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Connecting with others
DearREADERS,
This past weekend Ol' Myrt received a genealogical shot in the arm by attending
and presenting at the Cheyenne Family History Jamboree sponsored by
MyAncestorsFound.com. Isn't that always the way? We join local genealogical
societies and take family history classes whenever possible, to get that
genealogical "fix".
70mph wind gusts and daytime temperatures of 27 degrees provided sharp contrast
to the hot topics discussed among hundreds of happy Jamboree attendees. At the
beginning of my class sessions, I asked for opinions about the conference -- and
all but 2 were very positive:
-- One participant said "THANKS A LOT, I thought I was almost finished with my
research, but I didn't know I had to find original (primary) records. Now I've
got tons of work to do."
-- One gentleman wished we could REPEAT THE FIRST DAY CLASSES on a different
schedule the second day. Fortunately, the syllabus on CD has the handouts from
all classes. That makes for easy searching, viewing and printing of topics that
interest you now, and others later. If you'd like to order one see:
http://www.myancestorsfound.com/jamboree/jamboreeCW.htm
The RUNAWAY HIT of the vendor's area was GenSmarts, the artificial intelligence
software available for free to Family History Centers. I
recommend buying your own copy to use regularly at home. My keynote address
included screen shots demonstrating how GenSmarts creates research suggestions
based on the data we type into our genealogy management programs (names, dates,
localities, etc.) Then Beau Sharborough, from
Footnote.com and past president of GenTech, mentioned GenSmarts in his 1st
hour presentation. I think by lunch time GenSmarts partner Bruce Buzbee (from
RootsMagic.com) sold his entire inventory.
On the subject of CONNECTING WITH OTHERS, one topic I discussed in the
RootsWeb/USGenWeb class was ROOTSWEB MAILING LISTS. After explaining the easy
method for subscribing to these free genealogy email lists, I asked for audience
input. Many had received replies to their mailing list postings:
-- One connected with someone who had inherited the family bible of a
great-grandmother.
-- One received a reply 6 years (!) after her initial posting, while another
received her answer 3 hours after pressing the send button on her email
form.
Newbies decided that genealogy mailings lists such as those at
http://www.rootsweb.com are definitely worth the effort.
FOR FURTHER READING:
-- MyAncestorsFound (genealogy conferences and SLC research trips)
http://www.myancestorsfound.com
-- GenSmarts (artificial intelligence for genealogists)
http://www.gensmarts.com
Ol' Myrt needs all the extra intelligence she can get, artificial or otherwise!
A big thanks for the wonderful enthusiasm of the Jamboree participants. The
atmosphere was simply electric -- positively! A special thanks to Sharon Collier
for the sweet note and two tatted snowflake ornaments. (((((Hugs to all.)))))
Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
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