Why I Share - Five Good Reasons

Last week, just after finishing the rough draft of this post, Randy Seaver posted Have You PostedYour Genealogy Research on the Internet? I Practice PMGDOE! He said it first - "Post My Genealogy Data Online Everywhere"

Well, my genealogy research is just about everywhere - on my website and blogs, on message boards, at Ancestry.com, on Find a Grave, and on Facebook. Many other genealogists have posted my genealogical research on their sites and trees; some with credit and some not. 

I have been posting my information online since 1998 and don't plan to stop. Here are my top five reasons for sharing on the Internet. 

Finding Family -  I have a small family and grew up living away from any extended family. Many distant relatives found me through my websites. Using my blogs and social media for genealogy helps us to continue a dialogue. 

Collaboration - Family members, who find me on the web, share photos, family letters, history and more. Some will even correct my mistakes.

Organization - Writing blog posts and adding to a public family tree keeps my research organized. 

Helping Others - Newbies won't have to look hard to find information about my families. Future generations will have a lot to begin with. Even if my blogs and website disappear from the web, my information has been copied by so many that it is sure to survive for many future generations. 

  

My Estate - I am no longer worried about what will happen to all of my research. It will be online. My children will inherit many old photographs, some original documents, and my digital files. They will not have to deal with piles and boxes of papers.

So thank you to Randy for suggesting that we PMGDOE and spread the genealogy wealth.  

Diana

© 2013

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Sources

Seaver, Randy. (2013). Genea-Musings: Have You Posted Your Genealogy Research on the Internet? I Practice PMGDOE!. Genea-Musings. Retrieved July 24, 2013, from http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/07/have-you-posted-your-genealogy-research.html