10 replies to this topic

[les.warden]

I've been using RM for a little bit now and have a question about Media file storage and workflow methods. I've basically used Zhangrau's method for a structure layout. Thank you Zhangrau for the insight!!   As seen from the attachment, I have lots of folders. I also have about 100 files in 0New that I've scanned in. I've scanned everything in as a .jpeg as that seems what the system recognizes easily. Tried .pdf and seemed to have trouble getting inserted/attached to RM. I just let the scanning software name the file what it wanted to except for the prefix. For example, I scanned in several obituaries. I started the name with [obit] and let it go. I saved them as [obit].jpeg, [obit] 1.jpeg, [obit] 2.jpeg, etc. My next step, that I haven't done yet, is to go through them, and put a meaningful name to them, attach them to the person or event that they need attached to, then move them to their rightful folder. I understand the move will break the link, but I can then just run the media link fixer.
 
That said, anyone have some insight into a better workflow or is this pretty much the workflow with media?.....short of storing it all in one big globular area.
 
Thanks for your insight.
-les

 

Ok...couldn't figure out how to attach a screenshot, or .pdf, or anything here so here's the layout (in text)....

 

0New

|_Addresses

|_Births

|_Deaths

|_Obituaries

|_and so on and on

[zhangrau]

[Nettie]

My work flow is probably different.  All my sources found on the internet are put in One Note before adding to RM.  MY analysis/Notes are added before deciding to add to RM. . OneNote and my Genealogy files are all sorted by Surname. in Alpha order. Photo/jpg's are in Surname files starting with a 3/4 digit name from the surname.  Example: Spilman becomes Spil, if census add year on any land, obit etc  file with Given then State.[example: Spil1860KYCampFrank.jpg]  Because in the beginning of FO/RM  I made a decision not to add pictures.  That has changed. but the way I label files helps a lot. I never use the word census in my naming as year if ends in 0 or a 5 is Fed or State census.  

So my work flow is:

Set a goal/question you need to answer.....

Find the answer to the goal

     If on internet, copy to OneNote/Evernote

     If not on internet scan a copy

      then  add the information to OneNote/Evernote

Re read and decide or

       add analysis to it

       whether to go into RM

Put in RM with full source citation.

 

No two people do this the same way.  This is me....

Mark Tucker has one of the better  workflow processes on the internet called Genealogy Research Process. 

[les.warden]

My work flow is probably different.  All my sources found on the internet are put in One Note before adding to RM.  MY analysis/Notes are added before deciding to add to RM. . OneNote and my Genealogy files are all sorted by Surname. in Alpha order. Photo/jpg's are in Surname files starting with a 3/4 digit name from the surname.  Example: Spilman becomes Spil, if census add year on any land, obit etc  file with Given then State.[example: Spil1860KYCampFrank.jpg]  Because in the beginning of FO/RM  I made a decision not to add pictures.  That has changed. but the way I label files helps a lot. I never use the word census in my naming as year if ends in 0 or a 5 is Fed or State census.  
So my work flow is:
Set a goal/question you need to answer.....
Find the answer to the goal
     If on internet, copy to OneNote/Evernote
     If not on internet scan a copy
      then  add the information to OneNote/Evernote
Re read and decide or
       add analysis to it
       whether to go into RM
Put in RM with full source citation.
 
No two people do this the same way.  This is me....
Mark Tucker has one of the better  workflow processes on the internet called Genealogy Research Process. 

 
Thank you for this. To ensure my understanding of your example; Spil1860KYCampFrank.jpg is a scanned in item OR a photograph, Spilman is the name, 1860 is the year, KY is the place, Camp I'm unsure of, and Frank is his first name. And you do all the renaming, etc. in OneNote before adding into RM?

 

Doe's that seem about right? Or might you give me another example, of say, an obituary or an article in the paper about someone getting married?

 

EDIT: I've also been doing some digging through the forums and have been finding more and more examples of naming conventions, file storage methods, etc. so people have asked about and been given examples aplenty.

[Nettie]

Will take it apart

Spil1860KYCampFrank.jpg 

Spil = shortern surname Spilman

1860 = year of census

KY=State

Camp = County of KY

Frank=given name

is a census record downloaded with lots of numbers, I download them and change them to my labeling. 

 

No matter if it scanned or download I try to keep to the same naming convention.

An will/obit or grave stone

is   SpilFRwill1828Camp,jpg

Spil = shorten surnane

Fr = short for Frank

will = type of could be land or tax or obit or tmb [tombstone]

1828= year of Will

Camp= County of KY

 

I made several  decisions years ago  as others have also and many discussions in the forum on who is doing what/how/why. 

