RootsTech: A Bigger and Better BillionGraves Coming Feb. 5th

From our friends at BillionGraves:

A Bigger and Better BillionGraves Available Feb 5th.

Hey BillionGravers,

Technology is revolutionizing the way we do Genealogy. So when it comes to technology, you want the best possible products available to help you in your quest to discover your family. At this years RootsTech convention in SLC from Feb 5th - 8th you will see hundreds of technologies aimed to assist you in your research.

BUT you won't find anything like what BillionGraves is introducing.

Eager to find out what it is? Well you will just have to come to RootsTech and visit us at our booth 815 to find out! Click on the green photo to the right for a map of conference hall. ->>

If you can't make to the conference this year, you will be greatly missed, but we'll still fill you in on all of the AMAZING things our developers have been working on for months. Check out our BLOG or our Facebook page to read all about our new enhancements as we release them this week! 

Riverton FamilySearch Library - FREE Seminar Feb. 15th

The Riverton FamilySearch Library will host a free seminar on

Saturday, February 15th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

that will offer help to genealogists of all skill levels.

Approaching Saratov: A Director's Journey

In October 2013, THE SARATOV APPROACH started a historical journey in movie theaters.  But that's only part of the story.  Hear writer and director Garrett Batty share his experience of bringing this story to the screen and be inspired by some of the incredible behind-the-scenes miracles that occurred in the process.

Garrett Batty graduated from BYU Film School in 2000.  He and his wife moved to Hollywood, where he began working as an editor.  Years later he wrote and directed his first film, Scout Camp.  After working on several projects for the LDS Church, he accepted a full-time position producing Mormon Messages and other film and video content.  In 2013 he released his first theatrical feature, The Saratov Approach, which continues to introduce new audiences to missionary work.  He served a Spanish-speaking mission in the New York, New York South Mission and has served in elders quorum presidencies, high priests group leaderships, bishoprics, and as a stake executive secretary.  Garrett is happily married to Sherrie Lynn Fisher, from Kuna, Idaho, and they live in Draper with their four children.

Following the keynote presentation from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., two blocks of four classes each are offered that cover topics of interest for beginning, intermediate, and advanced family history enthusiasts.

10:15 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

• “Research Fundamentals for Consultants and Novice Genealogists” - Sherry Zealley
• “Online Midwest Resources” - Sherry Lindsay
• “Your Personal Tree on Ancestry.com” - Echo King
• “Evernote: Your Virtual Genealogy Assistant” - Sue Maxwell

11:30 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

• “What's The Source?  Why We Should Document Sources and Citations!” - Laurie Beardall
• “English Records Before 1837—Parish Records” - Echo King
• “Exploring Norwegian Parish Registers” - Anka Magee
• “Using Legal Documents in Family History Research” - Davis Farnsworth

Registration is not required for this free seminar. The Riverton FamilySearch Library is located in the LDS Riverton Office Building at 3740 West Market Center Drive. The facility is near the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 13400 South, just east of The Home Depot.

COME JOIN ME!

RootsTech - So Many Class Choices! Where do I Start?

Any time I attend a genealogy conference I am a bit bewildered as to where my focus should be for attending all the wonderful classes. So I put together a category list of the classes being taught. I know the RootsTech App has a category listing but, I wanted to take it a little deeper. Maybe this will help you to decide what classes to focus on this year, also. There are a couple repeats listed below because they fall into more than one category.

Wednesday's Developers Sessions
The developers of new products want genealogists to attend their sessions to provide the user perspective and offer suggestions concerning their products or perspective products. The seven sessions will cover subjects and questions having to do with Gedcoms; actual locations of genealogy events; an API for My Heritage; unscrambling sources and artifacts do define proof; designing 3rd party API's; and a discussion about what is genealogy and family history.

Getting Started and Overviews
GS1252 - Basic Online Resources for the Beginning Genealogist by Lisa Alzo
RT1420 - 1984-Thirty Years On by Dave Abee
RT1446 - From Pedigrees to Interactive Trees: A History of Genealogical Interfaces, by Charles Knutson
YOUTH1299 - Get to Know Your Geezers (FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Ancestry), by Matthew Hovorka

FamilySearch Family Tree
GS1153 - FamilySearch Family Tree: What's New and What's Next, by Ron Tanner
LAB1240 S/T - Adding Sources to FamilySearch Family Tree, by Kelly Summers

Family History Centers/Discovery Centers
LDS1610 - Putting the Family Back in Family History Centers, by Suzanne Curley
LDS1611 - Engaging Youth in Family History Centers, by Suzanne Curley
RT1488/RT2014 - FS Discovery Centers-The New In-Person Experience Manager, by Scott Stout

Indexing
RT1193 Introducing the new FamilySearch Indexing Program, by Scott Flinders

Involving the Family in Family History
GS1132 - Facebook is Family History: Engaging Young People in Their Own Stories, by Devin Ashby
GS1134 - Bridging Family History with Technology - a panel discussion
RT1234 - Zap The Grandma Gap, Leave a Heritage Workshop, by Janet Hovorka
RT1352 - How to Get Kids Involved in Genealogy, by Michael Melendez
RT1365 - Using Technology  to Involve All Generations in FH and Genealogy, by Claire Brisson-Banks
RT1379 - Run, Jump, and Collecting Coins: Gaming and Family History, by D. Joshua Taylor
RT1458 - Using AncestryDNA to Further Your Family History Research, by Kenny Freestone at Ancestry
RT1463 - Genealogy Meets Angry Birds: Making Interfaces More Addictive, by Dr. Charles D. Knutson
LDS1611 - Engaging Youth in Family History Centers, by Suzanne Curley

