How Social Media Helped Give Me a New Career

I was recently interviewed for a news article about social media at the website Second Act (which bills itself as an "online destination uniquely tailored to the needs and interests of readers over age 40."). In her piece entitled, Are You Google-able?,  the author Melinda Emerson interviewed several people who had undertaken a "midcareer makeover" like me.

Most of you know that back in late 2008, I was laid off from my job in the information technology field. After several months of looking for work and ending up back at another global law firm (and working with attorneys who are always the "smartest ones in the room"), I decided to "repurpose" myself and create a career in the genealogy field.

Eighteen months later, I have no regrets and am enjoying the fact that I've been able to turn an avocation into a vocation. So, everyone wants to know, "how did he do it?" Mostly with social media - the focus of the Are You Google-able? article.

In the article, Emerson and I spoke mainly about Twitter and how I have been able to leverage it to my advantage:

Thomas MacEntee, the 48-year-old founder of High-Definition Genealogy, says its best to think of social media as a garden you have to tend.

Laid off from his tech job in Chicago in late 2008, MacEntee reinvented himself as a family historian -- helping people investigate their family trees -- and utilizes social media to connect with clients. It took MacEntee about a year to build his business.

He's been so successful mastering the intricacies of Twitter -- the free service that allows users to share information in 140 characters or less -- that he now teaches a social media class for baby boomers called "Twitter: It's not just what I had for breakfast anymore."

He says the key to Twitter is giving as much as you get, and listening as much as you speak. He says some boomers have a problem with these concepts. "They think they are giving away their work for free, but it's part of building yourself as a brand and an expert," says MacEntee.

Take a look at the entire article since I feel it is spot on in terms of advice from the other experts, especially concerning LinkedIn. Did you know that one of my current and largest consulting clients found me because I had a LinkedIn profile complete with my resume?

© 2011, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Facebook, Child Abuse, and Challenging the Status Quo

[Editor's note: this is a heavily opinion-laden post which is unusual for me but does happen from time to time. Proceed with caution and an open mind.]

If you are a Facebook user, you know that there is a burnin' hot meme where users are changing their profile picture to their favorite childhood cartoon to raise awareness about child abuse.

Last night I did briefly post the above cave painting since it dates from the days of my childhood and is the closest thing to a cartoon during that time.  I have resisted the temptation to change my own Facebook profile pic (a face only a mother could love) for several reasons:

• I think there are copyright violations involved in using cartoon images which are the intellectual property of the artists or studios involved. I am serious about this - "lifting" these images only reinforces the concept that everything is free on the Internet.  As someone who writes and lectures on genealogy, I can tell you that it is a constant fight to protect my own work. And, I have yet to see any major studio step in and sponsor this meme or participate in any way.

• I don't see what the cartoons do to raise awareness of child abuse. Still within the past 30 minutes I've seen wall posts on Facebook that say, "Tell me again why we are all changing our profile pics to cartoons?" or "Why are do so many people have a cartoon as their profile photo?" I understand the ribbon awareness campaigns that started with the red ribbons in the 1980s to raise AIDS awareness.  So I get how it is supposed to work. But in most of these campaigns there is an organization behind the awareness raising.  Also there is a set statement as to what the symbol represents.  I don't see that with the current child abuse awareness meme.

I am not trying to be a naysayer here or spoil other peoples's fun. I get child abuse and the need for awareness.  In fact, those close to me know that I lived it. I was one of those kids whose nighmares came during the daytime. Well actually, at all times and I would never know what could set "it" off. Several horrendous incidents have shaped me, and will continue to shape me, for the rest of my life. So, unfortunately, I have some street cred when it comes to being able to talk about child abuse.

What disturbs me more is what I am seeing over on Facebook and other social media venues about those who want to offer a different opinion of this meme. There are some offhanded comments being made as some that are very deliberate and hateful. Why is it that when someone offers a differing opinion along with some solid advice and a different approach, that they are accused of being not just a spoil sport but downright evil?

