Looking Back on Tessa’s Excellent RootsTech/FGS Adventure

Everything has been unpacked and the luggage put away (a few things are still on the floor in the guest bedroom!), the laundry and grocery shopping got done, the emails were sorted (and ruthlessly archived or deleted), telephone catch-ups were had with siblings and friends who wanted to hear all about it, and I caught up on my sleep. Last week I did reasonably well writing posts about my week in Salt Lake City and then, the weekend came early. 

The Pacific Northwest has been blessed with lovely weather – beautiful blue skies, unseasonably warm days and very little rain (of course those who like to ski would disagree with me as it has not been a good ski season). I know that much of the rest of the country continues to host the winter from hell, so I am happy that my recent travels have kept me out of the Nation’s capital (or anywhere in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest or even Southwest). Now it is time to get back and finish up my posts about RootsTech/FGS 2015 by sharing my experiences as a first time speaker for RootsTech and my final thoughts on the whole experience.

Image made with wordle.net - thanks

RootsTech and FGS put on an excellent conference

I was impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of those who put the conference together and who were there volunteering day in and day out to give us attendees a great experience.  The signage was excellent, the ballrooms and session rooms were comfortable and well lit, and the conference guide contained everything you needed to navigate the Salt Palace, the Exhibit Hall, and the Session choices. As with any guide you needed to take the time (in advance) to understand the layout, but the color-coding and maps were well done.

I had to remind myself that although some sessions seemed basic or old hat to me (sessions I have seen before in person or as webinars) the vast majority of genealogists do not attend seminars and conferences or webinars, and many haven’t used FamilySearch.org or any of the other big players (Ancestry, FindmyPast and MyHeritage), except perhaps as a quick free trial. It would be interesting to see the demographics on the attendees because I noticed a tremendous variation (experience level) between the people attending RootsTech sessions and those attending FGS sessions. Kudos to RootsTech for encouraging beginners to join in and have so much available to engage them.

Both RootsTech and FGS did a good job of including a variety of skill levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Of course the actual delivery of information via sessions was done by the speakers and a huge thank you to those who took the time and effort to prepare, provide useful handouts, and share entertaining and applicable slide presentations. Those who took the time to switch up sessions they had given before (adding new information, new websites, or new technology) or who stayed in the hallways and exhibit areas to answer questions – you really paid it forward and encouraged so many new genealogists.  

My RootsTech Speaker Experience

The online proposal process was excellent and very clear to this newbie. We learned on a timely basis whether a proposal was accepted and what the RootsTech deadlines were. We had a contact person (Amy Smith the RootsTech Content Manager) who hosted two recorded webinars to explain the logistics for our presentations and provide suggestions/tips. Having a clear understanding of the requirements, technology and deadlines was very helpful and having the speakers’ area on the RootsTech website to check off our deadlines was excellent. On a few occasions I had questions and Amy was always quick to reply with the information needed. I appreciated meeting Amy in person before the conference started and the personal thank you note and gift in our conference bag was a thoughtful touch.

Having not presented at a national conference before I was a bit nervous – but having all the equipment set up (projector, computer, and mics) as well as the tech guy (sorry I didn't get his name) who performed the sound check and confirmed I was “good to go” and that he would be around if anything glitched, put me right at ease. My room monitor Karen gave out my handouts, provided timing prompts, and collected the surname cards I asked the attendees to fill out. Knowing these two RootsTech personnel had my back let me concentrate on the content of my presentation rather than the logistics - thanks. The projector set-up was perfect, my slide presentation took advantage of Amy’s tips and suggestions, and everything went smoothly during my session. A huge thank you to everyone involved behind the scenes who made me look good!

Thoughts on Possible Improvements

Please leave the after conference surveys open for two weeks – I saw it in my email and simply needed to get caught up with real life and process the experience before I shared my thoughts/opinions (and I do have them!). I starred it in Gmail and tried to respond last weekend – and was met with CLOSED. Say it ain’t so RootsTech. I think a subtle reminder and giving attendees and speakers enough time to share a thoughtful response would be a very good thing.

