Another Day, Another Airport

No moss grows under a genealogy speaker, especially during October which is Family History Month.  I am sitting at O'Hare airport having an "adult beverage" while I wait for my flight to Calgary, Canada.

I am speaking at the Family Roots Seminar on Saturday, October 16, 2010 for the Alberta Family Histories Society.  The seminar is an all day event with several presentations and I am in good company as far as genealogy speakers go: Lyn Meehan and Dick Eastman.

Tomorrow is a "fun" day with a side trip to Banff! I'll have a full report tomorrow.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

A Speaking Engagement Success

I just wanted to say a belated thank you to all those who attended my presentation "Social Networking- New Horizons for Genealogists" last Thursday, October 1st at the Cook Memorial Public Library in Libertyville, IL.  I was impressed that on a very rainy night over 20 people showed up to hear me speak about the ways in which social networking is changing the landscape of genealogy.

During my talk which also included live access to Facebook, Twitter, Genealogy Wise and many genealogy blogs, I discussed what makes up social networking.  I also covered some "do's and don'ts" for users to help protect their personal information yet still reap the benefits of networking with other genealogists.

I'm also happy to announce that I have been asked to make the same presentation for the Bloomingdale Public Library in Bloomingdale, IL on Wedensday, February 24, 2010.  I'm looking forward to meeting a new group of genealogists and I'm certain I'll have to update my presentation between now and then since changes to technology occur so quickly.

Finally, I'll be appearing at the California Genealogical Society and Library this Saturday, October 10, 2009 as part of their Genealogy Blog Workshop during Family History Month.  I have two presentations ("How To Use A Genealogy Blog" and "Building a Genealogy Blog") and I'll be followed by Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie who will be discussing "Blogging and the Law - Privacy Issues & Copyrights."  While I'm there I also know I will see not only Craig and Kathryn Doyle of CGSL but also Cheryl Fleming Palmer of Heritage Happens, Steve Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog as well as Sheri Fenley of The Educated Genealogist.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My First ProGen Chat

I had my first chat with my ProGen group yesterday and it was neat to learn more about the other members of my peer group.

In case you are unfamiliar with ProGen, check out the post entitled The ProGen Study Group - An Online Genealogy Opportunity written by Amy Coffin of We Tree for the GeneaBloggers site. Amy did a great job of summarizing the value of participating in ProGen even if you aren't seeking to be a certified genealogist. ProGen is a great way to learn proper research and source citation techniques which should be a goal of every family historian.

My peer group (ProGen groups are broken up into sub-groups so that chats and feedback are more manageable) didn't have an assignment to discuss so it was nice to just relax and discuss where we lived, our past genealogy experiences etc. We have a great group and I know when we meet next month we'll be discussing our first assignment.

Have you considered signing up for ProGen or pursuing some other type of online genealogy education? Share your goals and methods in the comments!

Ancestry Canada's Free Canada Day Offer

From Ancestry Canada:

Canada Day is not only a great day to spend with family - it's the perfect time to get together and learn more about how your family came to be Canadian.

For the first time ever, Ancestry.ca is making available The Canadian Passenger Lists Collection, 1865 to 1935, FREE* until July 3rd, 2009.

Don't miss this great opportunity to discover your Canadian story in The Canadian Passenger Lists today.