Is it because the topic is child abuse? At one point a few days ago I said to myself, "Let's just see how quickly this devolves into one hot mess when someone offers a different opinion. I bet someone is accused of being pro child abuse or anti-children." And sometimes when I talk to myself I'm not just playin' crazy, these things come true.

And I'm not talking about someone who goes against the current just to be a contrarian or stir up the sh*t pot because they think it is fun. "Ummmm, let's see who I can piss off today . . ." Many of these people don't offer strong arguments for their opinions or are not open to the opinions of others.

The Internet, and all its social media wonders like blogs, Facebook and Twitter, has been a great vehicle in bringing folks together. And like family, when folks get together there are different opinions, each one valid, each with its own voice. I have to say I appreciate people like Kerry Scott at Clue Wagon who dare to offer their take on a meme or even a practice within the genealogical community.

For me, one of my 2011 New Year's resolutions is to challenge the status quo especially in the field of genealogy but also wherever I see people embracing concepts or ideas without stopping to think. Think whether the concepts are flawed or if a different approach might work better. Most of these challenges will deal with genealogy but occasionally you'll see me on my soap box on other issues too. I don't do this to rile people up. I do this because one of the biggest gifts given me is the ability to think and I guess I expect my readers to do the same.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Finally! My Book Is Finished!

I am proud to say I have finished my first genealogy-related book! The title is Approaching the Lectern: How to Become a Genealogy Speaker by me, Thomas MacEntee.

Approaching is a 38-page handbook for genealogists and family historians (the hobbyists as well as the professionals) who want to learn how to effectively speak at genealogy conferences, genealogical society meetings and other venues.

You can read more about the book and check out sample pages over at my other blog, The Connected Genealogist.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

News Coverage of My Recent Social Networking Presentation

You gotta love Google Alerts.  This morning one of my alerts (set for the word "geneabloggers") popped up in email and it was for an article in the Itasca Press (IL) about Facebook use among the over-50 set and my recent appearance at the Bloomingdale Public Library.

Entitled Baby Boomers Connect With Facebook, the article discusses the ways in which older Americans are utilizing this social media site to not just keep tabs on children and grand-children but also to connect with others including genealogists.

The article referenced my presentation Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists which I gave on July 14, 2010 in Bloomingdale, IL.  Included are some photos of me and the participants and I feel the story presents good coverage on the Facebook phenomenon among the Baby Boomers.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

About Those Predictions of Doom

Don't reach for your tinfoil hat right yet or get your genealogy data bunker ready. Despite all the hubbub about comments made by Curt B. Witcher at the recent BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, I have to respectfully disagree with those comments as they pertain to genealogy data and its preservation.

Perhaps it is the fact that I usually take a dim view of any predictions of doom, perhaps it is my self-characterization as a "glass half-full" kind of guy, I'm not sure.  But if anything, the use of the word doom so close to the words genealogy and data, will absolutely catch my attention and force me to investigate further.

• Should we be worried about the destruction of records at court houses and other governmental institutions?  Of course, but is this worry a new one?  There has always been the need for vigilance and outside watch dogs to keep tabs on these vital sources of information.

• Should we be concerned that people are not preserving their communications as they once did, say in the letter writing days? We communicate in a variety of different ways in the 21st century and while letter writing is not among the top methods, as new modes of sending information develop, so too do means of archiving and saving such data.  Take Twitter for instance: the Library of Congress recently announced that it has acquired the entire Twitter archive.

• Are we doing enough personally to preserve our own information, such as email? Even for a techie like me, email management is a nightmare.  But the focus should be on backing up ALL of our own data - whether it be genealogy-related or not.  This is my monthly rallying call on the first of each month at GeneaBloggers when Data Backup Day arrives.

One comment with which I agree whole-heartedly, especially as a blogger, is the advice to just write.  I've said this hundreds of times when someone says, "I don't want to get into blogging about my family history because I am such a poor writer."  Nonsense, I say.  Don't write for anyone but yourself.  Write from your heart.  Write to give your ancestors new voices in these modern times.  Write to preserve their memories, and your family's memories, and your memories of all of them.

