Why Is This Website Not Working ?!?!

Have you ever tried accessing a website and just can't seem to connect? There are often some very simple explanations.  You may be misspelled the address, or you aren't connected to the internet or your internet connection is REALLY slow. But if you have gone through the obvious list of reasons and find that none of them apply and STILL can't get a connection it may be that the website itself is just not working properly at the moment.  I know - it's frustrating.

But there is a way to check and see if it is down for everyone or just you. You can go to the site Down For Everyone Or Just Me, type in the address of the web page you are trying to access, and voila! an instant answer to your question.

Websites are often down for maintenance (although they try to do that in the dead of night so that the least amount of people are affected), a glitch, software problems, hacking ... the list goes on.

So next time you can't get access to something on the web, try Down For Everyone Or Just Me and save yourself a lot of frustration.

Document Scanning

You don't have to haul around another piece of hardware to scan documents when you go on a research trip. Although many of you are familiar with small, portable, cordless scanners such as Flip-Pal, you can do the same thing with your phone. Dick Eastman just published a post in this Online Genealogy Newsletter entitled, How To Quickly Scan Documents Using an Android and Google Drive or an iPhone and Dropbox which is worth reading.

In his article, he provides links to video instructions on how to do both. And don't forget, those of you who have Evernote installed on your phone, you can scan documents, photos, maps, whiteboards, or just about anything else with your Evernote app and store it in Evernote.

Going paperless rocks!

Digital Scrapbooking

I want to thank Bob for sharing this information.  Kim Komando recently did a video on How To Create An Amazing Digital Scrapbook.  Very well done, and, in this age of digital communication, a nice way to present our family history research to the rest of our family and friends.

Educational Opportunity

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) has recently launched a new educational series called Branching Out.  There are five modules in the program which allow you to learn at your own pace, from the comfort of home.  Dick Eastman recently posted about this new program on his blog, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.  You can go directly to the NGS site for more information as well.

I can't emphasize enough how much can be learned from seminars, webinars and online classes. As much as we try to cover as many pertinent topics and learning tools in our meetings - there is no substitute for getting out there and educating yourself in the areas you find interesting or need more information about. NGS also provides PDF courses, other online courses, and a home study course.

The National Genealogical Society is one of the largest and most respected groups for the study of family history.  Annual membership is $65/year and is a good investment for anyone serious about digging into their roots.

Hope you will check it out and take advantage of what the NGS has to offer.

The Password Conundrum

At our last meeting, we briefly discussed the problems associated with remembering (or misremembering) our passwords.

I thought I would share this recent article in The Washington Post about a new trend in password configuration.  I think you will find this method a LOT easier to work with.

July 27 and August 10th meeting items

Thank you to all of those who attended these meetings and the terrific questions.  Here are some of the resources we discussed during the meetings:

1) History lines - to get information about your ancestors and what was happening in their lives, there is a fee to get to this website, click here
2) Robert Worst Family Genealogy example posting: Click here
3) Patriot History: click here
4) Brick Wall Busters: click here
5) London / England researcher - fee based website: click here
6) Guide to New York City Archives: click here
7) index to Early Family History Bibles: click here
8) Armchair Genealogist: click here
9) Genealogy Gems website: click here

We hope that these reference sources will help you in your family history journey.

See you next meeting.

How I'm Using Evernote For Genealogy

For those of you who are just now finding Evernote - for anyone who has been using it for a while, Janine Adams just posted How I Use Evernote For Genealogy on her blog, Organize Your Family History.  This is just her system for keeping a research log, task list, resource log, etc. but I have always found that taking a look at how someone else does something often helps me find a way that works well for me.

Hope you will take a look at it!