What’s even better than listening to a genealogy podcast? Watching and listening to a genealogy online show! Elevenses with Lisa is the new online video series by author and international genealogy speaker and host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, Lisa Louise Cooke. Tune in live or watch on your own schedule. Click to watch below, and scroll down for all the details from Episode 2:
In Elevenses with Lisa I get a chance to talk about many of my favorite things including genealogy. Below you’ll find items you may want to try yourself, as well as the notes from our genealogy learn-at-home session.
The Live Show is Moving to the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel
Join me for the live show Elevenses with Lisa at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel starting April 16, 2020. (Episodes 1-3 were held on Facebook Live.)
Then click the bell icon to receive notifications. (This is important because it will alert you by email that a new show has been scheduled or published.)
After “Subscribing” click the bell icon.
Look for the next scheduled live episode at the top of the list of videos and click “Set Reminder”
Click here to learn more about how to tune in the live show.
The Cookie Recipe
Many of you asked for the yummy cookie recipe I mention in this episode. Isn’t it incredible that a woman in California who was attending my genealogy presentation had a sister with a cookbook from the little town in Minnesota of my mother-in-laws ancestors from 80 years ago that contained the exact family recipe I was in search of? Talk about genealogical serendipity!
Here’s the recipe (I set my oven to 375 degrees):
Sour Cream Drop Cookie Recipe from the 1940s.
TV Viewing Recommendation
I also shared with you that my favorite television series is Good Neighbors (The Good Life in the UK). It stars the amazing ensemble cast of Richard Briers, Felicity Kendall, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington. Sometimes you can catch the series on Amazon Prime, or PBS, but the DVDs are well worth having. (If you decide to order them, we appreciate you using our affiliate link below. We are compensated when you make a purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this free Elevenses with Lisa show.)
Colorize Your Family Photos
We got some happy news during this time of self-quarantine. MyHeritage is granting free access to MyHeritage In Color™ through April 23, 2020. Click the image below to read my article about colorizing your old family photos at MyHeritage.
Click to read more about colorizing your old family photos at MyHeritage.
How Alice the Genealogist Avoids the Rabbit Hole Part 1
Don’t let unexpected genealogical finds send you down a rabbit hole any longer. We’ll cover concrete strategies for staying focused on what matters most, while not losing track of opportunities that present themselves. You’ll also learn about free tech tools that you can put in place to give you peace of mind, take back those lost hours, and help you be more productive.
Follow along with me to learn how Alice the Genealogist avoids falling down the online rabbit hole!
Vulnerability to Rabbit Holes
In order to improve in anything, you have to know your vulnerabilities. When it comes to falling down a genealogical rabbit hole I’ve identified 5 of the most common vulnerabilities:
Not having a crystal-clear research question
Not having your next steps mapped out
Not having a specific method for dealing with BSOs (bright shiny objects)
Not implementing that method consistently
No muscle to stick with your plan
We’re going to tackle 1, 2, and 3 above. With these in place I believe you’ll feel confident and take care of 4 & 5!
1. Write a Research Question
Before beginning your research, take a moment to write out your research question or statement. It will help guide you and keep you on task.
Think about what you want to specifically accomplish. State your goal in specific terms:
“Identify the village in Germany where Louise Nikolowski and her family were from so I can locate church records.”
Effective Research Questions (according to the Board of Certification of Genealogists)
Genealogy Standards #10:
“Questions underlying research plans concern aspects of identity, relationship, events, and situations. The questions are sufficiently broad to be answerable with evidence from relevant places and times. They are sufficiently focused to yield answers that may be tested and shown to meet or not meet the Genealogical Proof Standard.”
Genealogical-research questions:
clearly describe a unique person, group, or event as the focus of the question
clearly state what kind of information that you’re hoping to discover, such as an identity, relationship, event, or biographical detail.
Keep this research question in front of you by:
printing it out and setting it in front of your monitor
putting it on a “sticky” note on your computer’s desktop (virtually or physically!)
writing it at the top of your physical or virtual notebook.
2. Map Your Next Moves
Break your primary research question down into smaller, individual research questions.
According to Elizabeth Shown Mills, after analyzing the existing data:
“we prepare a research plan that defines:
the resources to be explored
the strategies to be applied
the individuals who are to be included in that search
any special circumstances that will affect the project.”
Example Question:
Where is the birthplace of Gustav Sporowski (father of Alfreda) who resided in Gillespie, Illinois in 1910-1918?
Actionable Steps
Here are examples of questions to be answered that support the research question:
Question 1 – Did he apply for citizenship? If so, what is listed?
Question 2 – Find passenger list: what place of origin is listed?
Question 3 – What was listed for other passengers accompanying him? (If any)
Question 4 – Where are other Sporowskis from that are listed in passenger lists?
For each question above, make a list of the resources (records) you need to find to answer these questions, and where you plan to look for them. Track the outcome.
“we prepare a research plan that defines:
the resources to be explored
the strategies to be applied
the individuals who are to be included in that search
any special circumstances that will affect the project.”
Coming next in the next episode:
#3 Dealing with BSOs – We’ll discuss an incredibly easy and effective method for handling Bright Shiny Objects that distract you from your research plan!
(UPDATED April 14, 2020 to reflect the show is moving from Facebook to YouTube LIVE)
What’s even better than listening to a genealogy podcast? Watching and listening to a genealogy online show! Elevenses with Lisa is the new online video series by author and international genealogy speaker and host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, Lisa Louise Cooke. In this article you’ll learn what the show is about, how to watch live and how to watch the replay videos, how to set up reminders so you don’t miss an episode, and an easy way to share it with your friends so they can watch with you.
A New Online Show About Genealogy and Family History
As my world, like yours, started getting physically smaller last month, I became determined to branch out in different ways. I started by making a list of things I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t. Some of them I had felt a little intimidated by, and some had fallen prey to a lack of time. So, it felt great this week to take one head on and give it my best shot.
And that’s how Elevenses with Lisa, a LIVE online show, came to be.
I tried one or two quick Facebook LIVE’s several years ago. Back then the system seemed unreliable and a bit frustrating. Revisiting it this week I discovered it is more complex on the back end, and yet far more stable. In addition to forcing myself to sit down and really figure it out, I also took on learning a new software program that would bring the production-values I felt you deserved.
The Show is Available on YouTube (Live & Video)
After the third episode I decided to move the show from Facebook to YouTube. It makes more sense for a variety of reasons, the main ones being that the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel is already very well established, and an account is not required to watch. (That being said, signing into YouTube with your free Google account will make it even easier to follow the show and receive notifications of new episodes. More on that below.)
Elevenses is a lovely traditional short morning tea break, and we make it sweeter by adding genealogy.
It all came together very quickly and on Thursday March 26, 2020 many of you joined me live. If you missed it click the video above to watch it on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel or click the video above.
Elevenses with Lisa is a 30 minute break to check in with each other and chat about genealogy. In this show I share some of my favorite tips and tools that I use while Googling for family history.
Amazingly it came off without a hitch, and candidly I had a blast!
In episode 1 I asked you if you’d like to see more in this series, and your responses have warmed my heart!
After watching the show on YouTube Tracey commented: Thank you so much for this Lisa! I would love to see anything that you would like to share with us. I find your work to be incredibly helpful and I just love listening to you – it’s like you’re an old friend. Your tips make me look like a genius which I also appreciate!!! Thank you💛
Mark Your Calendar for “Elevenses with Lisa” (Live on YouTube)
Episodes will air live on Thursdays at 11:00 AM Central on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. Mark your calendars!
If you use Google Calendar, set it up once for this Thursday, and then change it to “Weekly”. (Image 1) You can also set notifications to remind you just before the show starts. Select email, “notification” (which will pop up in your web browser), or both!
