Well after a great evening viewing Forgotten Ellis Island, I was exhausted and needed some sleep. So I headed upstairs at the Loveland Embassy Suites (and what a beautiful hotel) and collapsed.
Day Two began with getting ready for the day and packing my bags - I scheduled my return flight later that evening so I could save some money on hotel accommodations (I am travelling to 10 other genealogy events this year).
As I sat down to breakfast, I was joined by fellow genealogy blogger Gayle Gresham of Colorado Reflections. It was a pleasure to break bread with her and learn a little bit more about living in Colorado. For me, Gayle and Becky Jamison of Grace and Glory are my "go to" folks when someone needs help with Colorado genealogy or history.
After a quick check-in at the Bloggers Lounge and a visit with Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist, it was off to present at two back-to-back sessions. First, the Build A Genealogy Blog session was attended by some very enthusiastic genealogists who wanted to learn more about blogs and how they could help them not only with their research, but also with their genealogy business ventures for those who are professional genealogists. While the crowd was amazed with the demo of creating a blog in less than five minutes, what impressed them more were the number and variety of genealogy blogs out there!
With a quick 30 minute break, it was time for Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists. Many of the blog session attendees stayed and some of the Facebook for Genealogists attendees from the previous day stopped by. I love teaching this class and it seems to be the most requested one of all my presentations. I think because it gives a good overview of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other applications and it also covers the dos and don'ts of social media as well as how to protect your privacy.
I was finished by 12 noon and it was time to change into shorts and a Hawaiian shirt for the flight home. One more stop at the Bloggers Lounge to say my farewells and then a one hour ride to the Denver airport. I finally arrived home in Chicago at 10:00 pm, tired but fulfilled, if there is such a feeling.
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I will definitely return to Loveland for the 3rd Annual Colorado Family History Expo next year and I urge anyone who is looking for a more intimate genealogy conference with friendly attendees and vendors, consider joining me next June!
In the meantime, here is the latest news on the Colorado Family History Expo and other upcoming events!
© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee
