1) The Official Unofficial Guide to Using Legacy Family Tree
by Geoff Rasmussen
I have been eying this book ever since it came out earlier this year. When I started researching, back in the late 1970s, I began by using Personal Ancestral File, and dutifully followed it throughout its iterations. Then I tried out Legacy and was hooked. The Legacy I have now is the Deluxe version, with all the bells and whistles on it you can imagine. I have tried some other software, but somehow it never measured up. And, yes, I have the instruction manual (in pdf format). And now here is a wonderful book (written by Geoff Rasmussen) with tips, tricks and - oh, bliss! - examples. (That's often how I learn best: not by reading line after line of text, but by somebody showing me in pictures how to do something.)
2) The Guide to FamilySearch Online
by James Tanner
I was very accustomed to using the old FamilySearch site. Then it was upgraded, and I am still stumbling about, discovering new things every day. So, I thought, apart from the fact that I love to read James Tanner's writing (and so I follow his blog, Genealogy's Star) - well, I'd be doing myself a favour if I read the instruction manual and found out how to get the best out of familysearch.org. I can tell already that it's not as dry and dull as some instruction manuals are. I am looking forward to delving into this one.
3) The Big Genealogy Blog Book
by Amy Coffin
I first heard about this one via a post on Karen Blackmore's Karen's Genealogy Oasis. I read through her recommendation of this book; it was written by Amy Coffin of The We Tree Genealogy Blog. Note that if you get it from lulu.com, you can download it in epub or pdf format. However, it is also available for the Kindle - but if you do as I did and bought it from lulu.com, and you also have calibre, you can convert it into the Kindle format.
I am only three-quarters of the way through it, but already I can see it has HUGE potential for unlocking my huge potential. It offers suggestions for projects and things you may not have even thought of doing. It includes:
Chapter 1: Why Start a Genealogy Blog?
Chapter 2: Six Blogging Myths
Chapter 3: Tips for Writing Good Blog Posts
Chapter 4: How to Get More Blog Readers
Chapter 5: How to Get More Blog Comments and Mentions
Chapter 6: Quality Control: A Blogger's Checklist
Chapter 7: Jump Start Your Genealogy Blog: 52 Ideas, 52 Weeks
Chapter 8: 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy
Chapter 9: 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History
Chapter 10: 25 Great Topics for Genealogy Society Blogs
Chapter 11: 20 Blog Topics for Professional Genealogists
and so far, the only parts which make my eyes glaze over a little are the ideas which are very US-centric. True, Amy does occasionally tack "if you are researching outside the United States"-type phrases onto the end of a sentence, but they tend to look rather like afterthoughts. Still, there are so many other ideas, prompts, and suggestions, that it doesn't really matter. It's a bit like coming across an excellent recipe book which has some recipes which include peanuts to which you have an allergy. You just ignore the recipes with peanuts. Doesn't make the other recipes any less delicious - and delicious is how this book is proving to be.
Thank you for the review. I appreciate the feedback.
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