google-site-verification: google65e716d80989ba07.html The World is Getting Smaller - Online Live with RootsTech! | The Armchair Genealogist

The World is Getting Smaller - Online Live with RootsTech!

This morning I joined in the fun at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City Utah. Funny thing is I’m in Ontario, Canada thousands of miles away.

Through the advancements of modern technology, I was able to watch one of this morning’s sessions while sitting in the luxury of my armchair at home. How great is that! 

Now I love a good conference just as much as the next person but sometimes budget and time just does not allow one to attend everything they wish to attend. However, the smart people who organized RootsTech have really engaged the genealogy community beyond the walls of the Salt Palace Convention Centre. Not only was I listening and watching this lecture, I was tweeting with those in attendance. It was almost like being there, or the next best thing to being there.

I applaud those who have widened the conference community to those of us who are tending to matters at home. As jealous as I am of those who are there, I am thrilled to be a part of the festivities even if it is for only a fraction of the time. 

Perhaps next year, they could offer more options to armchair genealogists.I could select which lectures I would like to view if I can’t attend in person. Of course, I would expect to pay a fee for this privilege. (Are you listening organizers- big opportunity) As wonderful as it is to fill the seats in the lecture halls, there are so many more of us at home who would love to participate; I hope they can help us out.

If you didn’t view this morning’s lecture here is the schedule for the rest of the weekend.  Make sure you tweet me @LynnPal or leave me a message on facebook and let me know what you think. I will do my best to be online for all of the online live lectures this weekend. 

In addition, Thomas from Geneabloggers will be broadcasting live from the conference on his new radio show on BlogRadio. If you know Thomas, you know there is no better person for the job! He will be live on Friday evening during and after the second episode of Who Do You Think You Are? There is a link at the top of this page to the show.  I will be listening in and in the chat room and tweeting during this time. Hope you'll join the party! 

Thursday, February 10, 2011
  • 8:30-9:00 a.m., A World of Information, Shane Robison, chief technology officer, Hewlett Packard
  • 9-9:30 a.m., Turning Roots, Branches, Trees into Nodes, Links, Graphs, Jay L. Verkler, chief executive officer, FamilySearch International
  • 3-4:00 p.m., Digitally Preserving Your Family Heritage, Barry Ewell, founder of MyGenShare.com
Friday, February 11, 2011
  • 8:30-9:30 a.m., The Changing Face of Genealogy, by Curt Witcher, manager of the Historical Genealogy Department, Allen County Public Library
  • 9:45-10:45 a.m., Cloud Computing: What is it and how it has been used to create the next familysearch.org, by Brian Pugh, senior engineer, FamilySearch International
  • 3:00-4:00 p.m., The Power of PDF: Tools for Every Genealogist , D. Josh Taylor, Director of Education and Programs at New England Historical Genealogical Society.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
  • 8:30-9:30 a.m. Personal Archiving and Primary Documents, Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archives
  • 1:45-2:45 p.m., Virtual Presentations Round Table and Collaborative Panel Discussion, Thomas MacEntee, professional genealogist and technology specialist