MayDay! MayDay!
When heard over a radio, it’s a call for help. The term “MayDay” generally means some kind of disaster. I find it interesting that May Day – the day – is traditionally the day that cultural institutions and archives set aside to review and adjust their disaster plans. Here in Florida, the month of May is the time to review our own disaster plans and prepare for hurricane season which begins the first of June.
In addition to checking my family’s disaster supplies (batteries, non-perishable food, water, etc.) I also use May to review my digital disaster plan. Here are some of the things I review:
Data backups. I am set up for automatic backups, but it’s time to make sure any new data folder or other content is included.
Blog backups. Tumblr has an export feature which I use to download a complete copy of my sites every quarter.
Photo backups. I have a Flickr Pro account ($50/year) which includes auto-uploading all new images from my desktop and mobile devices. It serves as my off-site backup for photos and scanned images.
Security check. Mozilla’s Lockwise app makes it easy to manage passwords and other personal data. It includes a security audit to let me know it’s time to update old passwords. Their Firefox Monitor lets me know when hackers strike and Firefox Send lets me share files with end-to-end encryption.
Power check. We use surge protectors and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) devices to protect all our electronics. Now is a good time to check them and replace older ones no longer operating at full capacity.
Even if we did not have the threat of hurricanes to worry about, there are still plenty of disasters just waiting to destroy our research and historical documents. Make May Day your call to review your own disaster plan and insure your archives are also protected.
Apple users with family members located far from here can now take advantage of Group FaceTime to stay in touch. It makes it possible to chat with multiple people at the same time. Start a Group FaceTime from the FaceTime app or from a group conversation in the Messages app. You can include up to 32 people in your group.
Interested? You’ll find details and instructions at Apple Support.
If you are interested in blogging you will find Tumblr is both easy and affordable. While Tumblr offers plenty of support to get you started, you will find this book very useful. All That You Need to Know About Tumblr Blogs is a Kindle book and is available at no cost to Kindle Unlimited members or a whopping $2.99 for the rest of us. Don’t have a Kindle reader? No problem. There are Kindle apps for both Apple and Android devices along with a desktop reader.
Genea-blogging is a great way to share the stories, photos and ephemera that your research discovers with your family. If you want some inspiration, check out the Florida Memory tumblr hosted by the State Library and Archives of Florida.
The genealogy community has discovered MeWe.com. The Genealogy & Family Research group has 302 members. I’ve found lots of useful tips in the group chats. Another group – Genealogy One – is just getting started but you will find lots of genealogy goodness being shared.
It’s amazing how many freely-accessible research resources are available. The Research Resource Center is adding new ones daily. Take advantage of the #Tags section to find the resources you need.
The MeWe Tips group may not have much to do with genealogy but is is full of ways to take advantage of MeWe’s many features.
Final Notes
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Sample of the “fine print” at the bottom of each post.
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