Genealogy This Week - 12 September 2009
Our weekly compilation of interesting new tools, resources and stories for genealogists:
David Rumsey Map Collection - Maps can be an important tool for genealogists wanting to trace their ancestors. This massive collection of free historical maps from around the world is an excellent place to look for anyone wanting to track down an old map. [Link]
Historic Map Works - This is a map site specially designed for genealogists. It contains close to 1 million digital map images. About 15% of the collection is geocoded, so if you know the GPS coordinates of your ancestor's home, you can find it on an old map. A subscription is required for some services. [Link]
Become a Cloud Computer User Today - Many people talk about cloud computing but then don't offer you an application that you can really use. Well, here is a neat cloud computing application that you can use today. Called Dropbox, it allows you to store, share and sync files across multiple computers located in different places. Best of all, the application is free if you keep your storage space to less than 2 GB. This is a useful application for genealogists who want to collaborate with other genealogists or who want to share photos and files but get frustrated by the size limits imposed by email servers. [Link]
Twitter to Allow Ads - Here is one of those inevitable headlines. Twitter is about to start running ads. [Link]
Facebook Lite - Facebook has just launched an application to US users called Facebook Lite. Basically, it is a stripped down version of Facebook that is fast and works well with anyone who has a slow internet connection or who wants to access Facebook from a smart phone. [Link]
FanCheck - Continuing on the Facebook theme, an new application called FanCheck just launched this week. It allows Facebook users to track who uses their Facebook page, how long they are logged on and what they look at. It's a bit like spying on the people who are spying on you. This application has already become a big hit even though it just launched this week. [Link]
Go to the Cemetery to...Get Internet Access - Pity the poor people of Mullinahone, Ireland. Their village is so isolated that the only place in town they can get an internet signal is to stand in the middle of the local graveyard. Maybe it will encourage some of them to become genealogists. [Link]
