Make or Break Aspects of Genealogy Research

Objective:

Highlight critical factors for successful genealogy research.

Conclusion:

Genealogy research is about collecting names and dates that you can trace to ancestry
But it is also about what you intend to do with the information and how effectively you can execute your plan.
The list below describes considerations I recommend to any would-be genealogist based on my experience.

source

Make or Break Aspects of Genealogy Research

Continuity of Effort

You need a tool (e.g. genealogy software) and/or method of record keeping that is unambiguous and well organized.
Otherwise, every time you put it down, you must start over to pick it back up again.

Collaboration

Must have willing contributors and an articulate medium of exchange to share and verify family information.

Portable Data Format

Data and images collected must be renderable in a universal (data and web) format product or web service,
accessible to your intended audience.
Data invested in proprietary formats is lost if that software becomes obsolete and no data translation path is accessible to you

Include Images and Obituaries

A face for every name
Use consistent image perspective, e.g. Head shots of similar height/width dimensions.
Obituaries serve as next best thing to Biographies
Presentation of Obituary information can be more
robust, persistent and extensible than newspaper publication

Identity Management

Each family member must be uniquely identifiable through an ID number.
ID numbers are calculable by plotting member's position on the Family Tree Diagram.

File Management

Image files must be associated with a family member
File association be accomplished through enforced Member ID based file naming convention.

Database Capability

Need software to Record, Query and Report

Reports

Define Useful Presentation Views -

Family Portrait
Family Tree Diagram
Family Calendar
Family Index
Family Obituary Index

Publishing Organization Scheme

Web/Book Conventions to Guide Access
Top URLS - TOC
Stratify Reporting by Audience - All / Mom's Side / Dad's Side