Get Yourself a Google Reader

I know there are some family and friends out there reading this blog that check it several times day to see if I have updated.

I personally read about 200 blogs. Not all of them are updated daily, but there's no way I'd ever have the time to check each one individually to see what's new.

Google Reader keeps track of my blog subscriptions and tells me when they are updated.

This tool isn't hard to use. You just have to take some time to figure it out. Fortunately, there's a blog post out there called Google Reader for Beginners. How did I find out about this handy lesson? It came through my Google Reader, of course.

Using Google Maps for Genealogy Road Trips

In preparation for my pending Pope County, Arkansas Ancestral Round-Up, I compiled a list of departed Williamsons (with some Russells, Bowdens, Loves, Hamiltons, Parkers, Brigances and one Fulton to boot). I sorted them by cemetery and made notes so I'd remember their connections to the family tree.

Then I used Google Maps to mark the six cemeteries I'll be visiting in Pope County. The directions I have for some are vague, but just seeing their approximate locations makes me feel confident I can find them.

Google Maps is an excellent collaboration tool for genealogists. Imagine being able to pull up a custom map for Rural County, in AnyState and see where all your ancestral burial grounds are found. People all over the world could work on the same map, marking exact spots where cemeteries, historical markers or special spots are located.

Just think, no more trying to find a cemetery with the directions "several miles east, past the fencepost, on a hill...." All you would have to do is access the map when you needed it.

Once I am sure about the locations of these cemeteries in Pope County are located, I'll release my map to the public. Hopefully others with an interest in Pope County will add to it and all will benefit.