Shannon Bennett – Page 12 – International Institute of Genealogical Studies

Writing as Volunteer Work

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student Like many genealogists, I have a service heart. I like giving back to the community and helping others in any way that I can. Which is why I think that Module 4 of the course Writing for Genealogy: Articles, Blogs, Research Reports and so much more was a very important one. This module covered how to write for societies and ways writing can give back to the genealogy community. Let’s face it, sometimes it is easier to write if you are volunteering than if you are trying to actually work for yourself. Like me, you may be involved with a genealogy society. If not now maybe you will be in the future. After a while of being a “regular” at meetings you might find that some of the members want you to take on responsibilities. Trust me, it happens. That is why I loved that the course author, Jennifer Holik discussed ways to write for societies. She covered president’s reports and secretary responsibilities, but I had hoped she would write even more about newsletters. The secretary section covered a lot of the items a newsletter should have, but I think that working on a newsletter is one way people can really get their writing feet wet. It is much less intimidating to write for a local newsletter than to try your hand at a large publication. Trust me! Of course we couldn’t have a post about volunteer writing and not cover indexing projects. They are easy, fun, and essential for future generations. I helped out with the 1940 US Census project as an Ambassador and indexer. It was a great project, and similar ones are happening now, not only through national organizations but on the local level. Many people are nervous about doing indexing or transcription projects. I think this is a great way to not only give back but also to hone your skills. Oh, and get to know your area better. If you are a new transplant to your area, projects like these help you learn about the local records and make friends at repositories. Once again, as with all skills, the more you do the better you get. Jennifer includes guides on how to get started indexing, resources to read so they are not frightening, and suggestions on how to start your own project. She sets it up nicely so when you…

Grammar, Writing, and Writing Groups

By Shannon Combs Bennett, Student Alright, Module 1 of the course Writing for Genealogy: Articles, Blogs, Research Reports and so much more spoke to me. Remember how I confessed I am not a grammar person and spelling eludes me in the introduction post to this course? Well, yeah, guess what Module 1 covered? Yep, all that fun stuff. Oh, and education. Specifically education on writing. WIN! Our instructor subtly chastised those of us with poor grammar and who are spelling challenged. Yeah, I know it’s important, but for some reason my scientific mind just won’t let that stuff penetrate. It’s like my brain sees the rules coming toward it and an invisible field pops up bouncing it back and a blank confused stare comes across my face. I will endeavor to be better, and stop bothering friends to edit my work. Well, I will try to not do it so often. How about that? I was excited to see the large number of resources listed for further education. Pages in fact on so many topics that will help you write better. Currently I am trying to locate some of them either through the library or on sale. You can never have too many books. In addition to books there were also websites you can take to help with your writing education. I looked a few of them up and there was some really good websites listed. One that is mentioned that I have some experience with is Lynn Palermo’s The Armchair Genealogist. Lynn’s website is amazing and every year she has a month of prompts and writing guides to help you become a better writer. Everyone should check it out if they are trying to get started. To be honest I was fascinated by the section on writing groups. It is something that I know people do, and it’s a cool concept, but honestly I had no idea what they were for. After reading about all the different types and how they are supposed to work, it makes me want to run out and find a local group. Or heck, start my own. In particular I could see how a writing group of people from different backgrounds and writing styles who came together to receive honest feedback on their work could be very useful. I know I would benefit from getting criticism of my writing from people who could be honest,…