These are hopeful times in my opinion especially with all the technology available for us to digitize and preserve records.  But we should not become complacent in the fact that technology will take care of this all by itself.  Data preservation does require vigilance, it requires watch dogs and it requires rallying calls.  I just don't know that a doomsday prediction is the right call.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

APG PMC Night of the Roundtable

Sorry for the bad pun but I am really psyched about this opportunity: I've been named as a participant in the upcoming Annual Meeting and Roundtable of the Association of Professional Genealogists being held on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

You can read more here over at my business site, High-Definition Genealogy.  I can't wait to participate in what should be a stimulating conversation about how professional genealogists can build a Web presence.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Social Media - Overstepping The Boundaries

What happens when you follow a genealogy-related company on Twitter - or any company for that matter - and suddenly their messages veer from being genealogy-focused to what some might consider being political or religious in nature?

Some background: many readers know that I am a big social media fan especially in terms of incorporating it with your genealogy research. I write about the topic and I speak about the topic. I mostly use Twitter to promote the GeneaBloggers site, its events and activities and to assist others with their genealogy blogs or other aspects of genealogy. To me this is all part of building a community.

In doing so, it goes without saying that I come in contact with a very diverse group of people most of whom have various opinions on many subjects. This I like. Occasionally I will follow someone on Twitter who appears to share an interest in genealogy and their recent "tweets" (messages) also demonstrate that interest. And sometimes a few of these people will feel it necessary to push a specific political or religious viewpoint. I am a tolerant person and I don't have a problem with the occasional expression of opinion on current topics or matters important to the person. It is rare that I decide to "unfollow" someone on Twitter - usually if the person's tweets are no longer focused on genealogy, that is why I drop them.

But when I follow a genealogy-related company or an organization such as a library or genealogical society, I don't expect the social media person for that company to express an opinion on political or religious matters. To me, it usually means someone new to social media doesn't understand separating the "brand" from "personal views." Even if the genealogy company were to hold a specific view, I don't expect to see it in a Twitter message. Most social media practitioners know to set up a different account for those views.

What happened yesterday is this: I began following a relatively new Twitter account under the name @un4tunatecookie. When I chose to follow, I could see the link to the website which is affiliated with Footnote.com. I purchased a Footnote subscription over a year ago and have been a big fan of their site and the research opportunities they provide to genealogists. So, I figure this "unfortunate cookie" thing is a fun way to learn about history and my followers on Twitter might like to follow as well.

After some very genealogy-focused tweets this week, this message appears: "Finally! We are represented and can do something about this economy/private sector http://www.thefreeenterprisenation.org @thefreenation"



I wasn't so much offended as I was surprised that a message like this would come from a genealogy-related vendor. So I used the "direct message" function (which is a private message which cannot be viewed by your other Twitter followers) to ask if this was a mistake and suggest that perhaps their Twitter account had been hacked. I also sent feedback to Footnote letting them know what had occurred. I also noticed that the tweet was sent using TweetDeck which means the person could be handling more than one Twitter account and simply sent the link from the wrong account.

I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with the link to Free Nation Enterprise - I tend to keep my political and religious views private or only share them with family and close friends. I may be old-fashioned but that's how I was raised - I was taught never to discuss religion or politics with strangers.

Later on in the day, the message "disappeared." Well, to a point. I'm assuming the user somehow removed the tweet:



But a search on Twitter shows that removing a tweet does not exactly remove it from the timeline:



This could be a case of a social media newbie - which I once was. I'll admit that I too started out not following all the do's and don'ts as I should have. Until I can get some answers I'm willing to give the person tweeting and Footnote the benefit of the doubt and mark this up as a simple mistake. I have made several attempts to contact Footnote concerning this issue but as of yet I have not received a response.

I also know it isn't easy to build community especially when tweeting as a business or an organization. I've observed that social media is about people wanting to engage with others and that is best done on a personal level. A good example is the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, who tweets under the name @zappos. Hsieh with over 1.3 million followers has excelled at engaging customers (and potential customers) so they feel they are conversing with a person and not a company's marketing division.

