A Week of Learning About New Technology in Family History

Changes Good or Maybe Not so Good

I am very slow to take up a new technology or jump onto a new improvement in software, websites, etc. I remember upgrading a software program and HATING what I'd done. There were so many glitches that needed fixed and I wondered if the programmers were idiots!!! Had they not tested, Alpha Tested, Beta Tested and Fixed 99.99% of the problems? Good Grief. Anyway, you may have guessed that I have not gone upgrading my FaceBook into the new Timeline yet. Reading others FB pages is still a confusing thing for me. But then I haven't studied out how to use it yet. So, I guess I have no excuses.

Changing my Home Page

Changing my Home Page seemed like a really big task and I feared it, but as I had my daughter (25 year olds just intuitively know about computers) look over my shoulder, found out that it was a cinch. I had decided to make this change after listening to some of the sessions at RootsTech2 . I NEVER used Yahoo to search and ALWAYS used Google. I had a Yahoo home page because of an old email address. But, it became obvious to me that in order to really search out all avenues while researching my ancestors info and helping others to do the same as a Ward Family History Consultant, I was not being very efficient and I'd fallen behind in knowing about all the tools and techniques available to me. I became convinced that now was the time to change. Thus, I changed my home page to Google AND added the Genealogy Gems toolbar. Please understand I am still learning about all of the bells and whistles of both of these and the learning curve for this 67 soon to be 68 year old is slow and steady.

Online Learning is Just Perfect for us Older Genealogists

Now, I am going to set aside some time each day to listen to a podcast or a video about Genealogy to begin learning what I don't know and now need to know to keep current. Today I listed to Lisa Cooke's interview with Dick Eastman at RootsTech on "What is the Cloud?" I'd just asked my daughter this the other day and she'd replied that it was the ability to store, save records, documents on a very large fast super-server, that also gave you access to applications that could be used whenever needed. For instance on your ipod or ipad or smart phone without taking up the space on your hardware itself. Also, other people if granted permission, could have access to the same documents. This is especially helpful in business. AND in GENEALOGY for working with other researchers. Right at this point in time I don't have an ipad or ipod or smart phone, BUT I will have one day, so I am beginning to learn what I need to know now.

Stepping Off the Solid Earth into Cyberspace and the Cloud

You'll never guess why I wanted to know about the Cloud... well, I am going to begin a series in my blog on "A Genealogist Looks at Isaiah," and post what I see on this blog. The Cloud idea came while studying Chapter 19 in Isaiah.

SCRIPTURE: "The Lord rideth upon a swift cloud." --Isaiah 19:1

Yes, I know that I'm a genealogy nut and this may seem like an obscure reference to a "Swift Cloud" but hey, what the heck, why shouldn't I personalize the scriptures. Most clouds aren't "swift" yet swift is one of the attributes of what Cloud Computing is all about. Worldwide access to information in an instant. My Isaiah study will become a sub series of blogs that I will post here. You will be able to find what I do on this topic by searching under Isaiah studies in the search box.