Genealogy Do-Over Week 4 Cycle 4: 23-29 October 2015

Genealogy Do-Over - Week 4, Cycle 4: 23-29 October 2015

The premise: Each time you enter search criteria in an online search form – be it a Google search or Ancestry.com search, track it. There is actually a worksheet tab in the Research Log template called Search Attempts where you can enter data. So what do I track? The Date I performed the search. The Website where the search was used. Notation of a specific Database where the search was performed, if applicable Type of search (this field is becoming less relevant over time and I may just remove it) The Criteria used for the search, i.e. “AUSTIN John Ralph birth” or “Last name = AUSTIN, First name = John . . .” Results is where I add the URL link And I enter my analysis or thoughts about the search in the Notes field. And why do I track searches? One reason: I can take the search criteria I use on Ancestry.com and see what results I get over at MyHeritage or at FamilySearch. Another reason: Very often new records are added to a record set or a record set is re-indexed. It pays to return to the record set and repeat the search to see if new records are found. What I Plan to Do: Continue tracking my searches as time permits. All-In Participant Options: Consider tracking your searches. Take a minute and enter three searches – perhaps the ones you do most often. See if tracking the searches and entering a link for each search can save you time. Modified Participant Options: This topic may not be relevant since many doing a Go-Over are not actively researching, just reviewing and editing current data. ******* It is SO important to keep track of searches! I think of a search as a map ... sometimes it leads you to expected places, and sometimes to unexpected ones!