For those genealogy and family history fans who use Twitter (other other forms of social media like Facebook or even blogs), how do you handle people who express political or religious views? Do you follow them even if their views don't agree with yours? Do you follow a diverse group with different views? Do you only follow people with the same interest in genealogy (or scrapbooking or blogging, etc.) and if certain messages make you uncomfortable, how do you handle it? Do you "drop" them and not let them know why? And what about businesses - do you use a different standard for following them? I'm interested to hear what others have to say - I think the dialog would be very valuable.

How Big Is It? Quality Over Quantity

I was reading an interesting post by fellow genealogy blogger Martin Hollick over at The Slovak Yankee which got me to thinking - does size really matter?

Of course Martin was talking about family tree charts and how while in my own recent post I commented about finally locating all 16 of my great-great-grandparents, it really is the width not the length that is important when it comes to one's own family tree. Martin states "The real works is knowing all your ancestors in any given generation. Researching one name is easy. Researching 128+ names takes some work."

What Martin was touching upon pertains to "quality over quantity" and something that is easy for genealogists to overlook. How many times has it happened that you mention to someone you've just met that you are involved with genealogy and then . . . BOOM! . . . their first question is, "So how far can you go back?" I would much rather have a small thoroughly researched tree and not take shortcuts rather than have a tree that reaches back 20 generations but whose roots are weak and not well-documented. That tree could fall over at any time.

* * *

As I get older, I do seem to be looking more for quality over quantity and I think this is only natural as people age. When it comes to gifts, I would rather be given an "experience" such as a spa day or tickets to a historical tour than an actual item. The same is true for me with my genealogical experiences. Here's what I mean:

• Right now I've been following developments over at GenealogyWise which is one week old today - well not officially since I believe their launch date was officially set as tomorrow, July 17, 2009. While the site has seen rapid growth, I am hoping that they stress quality not quantity. They've had some missteps and stumbles (especially with a recent contest which looked for numbers to increase not the quality of content) but that is to be expected from a one-week old.


• One common concern about GenealogyWise is the idea of standards. There seems to be a proliferation of groups at the site but no easy way to find the ones that have quality content and there are no standards as to what does or does not constitute a group. Also many are wielding the tired old "professional genealogist vs. hobby genealogist" sword which cuts both ways if you know what I mean. Standards are great if they actually mean something. And if they aren't used to constantly remind others whether they are inside or outside the margins.
  
  
• There is also a great discussion going on over at Creative Gene in a post entitled To Group or Not To Group, That is the question . . . which also touches upon the theme of standards and quality. Read the comments to see the entire conversation and you'll realize that many of us who blog about our genealogy and family history love the idea of community but we want it to have meaning. There are some great suggestions about how to move the geneablogging group forward whether it be throught GeneaBloggers or some other means. Thank you Jasia for your post - I think the feedback it has generated is very valuable.

Is it just me or have there been some great thought-provoking posts in the genealogy blogosphere this week? Perhaps we've all recharged our batteries since Jamboree and now we are getting back to the business of sharing our collective knowledge, seeking quality over quantity, and asking the questions that need to be asked.

@ Copyright 2009, Thomas MacEntee

thisMoment - Social Media Scrapbooking

I stumbled upon a new site this morning called thisMoment which bills itself as a way to "save and share life's moments" allowing you to easily create multimedia journal entries and then share them with friends and family.

With the concept of "you over time" thisMoment wants users to capture a moment such as a graduation ceremony or a day at the zoo and build a mini digital scrapbook using video, photos and commentary. There are some great privacy features built in so you can only share your "moment" with those you desire. And thisMoment is collaborative meaning you can have others add content as well as comments via Facebook connect.

It will be interesting to see if and how the genealogy community embraces thisMoment as a way to transform their research into multimedia presentations. Another interesting concept would be to create a collaborate scrapbook of a genealogy event like the upcoming Jamboree in Burbank this weekend.