Please revisit the concept of unconferencing or short demonstrations/labs that are not tied to having an exhibitor’s booth. It would be nice to have a place where 5-15 people could gather and work through something we learned at a session or try a practical application of a website or piece of technology. I have seen this in action as medical and legal conferences and it works well (often these sessions are 10-15 minutes and require a sign up with 24-hour advance notice – it can work well for attendees). I found the Demo Theater a bit loud and distracting, especially for those with booths nearby who were often drowned out by the microphoned presenters on the Demo Theater stage).

Could we have a return of tickets for luncheons and events – I signed up for a luncheon that turned out to be scheduled the day of my session (and my session was right after lunch). Needless to say due to logistics, I could not attend. No one could attend in my place because I didn't have a ticket that I could give them. This year our events were listed on our registration card (and mine did not have all my events and had to be rerun twice – glitches happen, no worries as it was handled fine). But if I had a ticket for the event I could have easily given it to another member of our group (the Guild of One-Name Studies) and s/he could have attended in my place. I noticed a number of people who had these type of conflicts (luncheons and speaking schedules was one, being just too tired to attend an evening function was another). I watched a few attendees trying to switch, return or give away their event and it was not easy. You might want to rethink the ticket idea.

It would be nice to have simple boxed lunches from places like Panera, Subway, Nordstrom, Harmons, or any local equivalents (sandwich or bakery shops) available at the Salt Palace – I was less than impressed with the choices available from the food vendors and there were a few who did not seem to enjoy the experience either (and they were happy to share, odd when you consider we were a captive audience and paying a premium for marginal service and food). Also when you are traveling, sometimes the tried and true is the best choices for meals.

Encourage the use of the RootsTech Mobile App – perhaps have some prizes or giveaways based on using the mobile app (a treasure hunt or points for people you add to friends and then contact, or some such). Please encourage attendees to use the app (opening sessions that include something about it - maybe everyone rating the session before they leave), rate the speakers and sessions, make suggestions and share one or two aha moments from any of the sessions (with prizes or announcements of the funniest, most entertaining or most touching). The RootsTech mobile app continues to improve each year and it was constantly updated which was helpful (except for that one time when I walked a rather far distance only to discover a session canceled with no notice on the mobile app – back to Siberia the FGS classrooms on the other end of the Salt Palace). Ramp up the user experience and RootsTech will have itself a winner!  

My Final and Very Personal Thank You

A shout-out to my biggest supporter – my sister Kris who encouraged me to send in proposals, offered support in (very) big and small ways that made it possible for me to attend and speak at RootsTech rather than view it from a distance, sent “good vibes” text messages to me throughout the week, said a few prayers (and reminded me of the one that got me through many exams) right before the start of my session, reminded me to “have fun,” and who was the first one who wanted to hear all about my excellent genealogy adventure after my return. Kris is an amazing sister (and I have a few more of those) and a really good friend who always has my back and who gets the importance of family and family history.

Kris – you are simply the best!  Go raibh mile maith agat & Grazie mille  

Sisters in Springtime - boy our bangs are short!

Well that brings us to the end of my blog posts sharing my experience at RootsTech/FGS. 

In the next week I will put the finishing touches on the recorded version of my presentation (and I do remember that I promised the session attendees I would do so) which will be posted on my YouTube Channel TessaWatch.

This month I am working on those responses to the surname cards that 75 of you filled out. We had a variety of surnames - with Czech, Irish, Hungarian, Italian, English, Russian, Welsh, Scottish, German, Polish, Slavic, French, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Native American origins. Attendees wanted to know about the meaning, frequency, migration, and resources associated with their surnames. 

Over the next few weeks here at the KeoughCorner, I will take a look at a few of the most interesting surnames (as well as a few that stumped me!). Each attendee who turned in a surname card will receive an email with some information, resources, and suggestions for "learning more about it" - this is an ongoing process, so be sure to watch your email later this month!

It’s All About the Learning – So Many Choices!

