Book of Me – Prompt 1 – Who am I?

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Prompt 1 went live earlier today. You can read the details HERE.

I am keeping my Book of Me as a private blog, but each week I will share some of my details within this blog.

Here is my responses for prompt 1.

A wife
An individual
A daughter
A family member
A friend
A professional
A Genealogist
An historian
A book reader
A pet lover – Alfie!
A colleague
A team member
A team player
A writer
A participant
A chocolate lover
An organizer
A facilitator
A committee member
A tea drinker

The answers are not in any particular order, they are recorded simply as they flowed, but it is interesting that I placed wife before individual.
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Guildford Cathedral ~ St Ursula’s Porch circa 1960

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Julie Goucher

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The Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 1

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Today is the launch of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30am UK time I will release the prompt for that week’s Book of Me, Written by You.

 If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE. 

The prompt for week 1 is a recognized psychology test

  1. Ask yourself 20 times “Who are you?”
Each time you should give yourself a different answer, and if you can easily go beyond 20 then that is fine too. The last time I did this (December 2012) I came up with 26. This is the sort of prompt that you can re do at various stages of your life, perhaps after some changes or at the start of the New Year.

This prompt is about how YOU see YOU.

A little later I will stop by with my answers.

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The Book of Me, Written by You

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Julie Goucher
20130830-182013.jpg

For details please visit the webpage HERE you will find the background details and the link to the Facebook page.

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Almost time for the Book of Me, Written by You

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher

We are just 2 days away from The Book of Me, Written by You, launch. The prompts will be delivered each week from 31st August 2013 through until the end of December 2014 via Thomas at Geneabloggers and via the Anglers Rest blog. There is a Facebook group set up read for discussion. You can read all about the project and find out what it is all about and sign up to the Facebook page HERE

Provided by Wordle – with thanks to TK

The first prompt is an easy one, but don’t let that fool you! The weekly prompts are a mixture of what looks on the surface as trivial, thoughtful and perhaps emotional, not to mention everything in between. They are delivered in a random fashion.

The Book of Me, Written by You is a real opportunity to explore your memories, thoughts, information from your life, things that you can remember, and perhaps the passing on of oral history.

This is a chance to explore yourself and create a legacy for future generations. This is truly a road of self discovery and exploration.

So what are you waiting for? 
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More on Thyroid…….and Genetics

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Julie Goucher

This is NOT a medical post and does not reflect any medical or pharmacological details – these are my opinions based upon reading and my professional learning.

A few weeks ago a newsletter I subscribe to, called Stop the Thyroid Madness shared the details of a medical study, which had been conducted in Italy. You can download the study HERE, but it was published in the Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology journal.

The Study was essentially about the potential link between Levothyroxine (T4) and lung cancer. There were several reasons why I read the article several times before writing this post.

  • I am a patient taking levothyroxine (T4) & have done so since 1992
  • I have a keen interest in all matters around the subject of hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism
  • I have to, for the day job conduct CPD, so this fits the criteria, albeit rather loosely
  • The study was conducted in 18 Italian regions. I am half Italian and Sicily was one of the regions used.
  • Question – what is, if there is one, the genetic link?
There was quite a lot of detail in the study and I am not going to bore readers who do not have an interest in this particular issue, but if you do, read the webpage and the study.It is informative and has made me ponder, question and debate the issue of genetics again.
The thread on the webpage had a few responses from those thyroid patients in the US, and the site is written by an American author, which is worth bearing in mind as in the UK things and thinking are a little different, although not necessarily correct.
There has always been this debate that T4 alone does not work. The reality is that in the UK we rarely prescribe T3 in addition to T4, although I was prescribed it from 1999 to 2008 when I stopped, on the basis that another study revealed that there was a potential link to heart disease.
Taking T4 is a hormone and as any women will know our hormone levels adjust on a fairly regular basis. Blood tests for T4 levels are should be done at least twice a year, and certainly within 8 weeks of any changes to T4 doses, as it takes 6 weeks for the levels to adjust.
I would like to see if this study is going to be done in the UK; perhaps at Bristol, who in the past have taken part in a number of studies. I am also going to write to the authors and ask the question around genetics.
As I said above, this is not a medical or professional post. This was merely reading which I undertook for my personal use and I know that I shared various thoughts and pondering’s about Thyroid and genetics before and I have several thyroid patients among my readership.
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Global Genealogy

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher

This morning whilst I was consuming a bowl of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut I was reading through my mail and I spotted a post from Jill who blogs at Geniaus. As I read through the questions listed, I put my cereal to one side and started to type up my response. Alfie was far from impressed as I always leave him a little milk at the end, which today was much longer! I know he is a very spoilt dog!

It occurred to me that without the internet I would never have met the genealogists that have taken part in Jill’s meme, or responded to the comments either via Jill’s or my Google+. Then I got to the bit in the questions about collaboration and then the idea of Global Genealogy came to me in a flash.