Cloud Services
GS1259 - Access, Backup, Share: Store Your Genealogy Records Online, by Randy Whited
RT1159 - Genealogy in the Cloud, by Randy Hoffman M.Ed.
RT1407 - Taking Your Family With You in the Cloud, by Richard Young
RT1194 - Data Backup from A to Z, by Andrew Klein from Backblaze

DNA
GS1170 - Introduction to DNA for Genealogists, by Jim Rader
RT1066 - Begging for Spit, by Blaine T Bettinger, PH.D., J.D.
RT1218 - Magnifying Your Maternal Line with Mitochondrial DNA, by Diahan Southard, BS
RT1269 - Ask the Experts 2014 - Genetic Genealogy Panel Discussion, by CeCe Moore
RT1272 - Using Genetic Genealogy ...for... Adoptees (and ... Brick Walls), by Cece Moore
RT1374 - Advanced Techniques for Use of Autosomal DNA Tests to ...Brick Walls, by Tim Janzen MD
RT1376 - Using 3rd Party Tools to Help You Get More from Your DNA Test Results, by Tim Janzen MD
RT1782 - Read World Cases from the Desk of a Genealogy Professional, by CeCe Moore

Get Organized
GS1208 - The Paper-Less Genealogist - Organizing Your Digital Files, by Denise Levernick
RT1251 - Digitally Organize Research and Note Files with Research Ties software, by Jill Crandell
RT1257 - A Beginner's Guide to Going Paperless, by Randy Whited
RT1284 - Creating a Digital Genealogy Scrapbook, by Barb Groth
RT1289 - From Chaos to C.A.L.M. - Organizing Digital Photos..., by Tom and Alison Taylor
GS1292 - Personal Digital Archiving for the Genealogist, by Tony Hanson
RT1394 - Presenting and Preserving Family History - You Can't Take it With You, by Donald R Snow
RT1417/RT1506 - Self-Professed Uber-Organized Freaks Talk Genealogy Tech Organization, by Lisa Louise Cooke

Digitize Your Data
RT1176 - Digitize Your Memories on a Budget, by Patrick Liechty
RT1185 - Putting Things in Their Place: Paying it Forward in the Digital Age, by Michael Cassara
RT1194 - Data Backup from A to Z, by Andrew Klein from Backblaze

Photos-Preservation-Archival
GS1084 - Scanning Tips and Tricks, by Robert Raymond
GS1112 - Metadata for Digital Images, presented by Flip-Pal®
GS1113 - Got Photos? Creating Keepsakes Using Family Photos, presented by Flip-Pal®
GS1292 - Personal Digital Archiving for the Genealogist, by Tony Hanson
LAB1089S/T - Do It Yourself Photo Restoration, by The Ancestry Insider
LAB1253S/T - Metadata Hands-On Lab I and II, by Randy Whited
RT1088 - Do It Yourself Photo Restoration, by The Ancestry Insider
RT1205 - How to Scan an Elephant - Digitize Your FH, by Denise Levernick

Publishing Your Family History
RT1169 - Self-Publishing Your Family History, by Gale French
RT1179 - Create Family History Heirlooms with MyCanvas, by Lorilee Wgner at Ancestry.com
RT1246 - Publish Before You Perish - Leaving a Genealogical Legacy, by Loretta Evans
RT1254 - DIY Publishing for the Family Historian: Tips, Tricks and Tools, by Lisa Alzo
RT1435 - Latest Trends in Publishing for Genealogists, by Marlis Humphrey
RT1464 - Family History Books: Start to Finish in Six Steps, by Nancy and Biff Barnes of Stories to Tell

Family Trees
RT1077 - View Your Family Tree in 3 Dimensions - Charts, by Pierre Clouthier at Progeny
RT1082 - Online Trees: The Root of All Evil?, by Jen Baldwin
RT1228 - Using Prezi to Visualize and Reinvent Your Family Tree, by Brandi Burns

Research 
Get Started:
  GS1447 - Top 10 Things I learned About My Family From My Couch: Beginning Internet Genealogy, by Tammy Hepps
  RT1110 - 5 Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep, by Deborah Gamble
  RT1275 - Automate and Improve Your Genealogy Searches: Record Matching, by Eastman, Tanner, Seaver
  RT1325 - Effective Database Search Tactics, by Kory Meyerink
  RT1360 - How the Internet Makes Us Sloppy Genealogists, by Laura Prescott
  RT1386 - Learning How to Tune Your Ancestry.com Search, by Anne Mitchell at Ancestry.com

Online Resources:
  GS1331 - Big Sites, Little Sites - All Online, by Sharon Monson
  GS1375 - Information Overload - Managing Online Searches and Their Results, by D. Joshua Taylor
  RT1097 - Finding Living People on the Internet by Ron Arons
  RT1238 - Finding Biographical Information Online: Free Digitized Genealogy, History Books and Newspapers, by Kelly Summers
  RT1311 - Getting the Most Out of Archives.com, by Amy Johnson Crow at Archives.com
  RT1355 - Unlocking the Power of Irish Land Records at findmypast.com, by Brian Donovan at findmypast.com
  RT1495 - Using Mocavo to Propel Your Research, Michael J. Leclerc at mocavo.com

Historical Newspapers:
  RT1359 - Treasures within the Ivory Tower - Remote Access to Special Collections, by Laura Prescott
  RT1069 - Getting the Most out of Historical Newspapers, by Peter Drinkwater at newspapers.com
  RT1318 - It's News to Me! Historical Newspaper Research, by Pamela Weisberger

Land and Maps:
  RT1098 - Mapping Madness by Ron Arons
  RT1189 - Land Records, Using New Technologies by David W. Moore
  RT1310 - Cartography for Genealogists - Mapping Across Time and Generations, by Pamela Weisberger

Specialty Research:
  RT1109 - Doing FH in Sub-Saharan Africa-Challenges, by Dr. Osei Agyemang Bonsu
  RT1255 - Deciphering Foreign Language Records, by Randy Whited
  RT1278 - Finding Family and Ancestors Outside the USA with MyHeritage, by Danile Horowitz at MyHeritage.com
  RT1334 - Exploring and Researching Your Jewish Roots, by Pamela Weisberger
  RT1486 - Searching the Digital Archive of Norway

Misc Research:
  GS1480 - Applying Technology to Each Step of the ...Research Cycle, by Karen Clifford
  RT1095 - Putting the Flash on the Bones, by Ron Arons
  RT1101 - Your Portable, Sortable Research Log, by Jennifer Patterson Dondero
  RT1103 - Electric Fans (Friends, Associates, Neighbors), by Jennifer Patterson Dondero
  RT1213 - Common Surnames: Finding Your Smiths, by Juliana Szucs Smith at Ancestry.com
  RT1406 - Deciphering Old Handwriting Online, by Harris and Black
  RT1410 - Billion Graves and Find A Grave - Making Them Easy to Use, by Richard Young
  RT1430 - Mergers and Acquisitions: The Business of Expanding Your Family Tree, by Pamela Weisberger
  RT1941 - Doing Time: Prison Records as Genealogical Resources, by Judy G. Russell
  LAB1462F/S - Family Timelines with Treelines.com, by Tammy Hepps at Treelines.com

Social Media and Collaboration:
GS1132 - Facebook is Family History: Engaging Young People in Their Own Stories, by Devin Ashby
GS1260 - Tweets, Links, Pins, Posts: Break Down Genealogy Brick Walls with Social Media, by Lisa Alzo
GS1344 - Story Collaboration: Understand the Different Options, by Dave Dickson at storylava
LSB1491T - Google+ Hangouts on Air: The Panelists' View, by DearMyrtle
RT1201 - Crowdsourcing Your Brick Walls, by Drew Smith
RT1351 - Tips for Successful Research Collaboration, by Luther A. Tychonievich
RT1373 - Capturing and #SharingStories in 140 Characters or Less, by D. Joshua Taylor
RT1452 - Piecing Together History: Crowdsourcing Events to Glean the Most..., by Cheri Daniels


Stories - Your Own and Your Family
GS1114 - Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family's Genealogy Hero, by David Adelman of ReelGenie
GS1344 - Story Collaboration: Understand the Different Options, by Dave Dickson at storylava
GS1229 - Oral History Basics, by Brandi Burns
GS1288 - How Not to Bore Your Family and Friends-Storytelling 101, by Tom and Alison Taylor at Pictures and Stories, Inc.
GS1307 - How to Interview Yourself for a Personal History, by Tom Taylor at Pictures and Stories, Inc.
GS1340 - The Power of Questions: how will formed questions can prompt memories, by David Dickson at storylava
LAB1230F/S - Personal History Made Simple Through Technology, by Larson and Gardner
LAB1342F/T - Storytelling in a Sea of Social Media, by Dave Dickson at storylava
LAB1403S/T - Virtual Personal History, by Michael Stringham
LDS1924 - Where Do I Belong?, Flipping Your Story and FH Upside Down, by Carol Rice
RT1105 - Emerging Technology and the Family Narrative, by Ryan O'Donnell
RT1188 - The Digital Family History Author, by Chas Hathaway
RT1206 - Scrivener for Family Historians: Organize, Write and Share Your Stories, by Denise Levernick
RT1224 - Discovering Stories on Google Books, by Jimmy Zimmerman
RT1305 - 45 Memories in 45 Minutes, by Tom and Alison Taylor at Pictures and Stories, Inc.
RT1332 - Creating Your Hometown Legacy, by RaNae Roberts
RT1373 - Capturing and #SharingStories in 140 Characters or Less, by D. Joshua Taylor
RT1389 - Putting Your Ancestors In Historical Perspective: Extracting Stories from Military Records on Ancestry and Fold3, by Anne Mitchell
RT1425 - Behind the Scenes of the Ancestry.com Research Team, by Michelle Ercanbrack at Ancestry
RT1451 - I Remember, by Sandra Crowley
RT1456 - Story by Story, Preserve Your Family's History, by Tammy Hepps at Treelines.com
RT1464 - Family History Books: Start to Finish in Six Steps, by Nancy and Biff Barnes of Stories to Tell
RT1494 - Sharing Your Family History Using Multimedia, by Michael J. Leclerc
RT1781 - Put Pizazz in Your Writings with SmartArt, WordArt, and Screenshots, by Nancy Waters Lauer

Spanish Speaking Classes
RT1146 - Writing Newsletters and using MailChimp, by Sonia Meza
RT1147 - Hangouts and Hispanic Genealogy, by Sonia Meza

Technology
Blogging:  
  RT1061 - Using Tools and Organization for Creating a Valuable Family History Blog, by James Tanner
  RT1313 - Personalizing WordPress

Evernote: 
  LAB1200F/S - Using Evernote as Your Primary Tool for Capturing Notes and Ideas, by Drew Smith
 RT1322 - A Mobile Genealogist: Using Evernote for Genealogy Research, by Alice Kane

Flipboard:
  LAB1263F/T - Flipboard for Genealogy: Create Incredible Mobile Magazine, by Lisa Louise Cooke
  RT1437 - Flipboard Your Family History, by Marlis Humphrey at myAncestories.com

Mac and iPads:
  RT1107 - Using Macs and iPads for Genealogy, by Nancy E. Loe
  RT1223 - Mac: Simple Tricks to Save You Time, by Jimmy Zimmerman

Mobile Devices:
  RT1118 - Windows Phone for Genealogists, by Louis Kessler
  RT1178 - Keep Your Library on Your Portable Device, by Nancy Waters Lauer
  RT1326 - Can I Do Genealogy on my Tablet?, by Pamela Brigham
  RT1471 - Take Your Research Anywhere with Ancestry.com's Mobile App, by Jason Butterfield at Ancestry
  YOUTH1243 - A FH Mystery: Bring Your Sleuthing Skills and Your Gadgets, by Crosby Ravensworth

YouTube:
  RT1508 - How to Use YouTube for Family History: Setting Up Your Own ...Channel, by Lisa Louise Cooke

Miscellaneous
RT1225 - Discover the Future on Kickstarter (for funding), by Jimmy Zimmerman
RT1277 - Extended Genealogy Services Using Family Graph API, by Uri Gonen at My Heritage.com
RT1780 - More Than Just a Pretty Face: Technology and the Client Experience, by Jennifer Patterson Dondero
RT1784 - Online Genealogy Courses Exposed!, by Elissa Scalise Powell

Countdown to RootsTech 2014 - Things to Remember

The excitement is building with RootsTech 2014 coming up so quickly! Hopefully, you are registered to attend one or more days of the conference, February 6-8, 2014. There is still time to register to attend at https://rootstech.org/registration/.  If you cannot attend, please join in the streaming classes as listed here.

There are always so many things to think about at the last minute so here are a few reminders.

Download the Mobile App

It is a useful tool to help you create your schedule and plan your time at the conference.
     Here is the Apple app.
     Here is the Google play app.
     Don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Android device? View the Web app.

Enter your schedule as best you know. This helps FamilySearch plan for the crowds. Remember that classes are first come, first served.

Food

Plan ahead for your meals. Bring snacks. Food will be available to purchase at the RootsTech Diner and concession stands for $10-$15 in the Expo Hall. Or, there may still be a few tickets left for purchase for lunch/presentations from industry leaders. Update your registration if you want a ticket to a lunch on Friday or Saturday. If you want to find local restaurants, check out Visit 
Salt Lake.

Wednesday Developer Sessions
If you registered for a full-pass to the conference you can attend any of the Developer Sessions on Wednesday afternoon between 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Registration Check-in

To get your RootsTech name badge and conference materials, stop by Registration Check-In located in the South foyer of the Salt Palace Convention Center. Be sure to bring photo ID. Avoid the lines and check in at your earliest convenience! Registration Check-In is open at the following times:

• Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Innovator Summit
• Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 
• Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 
• Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thursday Evening Opening Social 
The free opening night social will have a light dessert buffet starting at 6 p.m., with the entertainment taking center stage at 6:30 p.m. You will receive a ticket in your registration package. Be sure to keep it safe. 

Friday Night Fun at the Library

The Family History Library is the place for a Friday Night Pizza Party.  The largest library of its kind in the world is staying open late for you. Come do some research, find a name, and grab a slice of pizza. There will be an "Open Mic Night" for five-minute story sharing and then catch an episode of The Story Trek, hosted by Todd Hansen, who will be a keynote speaker at RootsTech Saturday morning. Tickets for the pizza are nearly gone, but the library is open late that night for everyone!

Interactive and Hands-on

Be sure to check out the new Family Discovery Exhibit, sponsored by FamilySearch, in the RootsTech Expo Hall.

Photo Scanning Area

Make digital copies of family photos that you can preserve, share, and even upload directly to your FamilySearch Family Tree. There are also plenty of high-capacity scanners that make great digital copies quickly. 

What to do: Bring the photos you want to scan and a flash drive. 

Recording Booth - Record Your Story

Video or audio record your favorite family story in one of our enclosed sound booths. Your private recording session includes ten minutes of recording time and you'll get a copy of it on a flash drive. Enjoy sharing the memory for many years to come. 

What to do: Think of a family story or memory that you want to capture and preserve. Story helps will be provided on-site.

Record a Call - With Someone Who Inspires You

Make a phone call that will last a lifetime. Simply call a parent, grandparent, or someone who inspires you and find out more about their life. Our app will record the conversation and you can take it and treasure the memory for years. 

What to do: Bring a phone number of a person you want to call and interview, as well as an email address you'd like to send the recorded file to.

See Yourself in History

How would you look as a cowboy or as one of the pretty maids all in a row? Have your face (and the faces of your friends) added to one of several fun antique photos and e-mail yourself a digital copy you can share. 

What to do: Have an email address to send your new photo to. 

FamilySearch Book Scanning Booth

Get your family book scanned for free. We'll make a digital copy, you keep the original and a searchable PDF copy for yourself. You can also donate personal works, books that are copyright protected, and books that are in the public domain. Questions? bookdonations@familysearch.org

Syllabus Materials
This year's conference syllabus materials are now available to download from the website. They will be available for a limited time after RootsTech 2014 is over, so be sure to download and print them soon.

Be Part of the Conversation

Add your voice to the RootsTech conversation on Twitter and Facebook. Use the official RootsTech hashtag (#RootsTech) for your tweets and posts! It could win you a pass to RootsTech 2015! 

See you there!

We Have a Winner for the RootsTech Pass!

The RootsTech Genealogy Conference is approaching fast and only a matter of days away from starting! It's become the largest genealogy conference in the country with so many opportunities to explore your family history and advance your knowledge, no matter the level of expertise. I have the opportunity to give away a free pass for a lucky person to attend and I have drawn a winner.

AND THE WINNER IS JUDI SEARS from Utah County! So excited to have a chance to interview her at RootsTech and find out about her experience. I'll be posting that interview during RootsTech.

CONGRATS, JUDI! I'm sure you will enjoy everything about the conference!

Mark Your Calendar - UVTAGG Meeting!

UTAH VALLEY TECHNOLOGY AND GENEALOGY GROUP MEETING

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the UVTAGG will be on Saturday, 08 Feb 2014, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo. Information about the Group, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website http://uvtagg.org.

The main presentation this month at UVTAGG will be a recorded keynote address from Thursday or Friday at the large RootsTech 2014 Conference.

RootsTech 2014 starts Wednesday, 5 Feb, and ends Saturday, 8 Feb, in the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. RootsTech began 4 years ago sponsored by the LDS Church, BYU, Ancestry, and other companies, and has already grown to be the largest genealogy conference in the United States with over 10,000 people expected to attend this year.  Besides the in-person attendees, this year more than 500 LDS stakes have signed up to use RootsTech presentations in their local Family History seminars later.

Since many of our UVTAGG members are Family History Consultants and will be at the Salt Palace, it was decided to use RootsTech presentations for the UVTAGG meeting this month.  To avoid bandwidth problems with the Internet at the chapel we will be recording the streaming videos of the RootsTech presentations Thursday and Friday to show at our Saturday morning meeting.  We will show one of the keynote addresses for our main presentation and then show three other presentations during the class period, so you can select the one you want to watch.  All of the RootsTech keynote presentations and additional classes will be streamed live from the Salt Palace on their website https://rootstech.org, so people can even watch them at home on their own computers.  And the videos will be available there after the conference is over.

All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public whether members of the Group or not. The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually about 100 attending the monthly meetings on the second Saturdays.

LAST CHANCE to Win a Free Pass to Attend RootsTech!

CONTEST ENDS at MIDNIGHT, January 30TH! Yes, I changed the date! If you already entered you don't have to do it again.

Here's your last BIG chance to attend the RootsTech genealogy conference for FREE in Salt Lake City, February 6th through the 8th at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  This is a $239 value. Just let me know that you want your name in the hopper for a chance to win. All you have to do is tell me why you are interested in attending and agree to meet me there for an interview about your experience at the conference.

That's it! RootsTech is now the largest genealogy conference in the world. You will have a discovery adventure as you learn about sharing photos and stories about your family, exploring the Expo hall, and attending workshops. Listen to exciting keynote speakers like The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, the award-winning blogger and #1 New York Times bestselling author and Judy Russell, a certified genealogist with a law degree who enjoys helping others understand the interplay between genealogy and the law. She blogs and maintains The Legal Genealogist website.

You can attend classes presented by a myriad of terrific speakers and learn more about discovering your roots, no matter whether you are totally new to the family history world or an experienced genealogist! 

Just comment on this post. All I need is a way to contact you and a very brief explanation as to why you are interested in attending. I will draw a name and notify you if you win.  I review all comments before I post them so your comments won't even show.

The Pioneer Woman

Judy Russell

Ancestry and FamilySearch - Next Step in Collaboration Efforts

Ancestry.com Expands Groundbreaking Collaboration With FamilySearch

Additional 1 Billion Global Records From 67 Countries to be Available on Ancestry.com

PROVO, Utah, Jan. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ancestry.com announced an extension of their collaborative efforts with FamilySearch International that will make more than 1 billion additional records from 67 countries available on Ancestry.com. These already digitized records, provided by FamilySearch, are in addition to the agreement the two largest providers of family history resources announced a few months ago that will help digitize, index and publish an expected 1 billion global historical records never before published online from the FamilySearch vault over the next five years.

These additional records, which are already digitized collections, represent a significant expansion toAncestry.com, which hosts the largest collection of global records available online. The records also add to the aggressive international digitization efforts already in place by Ancestry.com.

As stated previously by the company, Ancestry.com has a long-term content strategy, which is committed to investing $100 million to digitize and index new content over the next five years. The company is focused on providing access to a global collection of records and expand family history interest in its current markets and worldwide.

The additional collections include more than 1 billion digitized and indexed records and over 200 million images containing birth, marriage, death, census and church records from Europe, Latin America, South Africa, South America, Asia and more. These collections will provide Ancestry.comcustomers with rich details that will help them discover new information about their ancestors from around the world.

"We are excited to be expanding our exclusive, groundbreaking agreement with FamilySearch. In addition to the previously announced plan to together digitize 1 billion records never before published online, we're thrilled to be able to provide our members with access to this additional 1 billion records from 67 countries," said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. "These new global records will mean even more discoveries for our members."

A focus on adding global content isn't new to Ancestry.com, who has offices around the world and 12 billion global records already on the website. The site currently hosts record collections dating back to the 1300's that include records around the census, immigration and naturalizations and military, just to name a few. In fact, hundreds of millions of records from Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Eastern Europe have been added in recent years to the billions of records from the company's primary operating markets and record digitization projects are underway for collections from many more countries.

These 1 billion additional records are expected to be available on Ancestry.com starting in January and fully published over the next few months. To search records from around the world currently available on Ancestry.com visit www.ancestry.com.

RootsTech Innovator Summit

Chris Dancy, the "World's Most Quantified Man," to Kick-off Innovator Summit Preconference at RootsTech

Salt Lake City, Utah — The RootsTech family history and technology conference is getting a jump-start a day early with Innovator Summit, a half-day event featuring Chris Dancy, “The World’s Most Quantified Man.” The event will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2014, from 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM, at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Debuting in 2014, Innovator Summit builds off of what was formerly known as the RootsTech Developer Day and is focused on expanding technology and business opportunities that leverage family history data. Speakers such as Dancy and classes throughout the day will create a unique opportunity for software developers, entrepreneurs, and technology business leaders to network, explore and influence family history innovation.

Dancy serves as a director in the office of the chief technology officer of BMC Software and has been featured in WIRED, TED NYC 2013, PBS, and Dreamforce. Known as a data exhaust cartographer, Dancy keeps metrics on himself for every moment of every day. He knows the number of steps he travels in a day, his average heart rate, and the amount of food he’s eaten—every phone call, every appointment, every piece of quantifiable personal data possible, he knows it. He will kick off the day with his keynote address titled, “Facebook of the Dead.”

By bringing in keynote speakers such as Dancy, Innovator Summit aims to inspire new ideas, new discussions, and new connections that will drive technology and business opportunities both inside and outside the traditional genealogy marketplace. “We want to bring technology thought leaders, innovation experts, and entrepreneurs to the discussion of what’s happening in family history,” said Thom Reed, a marketing manager with RootsTech. “Innovator Summit creates a new venue to showcase innovative ideas and foster collaboration in the genealogy space.”

There will be 16 Innovator Summit classes on Wednesday, February 5, as well as 15 additional classes offered during the remainder of RootsTech (Thursday, February 6 through Saturday, February 8), which is expected to draw over 9,000 attendees. In addition to Dancy, other business and technology speakers at Innovator Summit include:

• John Spottiswood, executive vice president of business and corporate development at Inflection LLC (the parent of company of Archives.com, which was sold to Ancestry.com for $100 million).
• Cydni Tetro, entrepreneur in residence at Disney and cofounder and executive director of the Women Tech Council.
• Jesse Stay, social and growth strategies consultant for Stay N' Alive Productions, LLC, former director of digital media for Deseret Digital Media and author of Google+ Marketing for Dummies.

One of the most popular elements of Innovator Summit is the annual Developer Challenge. New apps, software, or other products are unveiled, and three winners will receive cash prizes and the chance to show their winning entries to media, bloggers, and RootsTech attendees. Past winners, such as Tammy Hepps of Treelines.com, have gone on to successfully launch their products.

For more information about Innovator Summit or to get registered for the conference, please visit http://rootstech.org/innovator.

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About RootsTech

RootsTech is a unique global family history event, where people of all ages learn to discover and share their family stories and connections through technology. The first annual conference was held in 2011, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by leading genealogical organizations, the conference includes hands-on demonstrations and forums to provide a highly interactive environment and accelerate learning.

Evernote for Genealogists Quick Reference Guides Now Available

I teach a class on using a product called Evernote for helping to organize your family history. So I want to make you aware of a simple product that will help you learn more about how to use Evernote and use it to help you with your life and your genealogy. 

Evernote is certainly the fastest-growing (and FREE) note-taking technology out there, so it’s no wonder that it is incredibly popular with genealogists. If you’re an Evernote user yourself, you’ve likely noticed that there’s a lot of functionality packed into it. However, I’ve noticed that many genealogists aren’t taking full advantage of what Evernote offers.

That’s why Lisa Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems created these “cheat sheets:” quick reference guides that help users immediately harness the Evernote’s power to gather, organize, cite and share genealogy research across multiple platforms. In them you’ll find:

§  Getting Started Checklist

§  Quick Keys to speed up your use of Evernote

§  Specialized Note-taking Actions

§  How to Get the Most Out of Clipping

§  Tips for Maneuvering the Desktop Client

§  Genealogical Organization Suggestions

§  Little Known Search Strategies

§  Source Citation Tips, and Using Reminders

Here are a couple tips from the "cheat sheet":

1) Create a New Note: When you’re working on your computer and you want to make a quick note of something in Evernote, you can get there with lightning speed by pressing quick keys simultaneously. Windows: Ctrl+Alt+n.  Mac: Command + N. 

2) Instant Note Search: What if you are knee deep in your research and you have a note that you need to quickly reference? Simply press Win+Shift+f (Windows) or Option + Command + F (Mac) from anywhere on your computer and Evernote will instantly open with your cursor in the search box ready to type a keyword and search!

