Really Cool Family History Consultant Training!

Photo Credit: Microsoft Images

The RootsTech Conference is this week and I am so excited! I'd like to pass along a little of my excitement for the conference. Did you know that you could attend Family History Consultant Training classes at the RootsTech Conference for free? Yep, that's free! You do have to register, but you don't have to pay for the RootsTech Conference itself. You will also be able to explore the expo halls, where vendors can show you all of the latest and greatest! Come rub shoulders with the best in the business! Click here to register! This link will take you to the Ancestry Insider's Blog where he has posted a little more information about the Family History Consultant Classes. See you at the RootsTech Conference!

Genealogy on the Go!

microsoft.com

With the ease of smart phones these days, capturing genealogy information on the fly is a breeze! Last year my sister and I stopped at a cemetery and took pictures of our relative's headstones, then decided that it was so easy we would photograph the whole small cemetery. Since it was in an obscure place and even the police chief of the itty bitty town didn't know it existed, we figured that others needed to know about it too! Between my sister and I, we took about 100 pictures and uploaded them to Find a Grave. Very easy way to contribute to the genealogical community. So, back to the ease of smart phones! James Tanner has posted a nice article about smart phones on TechTips. He makes some very valid points about being in the right place and having some equipment to help you out. Remember, when you find that piece of information, take a picture!

Two Weeks and Counting!

I am so excited to attend the 2nd annual RootsTech Conference. Last year was amazing and I anticipate that this year will be better still. If you love genealogy AND technology, this is the place for you! Last year the keynote speaker presentations were posted online by various people so I suspect that you will be able to hear these speakers even it you can't go to RootsTech. Here is the link to the schedule of what will actually be presented at RootsTech 2012. It's not too late to sign up!

I Love the USGenWeb Project!

One of my favorite family history sites is the USGenWeb Project. It is like a slice of Americana looking through the individual state entries. I have found some good information on the history of Luzerne County in Pennsylvania. I am also getting my tombstone photos and transcriptions ready to submit to the tombstone project on the Pennsylvania USGenWeb page. This is a great place to share family information! Each state is a bit different, but they all strive to share family history information. All of the work is done by volunteers. Thanks to the volunteers! Remember, you receive help from others! Don't forget to give back!

Did I Mention Social Networking? Again?

It is amazing how fast the face of genealogy is changing. Remember when the above was your best friend. You would write a heartfelt letter to a relative asking for information, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) as a courtesy and wait and pray for a reply! I think that I personally drove the mailman nuts with my waiting! That's a post office drop box for those of you who haven't had experience with the U.S. Postal Service. How about this?

Kind of hard to stuff in your pocket! Remember the days when you waited until after 5 or 9 p.m (that's when the rates went down!) to make a long distance phone call to a distant relative for genealogical information? If that was the case and I knew that the phone call would be long, I would wait until Saturday when you got the cheap rates all day. When I mention this to my kids, they just laugh and talk about mom and her "dinosaur" days! My point is that ways of communicating have changed and we can (and should) be taking advantage of every resource out there to further our genealogy along. So, this brings us to the very popular social media of the day. Now, you may not be interested in Facebook, Twitter, Google + and other social media, but the next generation lives on it. And if you think outside the box (but not too far!) you can see a genealogical application here! I have been able to connect to cousins that I barely know. We grew up across the country from each other and lead very different lives. However, they are still family and I am very interested in their lives. For a great article on social networking, click here and read James Tanner's latest on social networking. Yes, there are pros and cons to social networking, but I believe that the pros (humble opinion, of course!) outweigh the cons. See for yourself!

UTVTAGG (formerly PAF Users Group)

Our Next Meeting
14 Jan 2012from 9 AM to noon

www.uvpagug.org

Presenter: Karen Clifford		Topic: The Changing Pace of Family History Research

Fold3 (formerly Footnote) turns 5!

If you haven't checked out Fold3.com lately, now is the time! Love their military records!

1000memories

                                                                                            CAM (9) and Alyssa (7)

Some things are meant to last forever!
Photo from personal collection

Do you want your family history to survive forever? I sure do, because I have put so much of myself into it! There is another company that is wanting to preserve your memories "for forever." It is 1000memories. 1000memories has partnered with Internet Archive to preserve your memories for eons to come. It's free, there isn't a limit on what you upload, you can set privacy controls they way you want them, and it's fun to see your special photos up on the screen! Give it a try!

P.S. I am in no way affilitated with 1000memories.com. Just an excited consumer!

Jumpstart your Research in 2012!

GeneaWebinars.com

Out with the old and in with the new! A new year means a new opportunity to jump start your genealogy research. Need a little help with that? Thomas MacEntee is presenting a FREE webinar on January 10th. The title of the webinar is 10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Genealogy in 2012. Click here to get more information. By the way GeneaWebinars.com is a great place to find all sorts of webinars that can help you with your genealogy and family history. Click GeneaWebinars.com and then simply click on their calendar button. You will notice that there is a charge for some of them and some webinars are absolutely FREE! Either way, the education is a steal!

P.S. Nope, no affiliation with GeneaWebinars.com except as a participant!