Image 1 – Set your Google calendar for Elevenses with Lisa
How to Tune In to the Live Show
If Youtube is new to you, joining me for the live show might feel like a bit of a stretch. Well, I have good new for you, it’s actually super easy to tune in. Here’s how:
1. Put it on your calendar
Click here to figure out what time 11:00 am Central is in your time zone.
2. Go to the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel
Click here to go to the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel (or just search “Genealogy Gems” in the YouTube search box.)
Although a YouTube/Google account is not required to watch the show, I strongly recommend signing into YouTube with your free Google account. The reason is that it will allow you to customize what you see to your liking when you visit YouTube, and it will allow you to subscribe to my channel for free and receive notifications of episodes and videos.
If you don’t have a Google account, go to Google.com and click the Sign In button. If you don’t have a Google account you’ll be prompted to create one. Once created, sign into YouTube with that same account. (Image 2)
Image 2 – At Google.com click “Sign in” and you will be prompted to sign in with your Google account or set one up.
3. Look for the Live show on my Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel
Another great thing about having the show on YouTube is that I can schedule episodes ahead of time and you can receive reminders to watch.
Now that you’re logged into YouTube, when you arrive at the Genealogy Gems channelyou can click the Subscribe button. (Image 3) This will put the Genealogy Gems channel in your list of favorite channels. And that means when you visit YouTube you’ll probably see more about my videos and other genealogy videos, and less about things you’re not interested in.
Image 3 – Subscribe and watch at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel
After you click Subscribe a bell icon will appear. (image 4) Click the bell to receive notifications of new videos I publish on the channel.
Image 4 – Click the bell icon for notifications.
The first video will be my featured video. Below that you’ll find “Newest Videos”. The next scheduled “Elevenses with Lisa” episode will appear at the top of the list of videos. Click the “Set Reminder” button for the episode. (Image 3) This will send you a special notification when the show is about to go live.
4. Come back when we go live.
Click the link in your notification and it will take you back to the live episode on my Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. You will see the introductory image or video with background music until we go live. Then you’ll automatically see the video live stream. If you don’t after 11:00 Central, try refreshing the page.
You don’t have to do anything but have your speakers on. If you don’t hear sound, click the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the video to turn the sound on.
5. Leave a comment or question
In addition to sharing ideas, I hope to spend some time interacting with you. The video chat is the place to leave your comment or question. Your comments and questions are my favorite part of doing the show!
6. Watch later
If you miss the live broadcast or want to see it again, watch the replay here on my Genealogy Gems YouTube channel (Image 5). The most recent videos appear first.
Image 5 – Elevenses with Lisa on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel
Click the episode to watch. To find all the episodes just click “Playlists” and then click “Elevenses with Lisa” (Image 6):
Image 6 – Elevenses with Lisa Playlist
You can leave comments and questions under each video on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. It’s your feedback that helps me determine what we’ll talk about and how often to produce the show. If you like it, please be sure to click the “Like” button. Remember, this is a two-way conversation show!
7. Share with Your Friends
Will you please do me a favor and help me get the word out about “Elevenses with Lisa”? If you’re enjoying the show, you are the perfect person to let other family historians know about your find. I’m keeping the show free, so there’s no money for advertising to spread the word. I’m dependent on and grateful for your help! It’s easy – just click “Share” under the next scheduled episode or any previously recorded episode. (Image 7) Sharing is fun because you can visit with your friends as you watch in the Chat area.
Image 7 – Please share Elevenses with Lisa
You’ll find lots of options for sharing the show. (Image 8)
Image 8 – Youtube sharing options.
Everyone likes a good cup of tea (or coffee, or…), a snappy tech tip, and learning ways to be more productive and inspired, right? I hope you’ll consider even sharing “Elevenses with Lisa” with your friends who say they’re not interested in genealogy. You never know, they might just get interested in family history.
Thank you for sharing Genealogy Gem’s “Elevenses with Lisa”!
Questions or Comments about Elevenses with Lisa?
Being couped up at home doesn’t mean we can’t stretch our wings. Thank you for helping me stretch mine! If you have any questions about how to tune in, or you have a question you’d like me to answer on the show, please leave a comment below.