Image from Globe Photo

The concept is in fact a simple one, it actually connects what genealogists and especially those of us that blog do best. Collaborate. So here is the deal.

There will be a blog which will be hosted and written by us all. The vision is that there will be one post each day,- which means 365 people 365 blog posts. Or it could be 28 of us with a post, each writing a post on a particular date in the month, with days 29 – 31 covered by volunteers. It depends how much the word spreads, as to how many people want to take part.

The only criteria is that the post must be genealogical, family history or at least historical, local history connected in some way.

So that is easy….right?

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Another Geneameme & Global Genealogy

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Jill at Geniaus is at it again! – It’s time for a Geneameme to celebrate August, which has been family history month in Australian (New Zealand of course took part too!)

The challenge Jill has set is laid out fully at her blog post, but the questions are:

  1. What are the titles and URLs of your genealogy blog/s?
  2. Do you have a wonderful “Cousin Bait” blog story? A link to a previous blog post might answer this question. 
  3. Why did you start blogging? Is there someone who inspired you to start blogging?
  4. How did you decide on your blog/s title/s?
  5. Do you ever blog from mobile devices? What are they?
  6. How do you let others know when you have published a new post?
  7. How long have you been blogging?
  8. What widgets or elements do you consider essential on a genealogy blog? 
  9. What is the purpose of your blog/s? Who is your intended audience?
  10. Which of your posts are you particularly proud of?
  11. How do you keep up with your blog reading?
  12. How long have you been blogging?
  13. What platform do you use for publishing your blog/s?
  14. Which of your posts has been the most popular with readers?
  15. Are you a sole blogger or do you contribute to a shared blog?
  16. How do you compose your blog posts?
  17. Do you have any blogs that are not genealogy related? If you wish please share their titles and URLs.
  18. Have you listed your blog/s at Geneabloggers?
  19. Which resources have helped you with your blogging?
  20. What advice would you give to a new Geneablogger?
My main blog is Anglers Rest, which tends to cover all my interests, but mainly genealogy and books. I also have several other blogs, which deal with specific projects – 

Grave Encounters – which looks at cemeteries, graves and memorials etc

The titles of the blogs were pretty much set by the project they were covered, with the exception of Anglers Rest, which is the name of our house.

I share my blog posts, from all blogs via a network blog link up to my twitter feed. That same feed also shares to the Anglers Rest Face Book page.I also have an email subscribe facility on my blogs. I also share via Google+, which I am just starting to embrace a bit more. I think it is important to enable others to access your blog updates in a selection of ways. That way you can welcome dialogue with others; which is one of the points of blogging. 

I welcome comments to my blogs. I do not accept anonymous comments and do not use verification codes, which drive me nuts! I have a short time window for comments, so if a comments comes in after a particular time frame, then it is moderated. 

I started the Anglers Rest blog back in 2002 when blogging was just about starting. Many of my contemporaries were using Live Journal, which I found irritating, and eventually most of them moved to WordPress. I do have a page at wordpress which I developed as an attempt to undertake a small project to see how on got on with it, but I do prefer blogger!

The purpose of Anglers Rest was initially for my own amusement. I share the items which I find interesting, which are typically books and genealogy. Over time, especially the last few years I have gained quite a following, which is lovely that anyone should feel my inane drivel is worth reading! 

My audience is typically readers and book lovers and those from within the genealogical community which is a perfect fit! There are a few others including some former colleagues who occasionally mention that they read posts. The one thing I have never done is promote or really mention my regular day job, as blogging was really a release valve for me. Over recent years I can reflect that blogging has become part of my existence and I enjoy it, the interaction with others it brings, not just in terms of reading and commenting, but development further into Google hangouts.

One of the most useful and informative sites is run by Thomas at Geneabloggers – he has daily prompts which over the years I have randomly taken part in. Usually weekly there is a list of new genealogical bloggers which is added to his huge database. Mine are included and truly, the Geneabloggers site should be one of the first places a new genealogy blogger visits.

The biggest underestimation anyone can have is the power of blogging. Apart from being potentially therapeutic, it is a a huge source of information and friendship. I have developed some great friendships because of blogging. That extended source of collaboration is great and enables even the shyest of people to take part. The team mate spirit as a group of bloggers take part in lengthy events such as the April A-Z Challenge or Family History Writing Month. February was quite a busy genealogical month as you can see from my review post HERE. Further collaboration is with Historical Tapestry, a historical fiction blog that I contribute to and I contribute to The Grave Yard Rabbits, which has been on a summer break.

The process of blogging is a two way street. Since the demise of Google Reeder I can not get into the swing of thing, and am way behind on reading and commenting. I imported by Google RSS feed into both Feedly and Flipboard, which I prefer out of the two.
I like to compost my blog posts at my desk via laptop. I have an iPad, which is getting a little tired and now could do with being upgraded, but at my desk is where I feel more comfortable. However, I often have ideas for blogs and column posts (I write a blog post and a column post each month for the In-Depth Genealogist) when I am out and about or in front of the telly. Those notes are recorded either in my notebook or in OneNote.

