GenBlog: 2011 Achievements

Another year has almost passed, and like any good genealogist, it’s time to review my achievements for the year and set my goals for the upcoming year.

I resolved to do several things during 2011, and I must say, I’ve accomplished a lot, although not everything I set out to do. Let’s review.

Submit an entry for the 2011 ISFHWE Excellence in Writing Competition

Well this was an interesting one. Initially, the goal was do enter the 2011 competition, regardless of whether I decided to enter the 2010 competition (at the very last minute). While I haven’t entered the 2011 competition yet (I still have a few months), I did end up submitting an entry just days before the deadline—and I place third! You can read more about that here.

Submit a research-related article to the Illinois State Genealogical Society quarterly journal

All of the articles I’ve written for this publication have been more technical in nature and not focused on my personal research. My goal for this year was to submit at least one article that is about my own genealogy research regarding my Illinois ancestors. This is one goal I did not accomplish, simply because life got in the way. A similar goal is on the list for 2012.

Attend the 2011 FGS Conference

The 2011 FGS Conference was held in Springfield, Illinois and by golly, I attended. I also had several responsibilities to attend to since I was part of the local conference committee dealing with publicity and signage. This was my first national genealogy conference and I was very glad I attended. I learned a lot, made some new friends, and hung out with many of my genealogy buddies I’d met through blogging and Facebook. You can read more about my experience here.

Help someone else with their own genealogy

While I didn’t necessarily do any research for others, I did assist as a second set of eyes in a few cases, which helped further the person’s own research.

Finish ProGen Study Group

My group finished in April 2011. It was a good experience and I’m glad I pursued it. I learned a lot and it helped me focus on what I want to do in terms of a genealogy profession in the future.

Stop slacking on this blog

The first part of the year, I really tried to post more, but with all of the conference work and other obligations, I just didn’t do as much as I wanted. As soon as the conference was over, I picked up momentum, although an out-of-area move put everything on the back burner yet again. Hopefully things will pick up here after the holiday season. I posted 100 posts this year (not including this one or any between now and the end of the year). Here are some of my more popular posts from the 2011 year: