We're Getting Closer!

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Roots Tech 2012 Videos

What an exhausting last couple of weeks it has been! Sorry I have been missing! Anyway, time for a recap of the RootsTech videos that are now posted online. Below is a list and the link to them. They are all wonderful presentations! The presentation by Josh Coates (Mozy.com) was so forward thinking that it made me realize my thought process isn't even on the same planet as some of these presenters!

Inventing the Future, as a Community-Jay Verkler
Do I Trust the Cloud?-D. Joshua Taylor
Effective Database Search Tactics-Kory Meyerink
Twitter - It's Not Just "What I Had For Breakfast" Anymore-Thomas MacEntee
Eleven Layers of Online Searches-Barbara Renick
Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities-Josh Coates
Publish Your Genealogy Online-Laura Prescott
Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines-Robert Gardner
Genealogists "Go Mobile"-Sandra Crowley
Google's Toolbar and Genealogy-David Barney
Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry-Tim Sullivan
Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101-Lisa Louise Cooke
Privacy in a Collaborative Environment-Noah Tutak

For any and all of these presentations, go to rootstech.org

The 1940 Census is Coming!

This coming Saturday at the Riverton FamilySearch Library you can learn more about the upcoming 1940 Census. Read more info here!

Another post providing information about the 1940 Census can be found on the Genea-Musings blog written by Randy Seaver. Great notes!

Don't Forget to Watch "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Braun HF 1 television receiver, Germany, 1958

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tv

This week's episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (Friday, March 9th, check local listings for time) will have us all learning about NFL superstar, Jerome Bettis. If you have missed the beginning of Season 3, all of the past episodes are available to watch at NBC. Isn't it cool to have a TV show about genealogy? Totally unheard of five years ago!

Time for the UVTAGG Meeting Again!

UVTAGG Group Meeting

March 10, 2012

9-Noon

4050 N. 650 E., Provo, Utah

This is a great place to learn. They know their stuff! If they don't, they know someone who does! Either way, you can get help and enjoy very informational presentations. To learn more, click here! 

Even if you live elsewhere, there are loads of class outlines that you can use to teach yourself. Where there is a will, there is a way!

Want to Learn How to Organize and Share Digital Images?

Cinque Terre, Italy
Photo by Rayanne B. Melick

Are you being overrun with photos on your computer? Do your relatives want copies but you don't know how to keep track of who gets what? With digital cameras so easy and accessible these days, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of photos.  My relatives are still waiting for the pictures I took on my anniversary trip last year! Reason? Sheer volume! Hence my post about this!

Geoff Rasmussen of Legacy Family Tree shares his information on a newly recorded webinar from yesterday. It will be available for at least 10 days for free and then after that it may be purchased. I am a great fan of webinars as I learn so much about so many different topics. I am an even greater fan of webinars from Legacy Family Tree because they are so clear, concise, and organized! When you click on the webinars link above it will take you to the webinars page. Here you can view all of the webinars now scheduled through November 2012. Scroll down to the archived presentations and the "Organize and Share Digital Images" presentation will be the first one showing in the archives.  Have a look if you have never attended a webinar before. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

1940 US Census! Time to Get Excited!

I stumbled upon this YouTube video this morning. I must say that the thought of the 1940 US Census warms my heart! I too would love to hold up a picture of a relative and say, "He's in it!"



If you would like to discover "who's in it?" please consider volunteering to help index the 1940 US Census! Head on over to familysearch.org/1940census to sign up! Many indexers means faster access to those records of the "Greatest Generation!" Speaking of the "Greatest Generation," click here to see an enlightening little tidbit from the 1940's.

A New Blog to Follow!

Barry's Blog

I found a new genealogy blog to follow! I have been a big follower of Barry Ewell for quite a while, but I am super happy to know that he now has a blog. One thing that I really like about his classes is that he puts a lot of effort into his visuals. They are clear, colorful and very easy to understand! He is also very willing to share his visuals from his classes. After a class is over, he will give you his email and tell you what to write in the subject line so that you will get the right information. It is awesome! See an example of this here! If you are at a conference and see his name, stake out your place in the room. You won't be disappointed!
Barry is also the brains behind MyGenShare.com, a new genealogy website that will be launching very soon. Click on the link to read more about Barry Ewell.

Another 30 Million Records Added!

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic License
Attribution: I, lanare

FamilySearch has added another 30 million names to their database. They are accessible worldwide at www.familysearch.org. Included in the new records are 16 million indexed names and 14 million browsable images. To learn more about the records added, click here!

Friday Night Fun!

Wikipedia.com

Once again, it's time to see what GeneaBloggers Talk Radio has going on. Tonight's episode is Give Me Your Tired Your Poor 19th Century US Immigration 02/17 by GeneaBloggers | Blog Talk Radio. Click on the link for full information about tonight's program. Ol 'Myrt of Dear Myrtle fame will be tonight's special host!


"GeneaBloggers Radio is about the most fun you can have with your genealogy on a Friday night!"
                                                                                                                     Thomas MacEntee

Winner of the 2011 Crunchies Award!!!

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com

Have you ever heard of Evernote? It is a new darling on the genealogy scene. Evernote allows you to gather information and remember it effectively. If you are like me, gathering isn't the problem it's remembering where I put it! Check it out here!

By the way, for those of you who are curious or have never heard of the Crunchies Awards, go see their homepage. My brain just swims at the thought of how technology is changing the world!

If you love the tech aspect of genealogy as much as I do, you have to become a fan of Tech Tips from FamilySearch. Assorted contributors write about all manner of technologies that are particularly useful for the genealogist/family historian in all of us!

QR Codes

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

You know what they are, you just might not know the name of them... quick response! They are the little black and white squares that you can scan with your smart phone. Well, they are cropping up in the genealogy world too. There was a class at RootsTech this year by Thomas MacEntee ("Genealogical Uses for QR Codes") that you will want to read. I've heard some division on this subject but at least read the article and then you can see if it makes sense to you. As hard as it may be sometimes to change, technology is moving genealogy forward and will continue to do so. This article in the Deseret News will give you a little more understanding!

Attention Indexers! Indexing Goes Mobile!

This is from the RootsTech conference.

FamilySearch Launches Mobile Indexing App

FamilySearch launched its much-anticipated mobile application for indexing. The app will expand the capability of volunteers to help make the world’s historic records searchable online. The mobile app works on Apple iPads, iPhones, and Droid smartphones. To download the free app, search for the FamilySearch Indexing app in the Apple app store or Droid Market store online.

RootsTech 2012 Live Streaming Sessions

rootstech.org

Below is the schedule of live streaming sessions from the RootsTech Conference. All times are Mountain Standard Time. Just go to rootstech.org and look for the streaming sessions section. You won't be able to miss it! As of today, it is listed right under the Mobile Apps posting in the center of the page.


Thursday, February 2
8:30-10:00 am, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Do I Trust the Cloud? by D. Joshua Taylor
1:45-2:45 pm, Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink   
3:00-4:00 pm, Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore by Thomas MacEntee
4:15-5:15 pm, Eleven Layers of Online Searches by Barbara Renick   

Friday, February 3
8:30-9:30 am, Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities (Keynote Address) by Josh Coates
9:45-10:45 am, Publish Your Genealogy Online by Laura G. Prescott   
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Optimize Your Site for Search Engines by Robert Gardner  
1:45-2:45 pm, Genealogists “Go Mobile” by Sandra Crowly
3:00-4:00 pm, Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy by Dave Barney    

Saturday, February 4
8:30-9:30 am, Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry (Keynote Address) by Tim Sullivan and Ancestry.com Panel
9:45-10:45 am Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 by Lisa Louise Cooke  
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Future of FamilySearch Family Tree by Ron Tanner1:45-2:45 pm, Privacy in a Collaborative Environment by Noah Tatuk    

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