answers1: #1 hobby is probably gardening. I do this when my brain
needs a break. <br>
<br>
Fastest growing may very well be genealogy. <br>
<br>
The problem with genealogy for the uninitiated is an old perception
that genealogy is all about proving that you have a higher status
because you come from "important people." People think that it has to
do with class and a "good" pedigree. This old concept turns normal
people off. <br>
<br>
Despite the problems of genealogical research on the net, the Internet
has made it much easier for "regular" folk to research the history of
their ancestors. That, combined with genealogy's tendency toward
detective and forensic creativity, has led to a broad based interest
among people who generally would not have had the time or finances
available to do research the "old way," like great-aunt Matilda did.
<br>
<br>
My local genealogical society is no longer just made up of elderly
retired folks talking about using the "new" Internet, but also of much
younger people talking about learning the basics of genealogical
methodology. It's wonderful to watch these inter-generational
interactions happen. <br>
<br>
Nor will you will see many magazines echoing the interests of these
new adherents of genealogy. Printed media no longer represents general
public interests, especially when in comes to research in a computer
data-base age. We're too busy reading Dick Eastman's blog online!
<br>
<br>
Have a blast. And don't bore the other members in your family too
much. They're probably into motorcycles, video games, model
railroading, boating, or one of another million endeavors.
answers2: It takes time, work and it isn't cheap. <br>
<br>
Too many people have heard they can find their family tree online.
This is what the regulars are finding out on this board. They don't
know that copying someone else's family tree is a sloppy way to do
genealogy. The internet has been a boon but it has also caused a lot
of errors in family trees. They apparently don't know that just
because they see the same information on the same people over and over
again from different subscribers that no way means it is correct
because of the copiers. <br>
<br>
We have a lot of people asking questions here. They are interested in
their genealogy but just don't know how to get their feet wet. <br>
<br>
Another thing there are a lot of disjointed families today. They
don't hear the old family stories like I did when I was growing up. I
was born in 1935. The regulars on this board are sometimes appalled
at some of the assigments teachers give their students. They don't
seem to realize this can be an intrusion. There are often time things
people are not ready to share with their children which is their
business and their business alone. Some kids because of family
problems will have a very difficult time getting much information.
Some will immensely enjoy it. Teachers should always give an
alternative assignment. Today's families have been broken up too
much.
answers3: Maybe they think it's boring, takes up too much time, is too
complicated, and it's nothing to brag about? <br>
Personally I enjoy it, I even have a nice program that lets you insert
details and pictures for each family member, and you never run out of
space! ;-)
answers4: I think because it is too much work for some people - like
having to take high school history class again. There aren't that many
popular hobbies that require research of any form, scientific or
historical.
answers5: just peoples' different interests, and researching is a lot
of work, but it's worth it!
answers6: Hmmm... I've found that most people ARE interested in their
family history. Just not interested enough to spend much time delving
into it. Most folks are just too tied up with their everyday lives to
give it a lot of thought, or to take the time necessary to do
research. Young people are busy dating and establishing their
careers; parents have their hands full with their kids and earning a
living. It's most often the empty nesters who get involved in
genealogy, because they finally have the time to pursue it. And
that's often the time of life when things like family, traditions, and
the idea of passing something on to our descendants become more
important to us. <br>
<br>
Of course, there are exceptions. I've had the genealogy bug since I
was 15, and people always used to comment on how "young" I was to be
interested in genealogy. (Funny, nobody's made that observation
lately. Hmmm... haha!) I'm always pleasantly surprised when I see a
young person showing an interest, and I love to help them out and
encourage them. <br>
<br>
I do think that, unfortunately, our current generation can get
discouraged pretty quickly. People who've grown up with the internet
are accustomed to finding whatever they need with a couple clicks.
And let's face it, sites like Ancestry do a great job of advertising:
"Learn about your ancestors!" "Find your family tree!" They make it
sound so easy. When people discover that it's a little more involved
than just paying your fee and entering your surname, they tend to give
up. But perhaps that's enough to plant the seed in their minds... and
one day when they have more time on their hands, hopefully they'll
come back and learn to enjoy the thrill of the hunt!
answers7: Yegads! The last I heard, it is the Number One hobby worldwide! <br>
<br>
Where did you get your estimates? <br>
See: <a href="http://psych.fullerton.edu/genealogy/"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://psych.fullerton.edu/genealogy/</a>
<br>
whcih says that 60% of the population of the U.S. is involved in
genealogy. According to some sources, genealogy is the number one
hobby in the United States1. Indeed, the percent of U.S. population
interested in family history has increased from 45% in 1996 to 60% in
2000 according to a recent national telephone survey2. <br>
<br>
Genealogy's popularity is also demonstrated by the number of
genealogy-related World Wide Web sites. One search engine showed 7.2
million hits for the term "genealogy" and 1.8 million hits for the
phrase "family history."3 <br>
<br>
As to its being "relatively easy to research back a couple of hundred
years..." I bet most of the genealogy buffs on this site might tend to
disagree. In my own family, my grandfather's grandfather was born in
the 1760s, died in the 1860s, so, yes, for that one line, no problem
to go back more than 200 years...it's only 5 generations. However,
there are several gaps in my tree only 4 generations ago (early 1800s,
of course) but that is merely because for my tree a generation is
about 30 - 40 years. <br>
<br>
"Official records" began only about the time of the Civil War in the
States; Europe followed afterwards. Even in the States this was not
very common until the early 1900s. Moreover, even today there are
gaps of BMDs. <br>
<br>
It is a costly pursuit, no matter how you go about it. And very time
consuming. Yet there is no doubt about its popularity: <a
href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Genealogy-Popularity&id=2630638"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://ezinearticles.com/?Genealogy-Popu...</a>
<br>
<br>
And, see: <a href="http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=489"
rel="nofollow"class=Clr-b>http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/ar...</a>
answers8: Genealogy IS a popular hobby, but that fact is not widely
known. As a twenty-four year old, I have learned that there are SO
many people doing genealogy research, but I had no idea until I
stumbled upon this underground society, if you will. <br>
<br>
I believe younger generations don't care as much about their lineage
because it does not effect their future as much as it did in previous
generations. For instance, I am Norwegian-American, and by knowing a
person's last name (during the 1800s and earlier), you would
automatically know that person's father's first name. Example: Oline
Andersdatter -> father's first name is Anders; Jens Pedersen ->
father's first name is Peder. That information can be very helpful
(especially for genealogy research, ironically). <br>
<br>
I started researching several years ago, but others my age certainly
do not make up a large portion of genealogists; researchers tend to be
forty years old or older. During their generation, the past was
important, talked about, and shared. Today, parents do not share
information about their parents or grandparents and kids do not ask
because history is not interesting to them. The current generation is
all about the here and now, not how we got here. <br>
<br>
Proof that genealogy is popular (but sort of an "underground hobby"): <br>
1999--"Time Magazine even named genealogy as one of the four most
popular topics on the Internet in its 19 April 1999 cover article.
(Sex, finance, and sports were the other three.)"--Genealogical
Society of South Africa <br>
2004--"Genealogy has become more popular than sex, according to
Altavista's top ten search terms list for this week."--The Register
<br>
<br>
Honestly, though, I think you should read "How Popular is Genealogy?"
by Dick Eastman in Eastman's Genealogy Newsletter, 19 February 2009
(http://westggsa.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-popular-is-genealogy.html).
It's opinion-based, but he gives a very good argument for both sides.
Just pretend it is him answering your question on Yahoo! Answers.
answers9: Actually, I think it IS pretty popular. Certainly much more
popular than in the past. My grandma, when asked, always said "we're
Americans". That way of thinking stymied research. Now, I am very
proud to be American but it doesn't mean you can't do genealogy! <br>
<br>
The reasons it isn't as popular as it should be is that people are
lazy or people come to a dead end in research. Also, some people have
relatives who have done most of the research already.
answers10: lol <br>
not around this section, it isn't unpopular. We have many newbie
questions (we all have to start somewhere), but that's ok. <br>
Look at it this way.. it takes a certain type of inquisitive person,
who has enough energy to keep at it, passion to find details and so
forth. <br>
I think the one thing that I find most sad, are those who come here
and want to punch their name in some search engine, and find their
entire ancestry in one shot. And for free, of course. <br>
Don't let the others get to you. Enjoy it, find somewhere to discuss
it and be proud. If you have experience, play around here, and answer
questions. I hardly work my own line anymore.. I get a lot of
satisfaction from helping people here. For the most part, the
"regulars" get to know each other and the spirit of competition is a
friendly one. We don't care as much about the points as we care about
seeing new people find info.
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