Ask any two genealogists how they structure the file names of their digital files, and you'll probably get three different answers. I imagine that determining a proper file naming convention is what trips up most researchers and keeps them from becoming better organized. I know that I've struggled off and on with how to name my files.
All of my Genealogy files, whether documents, photographs or other images, are stored in Dropbox so they can be accessed across multiple devices. As I begin to get organized with this new attitude of making sure that my research is up-to-date to pass on to the next generation, I've had to settle on a file naming convention.
My first pass has been in using this file structure to rename the files that are currently in my Genealogy files with names such as "DSC12395.jpg" or whatever the camera or iPhone decided to name them. Once renamed with a meaningful name, each of these files will be filed under their own Surname file in Dropbox.
After much deliberation and reading about how others name their files, I think I've settled on the following: Surname First Name birth date Description Place.
For example - WHATEVER John b 1865 1910 Census Madison County Indiana.
This way I can differentiate between multiple people who have the same first name and surname. If I don't know the birthdate, I'll use an estimate or perhaps the death date. The point is to get like images with like images.
Many of my files had already been named, so I won't go back and rename them just yet - my focus will be on getting the unidentified and unnamed files named and sorted first. Then, once I begin to work systematically up my family tree, I can update the naming conventions on any of the other files.
In going through images stored in my Genealogy folder, I've not only gone down memory lane - I've also found items that had nothing to do with genealogy that were just lumped into the digital pile. Those items have been either deleted or filed accordingly in another Dropbox folder.
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