A Busy Two Weeks of Genealogy On The Horizon

A quick note as I dash out the door for my flight to O'Hare Airport here in Chicago to catch a flight to Salt Lake City!

I will be spending the next two weeks in what I call "Genealogy Heaven" attending the following events:

• Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy: I will be taking the American Records I track during Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (January 23-27, 2012) produced by friend and colleague Paula Stuart-Warren. I've been looking forward to this for almost a year now.  For me, this week will be more than just attending the classes.  Since I'll be producing the Internet track for SLIG 2013, I'll be shadowing the process and pretty sure I'll annoy the heck out of Paula with my questions.  Note to self: take Paula out to lunch or dinner at least once this week!

• Association of Professional Genealogists - Professional Management Conference: On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, I will be presenting "Virtual Presentations for Professional Genealogists" at the APG PMC.  Being selects is a big honor for me and I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge of webinars from the presenter's point of view to many of my colleagues in the field.

• RootsTech: Not only will I get to meet over 84 genealogy bloggers from around the world, but I'll be attending the largest genealogy and technology conference in the world at RootsTech from February 2-4, 2012.  I expect to meet lots of people, give two presentations and a luncheon keynote speech as well as have lots of fun!

I expected to have a backpack filled with tech gear in order to stay connected but if you get a slower response from me than usual, just realized that I'll be up to my ears in genealogy for the next two weeks!

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

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Why This Site Will Blackout for SOPA

Over at GeneaBloggers today I provided information to the genealogy online community about the SOPA Blackout as well as some resources you can use to blackout your own blog. Here are my personal reasons for participating in the blackout.

• I'm not doing this because the cool kids are all doing it.  I've been tracking the SOPA issue for weeks now.  I had decided last week to participate.  Even barring total withdrawal of the SOPA and PIPA legislation, I feel strongly that the issue of Internet censorship needs to be highlighted.

• Besides, a day off the Internets is probably good for all of us.  Work on your writing, scan some photos and documents.  I may actually do a total withdrawal including Twitter and Email.  Shocking, right?

• Most people in the genealogy community understand my commitment to copyright and intellectual property issues especially in the genealogy community.  I've been a strong advocate for educating oneself on the laws and the do's and don'ts.  I've actively pursued sploggers and violators and share my knowledge with other bloggers.

• But the solutions to piracy proposed by SOPA and PIPA are the typical half-a$$ed, intellectually lazy yet politically expedient "fixes" we've resigned ourselves to accepting from our lawmakers here in the United States.  A blackout is a very real way to say "We deserve better."

• Do I have a lot at stake?  Probably not as much as some of the larger venues participating like Wikipedia but every little bit counts.

All the blogs I run or where I am an author (see my Blogger profile at http://www.blogger.com/profile/09925130637060406529) will go black except for the FGS Conference News Blog, FGS Voice, GeneaPress, GeneaSpeak, GeneaWebinars, and ISBGFH Blog

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

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It's Not Easy Being Abundant

With my mantra for 2012 being one of "abundance," I've been slowly and sometimes painfully realizing that it isn't as easy as it seems to live the abundant life. Seems like it would be, right?  Being open to the bounty before you, in both the genealogy world and in the world in generally. Easy as cake.

Well it isn't.  It takes work.  It isn't just a matter of gathering up all these things that delight you, that open your mind, or that challenge your thinking. You need to choose. You need to discriminate. You need to curate.

That's the difference between someone who curates and someone who hoards: a hoarder gathers somewhat indiscriminately with little purpose besides gathering and possessing.  A curator gathers that which adds value.

I want to add value to my life and to the genealogy community.  I want to interact with those like minds, those curators, those genealogy passionistas.

And so I'm learning that I do need to pick my battles, I do need to decide how and when and why to engage, and I do need to let things go and take their own course without my involvement.  No matter how much others beg me to get involved.

I also need to trust.  If you know the story of the gathering of the manna from Exodus, you know that you could only gather what you could use that very day.  The manna would spoil and turn rotten the next day.  I need to trust that I can gather what I need for the day and that there will still be more abundance tomorrow.

Lesson learned: Do not waste time on negative people and thoughts.  Focus on the good that is in today and the promise of that same good tomorrow. You'll be better for it and so will your genealogy.

Photo: The Gathering of The Manna, ca. 1460-70, Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai, France via Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons 3.0 license.

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

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