A Busy Two Weeks of Genealogy On The Horizon

A quick note as I dash out the door for my flight to O'Hare Airport here in Chicago to catch a flight to Salt Lake City!

I will be spending the next two weeks in what I call "Genealogy Heaven" attending the following events:

• Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy: I will be taking the American Records I track during Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (January 23-27, 2012) produced by friend and colleague Paula Stuart-Warren. I've been looking forward to this for almost a year now.  For me, this week will be more than just attending the classes.  Since I'll be producing the Internet track for SLIG 2013, I'll be shadowing the process and pretty sure I'll annoy the heck out of Paula with my questions.  Note to self: take Paula out to lunch or dinner at least once this week!

• Association of Professional Genealogists - Professional Management Conference: On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, I will be presenting "Virtual Presentations for Professional Genealogists" at the APG PMC.  Being selects is a big honor for me and I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge of webinars from the presenter's point of view to many of my colleagues in the field.

• RootsTech: Not only will I get to meet over 84 genealogy bloggers from around the world, but I'll be attending the largest genealogy and technology conference in the world at RootsTech from February 2-4, 2012.  I expect to meet lots of people, give two presentations and a luncheon keynote speech as well as have lots of fun!

I expected to have a backpack filled with tech gear in order to stay connected but if you get a slower response from me than usual, just realized that I'll be up to my ears in genealogy for the next two weeks!

© 2012, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Reflections on Salt Lake Christmas Tour 2010

I am finally back home in Chicago - and made it just in the nick of time before that blizzard arrived! Last week, from Monday, December 6th through Friday, December 10th, 2010 I delivered 8 different genealogy and technology related lectures as part of the Salt Lake Christmas Tour.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts and observations on this wonderful event:

• While attendance was slightly down over previous years (I blame the economy), there are about 100 fellow genealogists from all over the country and from all walks of life.

• There are many social events during the week, some organized and scheduled and some spur-of-the-moment such as the nightly dinner club.

• My favorite event was the daily breakfast (at the not-so-favorite hour of 7:00 am) where I could talk with folks and see how their research had progressed the day before. Also there were prizes given away each morning and also many people brought genealogy-related gift items for sale and on display.

• All the staff involved are phenomenal and so friendly, from Leland and Patty Meitzler, to Donna Potter Phillips in her role as "den mother," to Bill Balter who makes sure lecturers like me have everything they need to teach, to Dick and Dee Cattaneo who prepare breakfast each morning.

• While many of the attendees have been coming each year for over 25 years, newcomers are instantly made to feel welcome and part of the family.  This is sort of like "genealogy camp" and by the end of the week you don't want to leave all the new genea-friends you've made!

• Sure there are lots of fun and games, but there is some serious research taking place.  The professional researchers including Arlene Eakle, Loni Gardner and others are available for consultation and to guide you to the resources and methodologies you need to break down those brick walls. The ratio of professional researcher to attendee is usually around 1 to 7.

• The chance to research at the Family History Library during a period when there are plenty of microfilm readers available. All those tapes you usually order and wait for are there waiting for you!

And I'm happy to report that there are 356 days left until the 2011 Salt Lake Christmas Tour and that I'm scheduled to participate again next year! Leland Meitzler and I will hammer out a list of presentations - including some hands-on mini-classes - and sign a contract by the end of January.

I'd love to see some of my readers and fellow genealogists there for a week of research, education and holiday fun! You'll be hearing more from me next year about the 2011 tour - stay tuned!

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Having Fun at Salt Lake Christmas Tour

Just a quick note before I go teach my 9:30 am class this morning (the topic is Build a Genealogy Blog) at the Salt Lake Christmas Tour.

I am having so much fun here in Salt Lake City this week and here's why:

• I am speaking and teaching to a very enthusiastic group of genealogists and family historians. They are very appreciate of the content I am trying to deliver and they also love to interact with me and the other attendees.

• I get to meet many colleagues such as Arlene Eakle, Dear MYTRLE, A.C. Ivory and more while I am in the Salt Lake City Area.

• I also get the opportunity to meet with various genealogy vendors including FamilySearch and "talk shop" about the genealogy industry.

• And finally, I get to visit the Family History Library and work on my own research!

Who could want anything more? Talk about a great Christmas present.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Next Stop: Salt Lake City

And the road show continues, this time with an unanticipated yet welcome diversion! I had planned to come home from Calgary yesterday and then rest a few days before I headed over to Peoria, Illinois for the Illinois State Genealogical Society's Fall Conference held on Saturday, October 23, 2010.

However, a few weeks ago I received an offer from Family Search to participate in their first ever Family Search Blogger's Day in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, October 21, 2010.  With a reworking of my schedule, I managed a day at home between trips (today) to do laundry, catch up on emails and to pre-post at my blogs for the coming week.  So now I'll fly into Salt Lake City and then on Friday fly to Peoria via Dallas.

Since this is the first such event of its type for Family Search, a small group of genealogy bloggers has been invited to participate in a full day of meetings, product reviews and activities. I'll have more to report here and over at GeneaBloggers on Thursday.

Family Search has generously offered to bring me out to Salt Lake City a little early so I can get some research time in at the Family History Library which I intend to do Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Also, I've decided to attend the Utah Genealogical Association annual membership meeting and banquet on Tuesday evening where I'll not only get to hear Mark Lowe but also discuss genealogy society issues with fellow bloggers Janet Hovorka and A.C. Ivory!

Stayed tuned for the next episode of "Where in the World is Thomas MacEntee?"

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

I'm Going On Tour - The Salt Lake Christmas Tour!

I am proud to announce that I will be one of the featured speakers for the 2010 Salt Lake Christmas Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah held December 5 - 12, 2010.

Beginning Monday evening, December 6th with a presentation entitled Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists, I will be offering a total of eight different talks throughout the week.  The other topics include:

• Build a Genealogy Blog
• Building a Research Toolbox
• Facebook for Genealogists
• Google Docs for Genealogists
• Google for Genealogists
• Twitter: It’s Not Just “What I Had For Breakfast” Anymore
• Wikis for Genealogists

In addition to my own offerings, the entire week is filled with educational presentations from other well-known genealogists. You can check the current schedule here.

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The Salt Lake Christmas Tour is an annual event - in its 26th year and celebrating its 25th anniversary - attracting genealogists and family historians and is renowned for the genealogy research success of its attendees, many of whom come back year after year. The Tour provides the highest ratio of professional researchers to attendees of any genealogy research tour utilizing the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you would like to join me and a group of fun and interesting genealogy researchers in Salt Lake City, don't delay! Early registration for the Tour ends on October 31st - click here to learn more and to register.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee