Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

[Kathy C]

I have always attached my multimedia to an individual or family. I don't attach them to the Source because I do lump my sources ..... one source for all 1900 census, for example, with details in the Detail field. So, I would have MANY people using that source citation. I do the same thing with having one citation for databases on Ancestry or FamilySearch.org that I use repeatedly. I'm quite happy with doing it that way. My question has to do with multimedia ....

Would anyone can to comment on the Pros and Cons of attaching multimedia to sources? If I have, let's say, 30 different images (for different people) attached to one source, how will that work in a gedcom export?

Thanks!

[donworth]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

This is one of the reasons I don't attempt to attach record images to sources or citations in Reunion. I've had to switch platforms (Windows, Mac) twice over the years, and switch genealogy programs 5 times over the same period. Every time I switched, I lost something in the translation. Multimedia connections were the first to go. I've learned not to become dependent on things that won't translate well to another program. So now I do general sources in Reunion and just keep all my record images in folders with a file naming convention that allows me to find the record I'm searching for quickly.

[rclrocco]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I guess I do this in another way !
I make an individual source for each event, no matter how many sources this creates. Then I attach an image of the specific event, for example a page from the UK Census, or an individuals Birth Certificate.
My reasoning is that I want to see at a glance on the regular family view screen , what the source is, without having to click again for any detail, and when I click on the numerical superscript, it will take me to a complete source AND an image related to the source. Reunion 11 shows me at a glance when there is an image attached to a source.
Reunion is a powerful database, and it's more than capable of storing many thousand sources and images.
Also in 30 years I've never had to change my software using Gedcom files. This despite changing from Windows to Mac in 2008. I guess I'm assuming that I will now stay with Reunion ! If I send information to others it is almost always via a printed screen shot or pdf file, so that what I send can be read in mac or windows environments.

[suzivegemite]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I do the same as Don, for exactly the same reason.

I try to make my information as portable and transferable as possible.
If Reunion folded tomorrow (heaven forbid), I could export a gedcom and start immediately within other software with a minimum of fuss. I use the practical citation method of sourcing to ensure any transition goes as smoothly as possible.

From my experience, sourcing and multimedia are two areas which suffer the most during gedcom export.

After having to re-enter my data twice in years past, I have no desire to do it again, especially since I've taken on a large one name study recently.

Sue

[Kathy C]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. I expected to get differing opinions on this. As we all know, Reunion has many ways of doing just about everything.

I, too, use Practical Citation for entering my sources to make that easily transferable via gedcom. I tend to bounce around between different genealogy programs...... but I always find my way back to Reunion. Also, I export gedcoms to TNG to post my info online so everything needs to play together nicely for that to work as I'd like.

Between my bouncing around ways and the fact that I'm a lumper, I think I'll refrain from adding multimedia to my sources, in order to avoid future problems. I was hoping I'd read something differently here, but nothing really that will work with my way of doing things.

Thanks!

[theKiwi]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I add Media to my sources in Reunion.

They export to my TNG site with no problem. For example here

http://lisaandroger.com/genealogy/showsource.php?sourceID=S2482&tree=Roger

I also create a new source for each new information I find, unless it is on the same census page as something else - e.g. a page with 2 families of interest on it.

I do NOT maintain a single source for any individual census, or for "Birth Certificate" - it is too un-wieldy in my mind to do it any other way.

Roger

[Kathy C]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I add Media to my sources in Reunion.

They export to my TNG site with no problem. For example here

http://lisaandroger.com/genealogy/showsource.php?sourceID=S2482&tree=Roger

I also create a new source for each new information I find, unless it is on the same census page as something else - e.g. a page with 2 families of interest on it.

I do NOT maintain a single source for any individual census, or for "Birth Certificate" - it is too un-wieldy in my mind to do it any other way.

Roger

Thanks, Roger. The thing is, I DO create one source citation for each census year and one citation for databases I cite frequently, such as Pennsylvania Death Certificates. Then I make good use of the Detail field to put in the individual data. I don't consider that un-wieldy, at all. So, in those cases, I'm thinking that attaching more than one image would not work so well. But, that is what I'm trying to determine. I'm sure it works very well for folks like you that create individual citations, but that's not how I roll, lol.

[theKiwi]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

Thanks, Roger. The thing is, I DO create one source citation for each census year and one citation for databases I cite frequently, such as Pennsylvania Death Certificates. Then I make good use of the Detail field to put in the individual data. I don't consider that un-wieldy, at all. So, in those cases, I'm thinking that attaching more than one image would not work so well. But, that is what I'm trying to determine. I'm sure it works very well for folks like you that create individual citations, but that's not how I roll, lol.