There are plenty more great tips included in these reference guides.

Evernote for Genealogists Quick Reference Guides are available at the Genealogy Gems store at www.GenealogyGems.com and for a limited time you can purchase them at a discounted price. 

RootsTech - New Flipboard App Now Delivers Exciting Genealogy Content

Now that it’s 2014, RootsTech is almost upon us, so the genealogy industry is abuzz with new and emerging technologies for family history. Consider what’s been happening in the mobile space this last year:

• Smartphone usage in the U.S. increased by 50 percent (Kleiner Perkins)
• The number of emails being opened on mobile increased by 330 percent (Litmus)
• Tablet usage doubled in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)

The bottom line: More than ever folks are accessing websites, videos, podcasts, blogs and other online information on their mobile devices.

As part of its mission, RootsTech helps family historians embrace these new technologies. Well, RootsTech has already gotten off to a running start by introducing attendees to Flipboard, a free magazine app available for all major mobile platforms. 

RootsTech 2014: Where Genealogy and Technology Converge is a Flipboard magazine published by Genealogy Gems in conjunction with the RootsTech team. I’m writing to invite you to experience the magazine for yourself (if you haven’t already) and share it with your audience. The magazine crowd-sources great web content from RootsTech speakers, exhibitors, and official bloggers in one beautiful and convenient place. It is multimedia, too – you’ll find video and audio content as well as text.

How to Access the Magazine in Flipboard:
1. Get the free Flipboard app at flipboard.com, in iTunes or Google Play.
2. Set up your free account.
3. In the search box at the top of the homepage, search for ROOTSTECH.
4. Tap “RootsTech 2014″ by Lisa Louise Cooke (you’ll see a magazine icon next to it).
5. When the magazine loads, tap the SUBSCRIBE icon at the top of the page.
6. Starting at the right hand side of the page, swipe your finger from right to left over each page to “flip!”

You can also access the magazine through your browser at http://tinyurl.com/RootsTech2014.

As you can see, Flipboard offers exciting possibilities for curating, organizing, and presenting online content. It aggregates social network, other online content and RSS channels for Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8. Content is presented in a captivating magazine format, allowing users to “flip” through it with a simple swipe of the finger.

As a genealogy new media content creator and publisher, Genealogy Gems is excited to introduce this creative use of this emerging technology to the genealogy industry. Check out two more new FREE Flipboard issues from Lisa Louise Cooke that you can share with your audience:

• Using Newspaper for Genealogy and Family History
• Using Historic Maps for Genealogy and Family History

How to learn more about Flipboard:

• PODCAST: Tune in to the newest Genealogy Gems Blog and Podcast episode #163 for Lisa’s exclusive interview with the folks at Flipboard who provide tips and tricks for creating magazines!
• FAMILYSEARCH: Click here to read FamilySearch’s press release on RootsTech 2014: Where Genealogy and Technology Converge.
• ROOTSTECH: Attendees can catch Lisa’s workshop “Flipboard for Genealogy: Create Incredible Mobile Magazines of Your Favorite Genealogy Web Content” on Thursday at 4:00pm (LAB1263T) and Friday at 2:30 PM (LAB-1263F). Register at www.Rootstech.org. Session description: Turn your favorite genealogy web content into a customized and personalized digital magazine with the free Flipboard app. You’ll add free genealogy blogs, podcasts and video channels to your mobile devices (tablets, smart phones) in this hands-on session.

NOTE: I am honored to be included in this RootsTech 2014 digital magazine. Check it out, I'm published in there several times with my blog articles!

Prepare Before Attending a Genealogy Conference

It's time again to resurrect my blog post about being prepared to attend conferences... RootsTech is almost here!

It’s that time of year – genealogy conferences are springing up all over. I remember the very first time I attended a conference and felt like I was the only person in the world who did not know what was going on! I had not done a very good job of preparing myself for the experience. What I have learned over time is that there are some simple steps you can take to make your experience a great one.  It doesn’t matter whether this is your first conference or 20^th conference, whether it’s a big conference or a little one, whether it’s about genealogy or any other subject, planning ahead will make a difference in how much value you get and how enjoyable the experience is for you.

First, decide what conference is best suited to your particular needs and skill levels.

There are many different genealogy conferences throughout the year that you can choose to attend, but pick according to you current skills level and interests.  In other words, don’t pick a conference or a track that teaches how to become an accredited genealogist before you have learned how to get started.  Most all conferences have classes that are fairly generic, others geared towards beginners, intermediates or advanced genealogists and family historians. There are very small local half day workshops all the way to week-long national conferences and each of them can be a wise choice.

Review flyers or other media prepared for a conference. Look online for reviews of prior year’s workshops. Check out the presenters and audit reviews from other presentations they have given.  Some presenters are easier to learn from than others and, as your experience grows you will identify with certain ones and find yourself a follower of their classes.

Finally, pick your conference and register as early as possible and when you arrive, check in at registration as early as possible to minimize your time in line.

Select which sessions or classes you want to attend.

Once you are registered for your conference of choice, download the schedule and review the workshop requirements. Many classes are geared to all level of skills and a few will require a prerequisite level of knowledge.  A few will require a separate registration for the class because it has room only for a limited number of people.  Try to stick to classes that fit your level of comfort and skill.

Make notes on the schedule and on the presenters. Determine which classes you most want to attend but, always choose a backup or two for any given time slot. Sometimes classes fill up quickly and there is no room left for you, requiring you to find another class to slip into. Or, maybe you attend a class for the first 3 minutes and determine that this just isn’t the class for you. With a backup class you can quickly slip into the room.