Beginning My Next Course: Writing for Genealogy

By Shannon Bennett, Student Until a few years ago I didn’t think of myself as a writer. Lab reports, I could write those, they were methodical and easy. Or at least I thought so. Too many times through my education I was told that I didn’t have “it” for writing. Mainly the “it” referred to the rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The bane of my primary school years were all those rules that made my head hurt. However, give me a good creative writing assignment and I was off. In fact in 9th and 11th grade I placed in school-wide writing competitions that didn’t necessarily care about the intricacies of the English language, but focused on the content of the prose. Now that I am researching and documenting my family history I write more and more each day. With the increase in my writing came a knowledge that writing for the purposes of genealogy was a whole new ball game for me. What in the world was I in for? At the time I read genealogy magazines and journals looking at them like they were a foreign language. Blogs on every topic were available, and I quickly fell into writing my own. My writing evolved and took on a life of its own. But, was there more to it than what I was already doing? I honestly didn’t know. Which is why I am here. This course, Writing for Genealogy: Articles, Blogs, Research Reports and so much more , looked fascinating to me. Secretly I hope that I will learn some pointers on becoming a better writer as well as learning more about what it means to write in the genealogy world. Really, any pointers would be great. From the syllabus it looks like our instructor, Jennifer Holik, covers many forms of writing that a genealogist could be involved in. Everything from small scale to large publications and society level to national. Students who takes this course should have a good starting point for any type of genealogical writing they may want to do. In particular I am interested to hear what she says about blogs (since I write one), marketing (because everyone should know a little about that), and her opinions on speaking (particularly contracts). I am certain I will pick up something new, and if you are just getting started the syllabus looks like a very complete…

10 Things I Think You Should Know About Google

By Shannon Bennett, Student One of the courses offered to potential students from The National Institute is Google for the Wise Genealogist . I signed up for this course at a local genealogy seminar, but many of you might have registered for it at any of the big conferences where The National Institute has a booth. It is a good course that gives the student a basic run down on using Google for genealogy and, since the website changes frequently, is updated annually. To stray away from my normal blog post method of a series of posts taking you through all the modules, I thought we would do it a bit differently this time. Today, you are getting 10 things I think you should know about Google. All of which you will learn more about through this course. Without further ado, and in no particular order, the 10 items! 1. Maps: Okay, I know lots of you use Google Maps to plan routes for trips or to look up addresses, but there is so much more you can do with them! Have you ever thought about mapping out a person’s migration across the US or the world? Or how about using street view to see if the old family home is still there? 2. Alerts: Google Alerts are a great way to let the Internet do the work for you. Simply create an alert for a names, phrase, or location and let Google work its magic. When it finds what you are looking for you will get an email. 3. Books: I am a bibliophile. There is never enough books. Ever. However, my house and my pocket book disagree with me. With Google Books you have access to an amazing free library which could just hold the clues to your family history. 4. Drive: Do you share things with friends, family, and other researchers? Do you send them through the mail or via email? With Google Drive you can share a folder with someone and together you can collaborate over your computers. You see what they uploaded and any changes made to shared files too. Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, pictures, you name it you can upload it. 5. Blogs: So lots of people talk about how they blog. It seems to be the “in” thing, and as a blogger I personally feel it is awesome. However, I am told it is…

Wrapping Up U.S. Vital Records

By Shannon Bennett, Student Another great course is wrapped. US: Vital Records, Understanding and Using The Records is a required course for the American Certificate, but I feel it would be a great one to take if you are struggling to find those elusive BMDs in American records. While I did know a lot of the course information already I hope you could see from my prior posts how it wasn’t just a retelling of information which a majority of long-term researchers may already know. I touched briefly on the websites and resources included in the course a few posts back, but I wanted to talk to you a little bit more about those here. As usual with National Institute courses there was a fantastic reading list and suggestions where you could learn more information about what the instructor taught. This course was no exception. In fact, I am still going through some of the suggested resources. However, I thought I would touch on a few that I think would be useful to you in your research. Luckily, these are all online so you can research them to your heart’s content from your computer or tablet. There is also the added bonus for the two books listed that you do not need to worry about having to order them through interlibrary loan or purchasing a copy (The Source is a HUGE book by the way). Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources Daughters of the American Revolution FamilySearch Research Wiki The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy I hope you take the time to explore these resources. For American research they are considered go-to sources and vital to helping you break down your brick walls. I used them through the course to give me more insights into what I was learning as well. Plus I continue to use them as a road map for my current research. Overall I was pleased with the course and think you will be too. It was not too basic but not so advanced that a newer genealogist would get lost. I am pretty sure you can glean some useful gems from it. Well thanks for sticking around to see how it all turned out! Another basic level course done and I am chugging along to the next one. Up next is the course Google for the Wise Genealogist. See you online!