Being the planner that I am, I prepared pink sheets for each day of RootsTech/FGS. They included my first and second choices for each session as well as reminders of morning, luncheon, and evening events that I wanted to attend (all filled out before arriving in Salt Lake City). I also had the RootsTech app and the FGS app (although the FGS app was a bit glitchy for me as I could not get it to close – don’t know if it was the app or my mobile but I did find myself relying on the RootsTech app which would close). Then I picked up my registration materials and had to check my card against what I had signed up and paid for – also a few glitches there, but hey that happens and the administrative people were very helpful in making corrections and reprinting.

Why the pink sheets? Well I could easily find them in my RootsTech Conference Guide or my Bullet Journal. I made a few quick notes on them (not on substance but on presentation or vibe) about each of the sessions or events I attended. By the end of each day, the pink sheets were well-worn but it worked for me (I guess I am a bit old school and new school tech-wise). What did you use and how did it work for you?

The RootsTech Opening Session was brilliant and thanks to my early morning tour (you can read about that in yesterday’s blog post) us Geneabloggers, FGS and RootsTech Ambassadors had reserved seats in the front center section (thanks RootsTech folks – that was a nice touch!). Others have written about Tan Le and her talk – my only comment – if you haven’t seen it yet, watch it – what an amazing story and what a heartfelt presentation. Really, stop reading this post (but please come back) and watch it!

Okay, thanks for coming back – onward. The introductory remarks by Dennis Brimhall were excellent. I was impressed with the numbers (shown on bright slides, meant to dazzle us and they did). More impressive were three specific items he discussed.

And RootsTech begins!

The letter he read from Darris Williams was a good reminder that we are not going to “find it all” in one place or even with one subscription or company. By using records and information from Ancestry, FindmyPast, MyHeritage and FamilySearch – Darris was able to put together his family’s history and connect to a larger family. I was thrilled to hear this story because I met Darris the previous day and learned he has a one-name study (Colt) and is a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies. Darris’ story of discovery reminds us of the importance of looking beyond our own family to make those connections to our bigger family. By studying and gathering data, images, information and stories on all the Colts (and placing his data on the FamilySearch Tree) he is adding value and sharing his research with the larger genealogy community. It is all about doing the work, making the connections, and sharing the results – brilliant!

#DiscoverMyStory
with all the tweets it must have been trending!

The discovery center was unveiled and shown to us in a playful and entertaining way (can I just say that Dennis Brimhall is so relaxed now with a few RootsTech conferences under his belt that it was fun to watch this - oh, and I want to be a pirate). He introduced the “museum of me” concept (and wouldn't we all want one!) with the ability to learn the meaning, origin and migration associated with our surname. Hey – that guy is stealing my session – no – wait, I definitely need to use this as an example in my session on surname research and one-name studies, better take some photos! The discovery center is live in Salt Lake City and will be coming to a city near you in the future (happy to hear that Seattle, Washington will be one of the pilot locations).

It is fun but also informative - a good way
to meet people where they are and get them started.

Definitely a WOW factor!

The meaning and origin of a surname - brilliant!

Where will your "museum of me" be located?

The news that Ancestry and FamilySearch were working together to bring the Mexican vital records online with images and indexing in 2015 was a wonderful example of each company sharing its strengths and joining as a team, all for the greater good of the genealogy community. My first thought on hearing the news was that this type of record set will make it much easier for anyone doing research and much easier to work on a one-name study with Mexican roots. Since the Guild of One-Name Studies is a worldwide group, we want to encourage those with an interest in their Mexican roots (whether located in Mexico or the Southwest USA States or elsewhere in the world) to study their surnames and start one-name studies.

Excellent news - thanks Ancestry and FamilySearch
It's all about collaboration!

I love it when people and companies work together
we get so much more done - teamwork!

After the opening session – it was time to check the pink sheet for the day! Below is a list of the sessions I attended on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I chose these sessions because I wanted to expand my knowledge base about record sets and ethnic groups that are important to use with my own family research and/or would be helpful to use with the USA membership of the Guild of One-Name Studies. There were a few sessions that I could not attend due to timing conflicts – but they are on my list for future attendance. These include Native American, African American, Jewish, and Hispanic records and research (I would love to see tracks on this type of research at future RootsTech conferences).