Don’t overlook a subject just because it’s something you know nothing about or it covers a locale that you have no interest in – you will learn new methodologies and tips in every class you attend.

Larger conferences now provide registered attendees access to syllabus material weeks before the conference begins. Take the time to review the presenter’s handouts. You can usually read through them and determine whether you will be overwhelmed with the class or find it too boring. Unless you are paying extra for a paper syllabus, plan on printing out the syllabus pages for the classes you plan to attend, or load them on your digital tablet or phone. You can then make notes during class using these handouts. Some times you will have a CD copy of the syllabus provided to you at registration.

Prepare yourself before attending the conference.

Get yourself ready to go starting with planning your trip. If this is a local conference, determine what you need to take with you each day and how you are going to get there. Are you driving? If so, you need to plan your parking in advance. On-site parking may be much more expensive than a smaller lot a block away. Taking public transportation may be less of a hassle than parking. Plan your strategy. Review the time of day you would need to be on the roads, the part of town where the conference is held and be prepared for the unexpected.

If you are flying to the conference then create a travel list of things to pack. Plan and prepare your flight plan, transportation to and from the airport, and don’t forget your list of meds, insurance cards, cell phones and any other items you may need. Don’t forget that extra carry on bag to get your conference materials home. If you have gathered too many, check with the hotel and have your extra’s shipped home. It may be cheaper than paying for that extra baggage on the plane.

Plan your attire. Workshops are not a formal affair so dress accordingly. Usually these conferences are quite casual and require very comfy clothing and good walking shoes. You will cover a lot of ground during each day. The last thing you want to do is end the day with blisters on both feet and still need to walk to your car or your room. Conference center rooms are often drafty or way too warm. Don’t dress for the outside, dress for a variety of temps inside. Bring a jacket or sweater and dress in layers.  If you have a problem with sweaty feet, bring an extra pair of socks to change midday. You want to be very comfortable.

Take a bag with you. If you don’t like to carry things or you get a headache from carrying a bag then get one on rollers.  The more things you pick up during the day the heavier that bag becomes.  (Larger conferences give you a carry bag at registration with a conference program, papers, and miscellaneous “stuff”.  I stuff the whole thing in my roller bag. Besides, roller bags make a great footrest!) Here is a list of items that you may find beneficial to carry with you. 

• ·      Address labels or business cards. You can label items you pick up (even your conference booklet) or purchase and, exchange info with other attendees and vendors.  You will make friends throughout the conference that you meet in classes or over lunch that you want to contact with later.

• ·       Pens, pencils, highlighters, paper, a clipboard or folder.

• ·      Take a digital camera. You can take pictures of some presentation pages if allowed by the presenter. You might want to remember something specific about a vendor. Or, you might want to take pictures of friends or presenters you meet.

• ·      You may be one of those people who love to take notes on your PC or you want your genealogy files with you. You can take your PC, handheld, or smartphone, but don’t expect to plug it in to an electrical socket from every room. It may not be available. Consider others when you bring these tools. Turn off the sound and beeps.

• ·      Take snacks and a water bottle with you in your bag. There are food vendors at most large conferences but nothing may be available at others.  If you are in classes for several hours before a lunch break you will appreciate a snack and you may not be able to find a drinking fountain between each class.

•         Take tissues and any meds you may need throughout the day.

•         Remember, you can even roll up the jacket or sweater and stuff it in your bag when you don’t need it.

The workshops finally begin!

Be prompt. Don’t show up one minute before or ten minutes after a class starts and expect to get the best seat in the room. Don’t come in late and walk in front of a projector or stumble over everyone’s feet trying to get to the center of a room. Be early for the class whenever possible. Classes will start on time because they are on a tight schedule.

Take notes. Use your paper syllabus, your printed handouts, or a notepad. At the end of a class or while you are waiting for the next class to begin, summarize your key points and reread them.

Make the most of lectures and workshops. If you take the time before hand to prepare any questions you may have you will get better answers from those questions you ask. There is no such thing as a dumb question, so don’t be afraid to ask. However, classes need to be geared to generalizations, not your specific ancestor. So don’t waste other attendees time by asking the presenter a question geared to a specific circumstance or person. Most presenters will give an email address, or are available in the vendor area to ask specific questions later.

Make connections everywhere you go. Network, talk to people, introduce yourself. Establish research interests.  Exchange those address stickers or business cards.

Prepare for the VENDOR experience! Find the vendor map in your conference packet or locate it online before you go. Then plan your attack! Mark on your map the vendors you are most interesting in visiting. Make those your first priority. That way you can spend quality time with those vendors and visit the others as time permits.

Maintain a conference log. List friends, contacts, vendors, speakers to suggest to a group you belong to, and important points from lectures. Chart your progress and new skills you have acquired.  Make notes for your future research.  At the end of conference make sure your notes are understandable.

Participate in special events whenever you can. These provide extra opportunities to ask questions, network, and learn more.

The conference is over!

  If you can spend an extra day before or after a conference make sure to familiarize yourself with local research facilities, local points of interest and good places to eat. Enjoy the opportunity of visiting a new area of the country.

When you get home remember to review your notes, file important materials away and contact those new genealogy friends! Take a rest and then you’ll be ready to start planning your next conference!  

Enjoy!