I have had various posts over the years that seem to have received lots of comments either privately or by comments being left. Sometimes the interest in particular posts is curious. Posts which I think will be popular are not and vice versa.

Something that has been a success is The Book of Me, Written by You, which I am now going to give a shamelessly plug to. I have not created a blog for it, but the prompts will be delivered each week from 31st August 2013 through until the end of December 2014 via Thomas at Geneabloggers and via the Anglers Rest blog. There is a Facebook group set up read for discussion. You can read all about the project and find out what it is all about HERE
Now, given what I have said in response to Jill’s questions about blogging and it’s collaboration between genealogists. I am going to set a challenge. The internet has made interaction between genealogists across the world so easy. How about this. A blog that will embrace Global Genealogy daily. If you would like to take part in this collaboration blog please leave me a comment with your email address or send me an email with Global Genealogy in the subject line.
juliegoucher@GMail.com

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Jill, I have had a lovely hour or so responding to your questions. Thanks also must go to you for planting the seed of the global genealogy.
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The In-Depth Genealogist -Online Tree’s Survey

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Julie Goucher

The In-Depth Genealogist team will be hosting a discussion at Rootstech 2014 looking at the fascinating subject of Online Trees: The Root of All Evil.

To get everyone in the mood they have devised a short survey by which you can give some feedback.

You can complete the survey HERE  (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NZTJCRJ)

Now this is a fascinating debate and something well worth considering. I have mixed views about sharing data online. For me this is devised into two issues

  1. Plagiarism
  2. Inaccuracies
Sadly these two points seem to go hand in hand. Uploading a tree to a website, either your own site or at a research site such as Ancestry is of course a great idea, however, ancestors can be claimed by people who may have flawed research, or perhaps they claim photographs and articles and then use the material as their own, or attach it to the wrong individual. Actually the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Genealogy is about building your ancestral pedigree and family history is about fleshing out those names and dates and bring those people alive. 
As a researcher I of course have family trees. When I am working on a particular family I often draw a tree, as it helps me to put data into context. I put fact in one colour and hypothesis in another. I date the tree and indicate which colour is which. My own family history programme contains fact only and it is written in a way that enables me to track back the data using the paper trail. I have a tree on line which is private and it is there purely for my benefit. On the odd occasions I share a Gedcom file there are no sources – which is a deliberate act. If I am sent a Gedcom of someones research I never merge it with mine, until I have checked and followed a paper trail.

Do I miss out on genealogical connections?

 Quite possibly, but I do share information by

  1. Blogging about ancestors, either in full or by sharing snippets of information and then by using the labels to track posts
  2. Adding material to my web page in a variety of ways
    1. Time line structure – Example
    2. Story structure – Example

Collaborating and sharing information with fellow researchers is great. If someone want to use a picture or information I am happy to share, but it is only good manners to ask. When you are asking you are developing a conversation and the opportunity to perhaps gain other information and to meet, even virtually a family member, regardless of if there is a distant or close genealogical connection.

Sadly, I won’t be at Rootstech 2014 to hear the discussion by the In-Depth Genealogist team, and I hope this is one of those that will be streamed so that I can hear it virtually. It is a fascinating debate and you can contribute by taking part in the survey and even write a blog post.

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Plagiarism Concerns……Sadly

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Julie Goucher

The definition of plagiarism is

“The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.”

Several weeks ago I had a communication with someone who had obviously looked at my web page and seen the list of presentation and details of “The Book of Me, Written by You”. I answered the question they raised and thought no more of it.

Why should I? – The world of genealogy, family history and taking things a step further is developing and genealogists do like to collaborate on projects, which is absolutely something I subscribe to.

Then I had another several communications with other people which left me feeling that potentially a piece or perhaps pieces of my work were potentially at risk of being plagiarized by the initial individual. I slept on the concerns and this morning after a trouble nights sleep I feel just as concerned.

  1. I have no proof, that anything will happen or indeed has happened. 
  2. I have a nagging feeling of concern that will not go away
  3. All I have are a series of individual instances that when joined together cause concern
  4. I personally always name someone if they have inspired an idea. An example of this was the February Photo Collage Festival which was inspired by Kristen and Pauleen – 
    1. That is good practice
    2. polite 
    3. morally the right thing to do.

We all work hard at what we achieve. In the relationships that we build despite the miles, we show respect and friendship. We collaborate ideas and thoughts and that is perfectly acceptable and welcomed.

What is not acceptable is that someone whose work has been created through hard graft is taken and used as someone else’s, and furthermore, that friendship offered and received is so easily tarnished, exploited and deceived.

Therefore, I will do this. Should any of my work be plagiarized by anyone, including those well known within the family history arena I will name and shame. It is as simple as that.

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