I have many printed out sources - e.g. census records, vital records etc.

I can file them by their unique source number for instant easy retrieval if need be.

If all these bits of paper are filed under say only 3 source numbers, filing and retrieval becomes unwieldy.

Roger

[Kathy C]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I have many printed out sources - e.g. census records, vital records etc.

I can file them by their unique source number for instant easy retrieval if need be.

If all these bits of paper are filed under say only 3 source numbers, filing and retrieval becomes unwieldy.

Roger

It sounds as if you have a totally different system that I use, Roger. I don't file those bits of paper by source number that corresponds to numbers used in Reunion. I file in a family folder instead of by numbers or file type as some do. My structure is like this: Family History Files>Surnames>Jones>Abraham W. Jones. So, all records for Abraham go into his folder with a descriptive name. That's how I organize my files. As we all know, there is no right or wrong way. Your way works well for you but it wouldn't for me. But thanks for contributing your thoughts to this discussion. It's always helpful to see how others work.

[donworth]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I don't believe in organizing my data any more than absolutely necessary.

In my filing system, I have a folder for each great grandparent surname and I store source record files in those with naming like this:

BISHIRJonathan1850censusHighlandCoOH.jpg

then everything for a persons sorts together and chronologically within that. I have one source for the 1850 census and if I see that on a person, I know to go look for a file like the one above. It works well enough for me and I can usually find things quickly. In fact, if I want everything I have on Jonathan Bishir, Spotlight Search does a good job of bringing it up if I just search on "bishirjonathan". If I switch programs someday I can still find all my records.

Close enough for government work... (can you tell I'm an Engineer and not a theoretical physicist?) :-)

[Michael Talibard]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

I'm with Rupert and Roger - media attached to sources, many sources, no 'lumping' etc (Style A). I guess it's too late for Kathy, Don and Sue (Style B) to change to this, but the discussion may help those just setting out, or with a smallish amount of work done that they are prepared to change. One of the advantages of Style A is in the attachment of images to sources - avoiding the very Style B problem that got Kathy to start this thread.

Style B no doubt has its advantages too. People sometimes refer to the mere fact that B gives you many fewer sources, but I really cannot see any advantage in that. Style B may yield advantages with Gedcoms: I must confess that I have not given that a great deal of thought.

[suzivegemite]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

Hehe! This lumper CHANGED from the single source method to the lumping method. (Yep, I re-typed them all!)
I can find every doc in a flash using Alfred and my filing method, each doc individually named. I prefer Alfred to Spotlight search, as a power pack user it allows me to use all those other features like workflows. I also use Text expander and have my document naming conventions all set up, so I only have to type three letters and add their ID number. Dragon dictation is my other must have, as I record copious amounts of research notes and suffer occasionally with RSI.

My advice to newbies is research all the options and choose a way. If somewhere down the track, you want to swap, do so. If in 10 years time I decided to change back to single sourcing, I'd work my way through them, setting myself a manageable number of sources each day to change. Once I got started a workflow would develop, making it faster. Let's face it, the people in my tree aren't going anywhere. I'm never going to complete my research so what's the rush?


S

[Kathy C]

Re: Multimedia attached to source - Pros ad Cons?

Hehe! This lumper CHANGED from the single source method to the lumping method. (Yep, I re-typed them all!)
I can find every doc in a flash using Alfred and my filing method, each doc individually named. I prefer Alfred to Spotlight search, as a power pack user it allows me to use all those other features like workflows. I also use Text expander and have my document naming conventions all set up, so I only have to type three letters and add their ID number. Dragon dictation is my other must have, as I record copious amounts of research notes and suffer occasionally with RSI.

My advice to newbies is research all the options and choose a way. If somewhere down the track, you want to swap, do so. If in 10 years time I decided to change back to single sourcing, I'd work my way through them, setting myself a manageable number of sources each day to change. Once I got started a workflow would develop, making it faster. Let's face it, the people in my tree aren't going anywhere. I'm never going to complete my research so what's the rush?


S

I like your way of thinking! LOL No rush, indeed. Anyway, I, too, changed from the single source method to being a Lumper, way back when. I have a good (for me) naming convention and filing system that allows me to find my documents quickly and easily. My way works best for me and it's quicker to use a citation already set up and to just add the details than it is to start a whole new citation. (Yes, I know you can duplicate source citations but I think my way is faster.)

At any rate, it works for me..... and I think I will just continue my practice of adding source media to the person's multimedia area as documents. I've seen nothing here that tells me it would work better to change over to the other system. It's always interesting to read about other people's methods of filing, etc. and I thank you all for an interesting discussion.