By now you’ve all heard about 3-2-1 computer backup. Having three copies of your data makes sense, but this relies on knowing where your data is in the first place. Is everything on your computer? What about the external drive in the closet? Or the SD cards in the drawer? Is some of your data in a cloud application, and what happens to that data if you forget to pay the subscription? I call this problem “Data Scatter” and it is the enemy of the 3-2-1 backup model. It’s hard to back up all your data if the primary copies are scattered everywhere. Let’s walk through the problem and we’ll propose a few things you can do to reign in your data and give the 3-2-1 backup model a fighting chance.

There is a treasure trove of untapped research sources online: the electronic book or ebook. Repositories are digitizing publications and putting them online for us to use without having to leave the comfort of our homes. We will explore all the options that are out there to move your research forward.

Oh yes, you’ve got Facebook and Twitter accounts. But are you using them to the max for their family history possibilities? And why having an Instagram account or TikTok’s can be precious in your research? And how does it all work anyway? With this “Top 10 Tips for Genealogists on Social Media”, you’ll learn how to make the best of your social media time with family history in mind. A webinar you’ll like, share and retweet for sure!

You may be missing 30% of genealogy discoveries if you’re not digging into issues of old periodicals for biographical profiles, stories about ancestral churches or schools, how-to tips for researching a locale, indexes and transcripts of local records. Learn to find and access this content using PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE on the Allen County Public Library website, and hear success stories that can inspire your own searches.

WordPress is a free open-source software system used by millions of people around the world to create beautiful blogs and websites. But WordPress also has a reputation for having a bit of a learning curve, especially for new users who are just getting started with the platform. Whether you are an absolute beginner, or someone who needs a refresher, this webinar will help reduce the “overwhelm” by showing you how quick and easy it is to get started building your website with WordPress!

Canva is a freemium model cloud-based graphic design app that allows even the most design-challenged genealogist to create attractive digital and print products. Colleen uses it frequently to create visuals for my blogs, social media posts, videos and reports, and for family celebrations. We will walk through navigating around the browser interface and features, review the various design libraries, and demonstrate some of her regular design use cases. We will also discuss free personal Canva, premium Canva Pro, and Canva’s Nonprofits program for your society.

Everywhere we turn we hear from someone recommending the latest and greatest apps and tools to use in our research. But should we try to use all of them? Some of them? None of them? How do you choose what is best for you? We will go over the research process and help you decide which of your own activities need special tools and which work well with the standard tools we all should use.

Based on resources collected for the Net Notes Column of Internet Genealogy which I have authored since 2006. These will be not-yet-published resources from the US, Canada, UK, and from countries around the world. A real smorgasbord of topics, time periods, etc. A little bit of something for everyone.

If headstones could talk, they would have a lot of stories to tell. But they can’t, so BillionGraves is the next best thing. BillionGraves is the world’s largest GPS-linked cemetery data resource. As you take photos with the BillionGraves app on your phone, each gravestone is automatically marked with a GPS location. The data is then transcribed by volunteers, plotted on cemetery maps, and preserved on BillionGraves, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage websites for millions of families around the globe for generations to come.

Ransomware is a form of malware (malicious software) that encrypts a victim’s files so they cannot be accessed. The attacker then demands that the victim pay a ransom in order to have access to their files restored. Maybe, you’ve heard about ransomware in the news and thought it was a business problem, but in truth over 75% of ransomware attacks are aimed at individuals and small businesses. Why, because you are easy targets. Learn more about ransomware and what you can do about before it strikes, and if you are attacked how you can recover.

Geni volunteer curator, E. Randol Schoenberg, describes the advantages of building your family tree collaboratively on Geni.com. Topics discussed include the Geni relationship finder, dna integration, finding correcting mistakes, using different languages, ancestor and descendant reports, merging duplicates, getting help with public discussions, using the Actions menu and projects.

Time and time again, we’re told to look at records in the context of the law at the time and in the place where the records were created. Easier said than done! With 50 states and the federal government all passing laws, how do we find the laws we need? One answer is Google Books—if we use it to full advantage.