52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Blogs

Here I am the first week of this meme and sliding in with my post on the last day.  Better almost late than not at all!  I enjoy reading blogs and they are a great help to me in learning about genealogy, organization methods, tech resources, research and writing, and those pesky citations.  When I first started reading blogs I followed the big names and institutional blogs.  As I got more into my research, I found that many of those blogs served as a launch pad for various press releases but oftentimes did not provide the personal and/or hands-on type of posts that informed, educated or entertained me.

At that point I started following blogs where the author shared and/or expanded my particular interests:

• How-Tos ~ Bloggers who try out software programs, websites, and/or explain how they do their research.
• Location  ~ If it is about Ireland, Newfoundland, Norway, Slovenia or Sweden, you have a reader in me!
• Resources ~ Blogs that follow programs and websites I use, like Legacy Family Tree & RootsMagic, Excel, OneNote & PowerPoint, GenSmarts & Family Atlas, Ancestry.com & FamilySearch.org.
• Tech Stuff ~ Blogs that discuss subjects that I have decided to follow in order to become a better genealogist, specifically blogs about photography, education, organization, maps, and new products (computers, smart phones, apps, and the like).

There are so many great blogs out there and I follow many of them through Google+.  Over the past six months I have been introduced to so many blogs I would have missed if I had not seen a snippet in my Google+ Stream.  If you haven't added a Genealogy Circle to your Google+ Stream ~ make it a 2012 resolution! 

That said, my top 3 blogs are:

1. 'On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History ~ Jennifer's prose and photographs are stunning! She writes not only about her Irish heritage but our common Irish heritage.  She shares with the rest of us the trials and triumphs, the saints and the sinners, the history and the folklore that make our Irish heritage so special.  Go raibh maith agat.  
2. Genea-Musings ~ I don't know how he does it but Randy Seaver tries everything so we don't have to, points out the pros and cons, publishes screenshots, answers any question we send him, and just all around helps make our genealogy lives easier and better.
3. Geneabloggers ~ Thomas MacEntee is a force for good in the genealogy world.  Looking for a genealogy blog, a calendar of webinars, a spotlight on new blogs, any possible resource that will help you be a better blogger?  Well, look no further than Geneabloggers.  I can't tell you the number of times I have had a technical blog question, or wanted to find a blog about a particular genealogy niche and Thomas' blog was the place to go to find it.