Almost every holiday season since 2009 blogging buddy Amy Coffin of the WeTree Blog and I have met up in the real world for a genealogy break. We set aside the gift returns, Christmas cleanup, and dirty dishes to review the last year and set out a few objectives for the months ahead. One year we even managed to sneak in a few memorable hours researching city directories at the Los Angeles Public Library. It’s great fun to look back at 2010 and see what we accomplished.
This year, we picked a rendezvous spot midway between Amy’s family in Riverside and my home in Pasadena. We pretty much decided that we had done a fair job meeting our goals for the previous years, and should try it again in 2015. Amy came prepared with paper and pen, but I had to make do with the Notes app on my smartphone. Once again we each set goals in three areas. The only rule is that is has to be something actually doable, which eliminates “finishing” our genealogy by December.
My goals are:
Organizational — To move my blog to WordPress and create a reference archive of articles that is easy for readers to access. [Right now I’m a bit stuck on the tech part of this goal, but I’m working on it.]
Research — To finish my D.A.R. application at last! And, then, to work more on my Brown line.
Writing — To write a short e-book. I just finished a new print book due out in April, How to Archive Family Photos, and I’m looking for a shorter project that will let me learn the whole ebook process. Since Amy’s Big Genealogy Blog Book grew out of our 2011 Genealogy Goals, I know I have a mentor when I run into a snag and need help.
Amy will be sharing her 2015 goals over at the WeTree Blog. I can hardly believe that we’ve been doing this for over five years, but if our progress is any indication, setting goals with a friend really works! I’m fortunate indeed to have met Amy a few years ago at the SCGS Jamboree, and have to echo her question:
So genealogy friends, are you up to the challenge in 2015?