1. only keep the grandparents no matter what level back and their children & spouses.  Those lines are not carried forward unless I have double relation which I do have.

       ONE expection to 1. is my grandparents added with children, grandchildren and great grandchilden. And all spouses.

2. In RM, use full place names, county, state and no US.  Not out of the US yet.  Un check Program Options/General Use Countycheck when......  & Use Plain text when pasting to notes.

3. Program Options/Folders  fill in all places to keep items together.  I do not use C drive but created a D drive from the c drive and have my own genealogy files in one place.

4. If a spouse name not known especially female use  [male surname] with square brackets.  Otherwise too many Mary's, Elizabeth's etc.  too much searching to figure out who they are. 

There are more but I found it is better to do this ahead of time and not spending time, figuring out what I should be doing.  

 

For some reason my typing trigger a complete in this forum so if you found new items that is why;.

[les.warden]

Nettie, thank you so much for the guidance and examples. Seems very clear now.    

[Nettie]

Your welcome.

[les.warden]

FOLLOWUP:

I thought I'd follow up to show you what I ended up with after using all your wonderful recommendations. A little bit of Nettie, a little bit of Zhangrau, and a bunch of editing file names. My goal was to be able to look at the filename and tell 99% of what the file references.

 

Attachment explained....

 

On the left is the folder hierarchy where the files go. Everything starts in 0New until it gets renamed and attached to a person or event. I'm on a Macbook, so I just use the tools like Preview for renaming, etc. Once renaming and linking gets completed, I move the file(s) to their appropriate folder. This will break the link within RM. I then run the media link fixer to fix the links in their new location(s). As you can see, I have the files sitting in 0New right now because they've only been renamed and not linked yet.

 

Filename examples;

 

[fun] Coil1994ILCassDavid.jpeg

 

This is a funeral flyer/memorial/sheet you would get at a funeral or visitation

 

[fun] = funeral

Coil = first four letters of their surname. This happens to be their entire name here

1994 = year of the flyer

IL = Illinois

Cass = county within Illinois

David = entire first name

 

 

This is my second grade report card, outside and inside scanned

 

[sch] Ward1962ILSaSalleLeslie2a.jpeg

[sch] Ward1962ILSaSalleLeslie2b.jpeg

 

[sch] = school

Ward = Warden

1962 = starting year of the 2nd grade

IL = Illinois

LaSalle = county within Illinois

Leslie = my name

2a/2b = outside/inside scan of card

 

I'm hopeful this will work as more documents get added. I also think this may work within the citation structure. I have not made any of my own citations, so yet to be seen whether it will work.

 

I'm also still widely open to any additional suggestions anyone might offer.

-les

 

 

[Nettie]

Looks good.  You probably may find your self redoing this also.  In the 45 plus years I have been doing genealogy, I have made many changes to the way and some of my name interpretations.

 

Good Luck....

[Jerry Bryan]

My system is very similar to yours.

 

Actually, I've gone through several versions of my system, and your system is very similar to where I was a couple of versions ago. One additional improvement I have made is to include an indication of the type of record within the file name itself. So the file name for a marriage record will include the string "marriage" even though the record is in the marriage folder. This may seem redundant, but I have found it very useful and it guards against the file name providing incomplete information if the file is ever separated from its folder for some reason. So for example, I have file names such as peters_william_daily_and_delia_a_weaver_marriage_return.jpg and peters_william_daily_and_delia_a_weaver_marriage_bond.jpg

 

Another improvement I have made is that I do census geographically - a folder for each state and a subfolder for each county in the state - rather than doing census by surname. The problem is that a single census page often has multiple families of interest and multiple surnames of interest. So for example I have files names such as census_us_tn_anderson_1880_dist9_p093b.jpg (United States, Tennessee, Anderson County in 1880, District 9, page 93b).

 

Another improvement I have made is that one of my folders is called Persons. The idea is that it is the person that is the source and that the email or facebook posting or personal phone call I have with the person or an in person interview I have with the person is just the media. For example, I have file names such as person_doe_kristen_marie_personal_interview_2006_10_08.txt which contains a transcript if my interview with Kristen Doe and person_doe_martha_email_2014_12_20.eml for an email from Martha Doe. I save email in the eml format because that preserves all the original formatting and attachments.

 

Jerry

[les.warden]

With Jerrys ideas, Im already sitting here, scratching my head, going hmmm🤔