Google+ be sure to register for Dan Lynch's FREE Webinar "A Closer Look At Google+"  on Wednesday, November 30th.  Follow the link here.

Set up a Twitter account and Tweet Deck and follow your favorite genealogists
This is just plain fun!  When I turn on my computer I open my Tweet Deck and all day long I receive the Tweets of some of my favorite peeps!  A short list of those I follow include Thomas MacEntee, Tina Lyons, Megan Smolenyak, Miriam Robbins, Lynn Palermo, Cyndis List, Dick Eastman and Dear Myrtle herself!

I learned all about Twitter and Tweet Deck by attending Myrtle's FREE Webinar back in June.  If you'd like to listen to the Webinar you can download it from Lulu here.  Cost of the download is just $5.99.

So there are my three challenges to you.  I hope you all pick one and give it a try.  Maybe you have a challenge of your own you like me to take on. If you do let me know by leaving a comment below.  I think I'm up for it!