It’s time once again for Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun on Genea-Musings and this week’s challenge is to complete a Survey of Genealogy Activities.

Here are the survey questions and my answers:

1)  Answer these questions in my survey about your genealogy resources and usage:

a)  Which genealogy software programs for your computer do you use (e.g., Family Tree Maker, Reunion, GRAMPS, etc.)?

I was a long time user of Family Tree Maker, but now am mainly using RootsMagic 7. However, I also have Legacy 8 and Family Historian 6, both of which I like and I play with when I have some free time.

b)  Which online family trees have information submitted by you – in either a separate online tree (e.g., Ancestry Member Tree) or a universal (collaborative) online tree (e.g., WikiTree)?

I have online family trees on My Heritage and Ancestry. I’ve never participated in the one-world-tree sites because I don’t like that anyone can change data that might, or might not be, incorrect. I don’t suffer from high blood pressure, but I think I might if somebody wiped out part of a tree I had submitted and THEY were wrong.

c)  For which subscription genealogy record providers (e.g., Ancestry) do you have a subscription?

I have subscriptions to MyHeritage, American Ancestors, Ancestry and, from time to time when there are special deals, to ArkivDigital. I also subscribe to Find My Past because they are working on updating PERSI.

d)  Which FREE genealogy record providers (e.g., FamilySearch) do you use regularly?

I use FamilySearch every day and Find-A-Grave nearly daily. I also use Arkivalieronline, the free Danish National Archives website, to access vital records and censuses when I am working on that branch of the family. I use Google to locate online data and to access digitized books. When I need Missouri death records, I spend a lot of time on Missouri Digital Heritage, as they have free digitized records. Chronicling America has been great for my husband’s family tree, but not so much for mine, as they have no newspapers for Maine or New Jersey. Last, but certainly not least, I use the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick for my Loyalist branches of the family.

e)  How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research online?  [Note:  not reading, or social networking, but actual searching in a record provider].  Estimate an average number of hours per week.

Lately, I’ve been spending about 30 hours per week researching online, but that amount varies greatly depending on my focus person or family at the time.

f)  How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research in a repository (e.g., library, archive, courthouse, etc.)?  Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

There are no repositories here in Arizona that have the types of records I usually need, so my own opportunity to search at a library is in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library. I probably get in about 20 hours before and during RootsTech. If I am able to get to Salt Lake on a second visit during the year, I accomplish about 30 more hours of research time there for a total of roughly 50 hours per year.

g)  How much time do you spend each week adding information to your genealogy software program (either on your computer or online)?  Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period.

I spend maybe 5 hours per week adding information into RootsMagic 7. It’s hard to estimate because I am usually updating and looking for new resources on an ancestor while I am putting together a blog post and dealing with the software. That totals a short 20 hours per month.

h)  How much time do you spend each month at a genealogical society meeting, program or event (not a seminar or conference)?  Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

I belong to the Pima County Genealogical Society and spend about 3 hours at each meeting. They don’t meet in July and we’re often traveling so I usually miss about 2 meetings. That leaves about nine meetings that I attend or 27 hours per year.

i)  How much time do you spend each month on genealogy education (e.g., reading books and periodicals, attending seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.)?   Estimate an average number of hours per month over, say, a one year period.

I attend many webinars each month, at least 10 hours per month for maybe 10 months of the year. That would be 100 hours per year. This year, I went to both RootsTech and SCGS Genealogy Jamboree and I teach a genealogy class and read up to prepare the lessons. I can probably add in about another 40 hours per year, for a grand total of about 140 hours a year.

j)  How much time do you spend each week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, websites, and social media?  Estimate an average number of hours per week over, say, a one month period.

I spend at least 25 hours per week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, so easily 100 hours per month.

Can you figure out what my favorite hobby is???