Thursday

21^st Century Italian Genealogy with Michael Cassara

Irish Records – Beyond the Obvious with Rosalind McCutcheon

The Best Scandinavian Websites with Anita Olsen

Friday

Impossible Immigrant! Exhausting Research to Find an Ancestor’s Origins with Warren Bittner

Who Does That? An Introduction to One-Name (Surname) Studies with Tessa Keough (shameless plug!)

Saturday

Beyond the Census: The Nonpopulation Schedules with Deena Coutant

Manuscripts and More with Pamela Boyer Sayre

School Daze – Finding the School Records of Our Ancestors with Peggy Lauritzen 

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest!

I also made a point to attend sessions taught by new-to-me speakers. We often get the opportunity to hear Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, Thomas Jones and Lisa Louise Cooke. They are well known speakers and are in demand at statewide, regional and national conferences, as well as online webinars. Since I was at RootsTech/FGS and there were all those choices, I wanted the opportunity to hear other speakers and less well known topics, so I made a point to search out these focused presentations. I took lots of notes and learned the basics as well as how to find and use specific record sets highlighted in these talks. Beyond that, I was able to appreciate not only the substance but also the style of each of the speakers and that was a good learning experience.

Denna showed me how to solider on even with allergies, Pamela quickly recovered and showed a sense of humor with the glitches she experienced with her projector/computer combo, Peggy had such a relaxed and entertaining way about her (that can only come from really knowing your material) that she made it look effortless. The amount of information (websites, ideas, strategies) shared by Michael, Rosalind, Anita and Warren as they each addressed specific groups (let’s hear it for the Italians, Irish & Scandinavians!) as well as those always hard to find immigrants (or at least on the censuses I am researching) was wonderful. My only concern is when I will find the time to dive deep into all those genealogy finds.

As you can see, I did not attend every opening or closing session or schedule myself back-to-back with sessions, or attend sessions only with RootsTech or FGS. I definitely took the time to visit with other attendees, watched some Demo Theatre sessions and Out of the Box sessions, did not overload my schedule, gave myself time to check out the Exhibit Hall for a short bit each day, and stopped for meals and shopping (thank you Macys for having Ellen Tracy on sale!). No worries on getting my walking in as these sessions were all over the Salt Palace.

When we attend a statewide, regional or national conference, let's get outside our comfort zone and learn something (an ethnic group or record set) that we are unfamiliar with. Water that genealogy tree and watch it grow! 

Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net ID-10064502

Thanks RootsTech and FGS for providing all of us who attended (in person or virtually) that opportunity.

Did you attend the Thursday, Friday and Saturday sessions? How did you spend your time? What sessions did you go to? What did you learn? Why not share your experiences (either comment below or tell us in your blog).

Tomorrow – What I learned being a first time presenter and my final thoughts on a VERY BIG conference.

RootsTech and FGS Built It – and We All Came to the Exhibit Hall

Bright and early on Thursday morning I arrived at the Salt Palace to get a “before it opens to the public” tour of the RootsTech/FGS Exhibit Hall. Thanks to the FamilySearch folks for giving Geneabloggers, RootsTech and FGS Ambassadors that “behind the scenes” tour. We got to watch vendors put the finishing touches on their exhibits, and RootsTech volunteers check carpets, signs and electrical or internet connections. I kept thinking that this was the calm before the storm (and by that I mean in about two hours - 20,000 people were going to storm the Exhibit Hall!).

Lights on - soon this area will be swamped!

The water feature - and the start of our early morning tour.

Really nice product and booth - Well done Panstoria

Studio C - these cutouts would prove to be
very popular for photo ops

The Media Hub - always well guarded
Were they keeping the bloggers in or attendees out?

The only time all week these computers were at rest

FGS Society Showcase - clever idea to have those balloons

I was impressed with the quality and look of so many of the booths (although with setups as large as those of the big players – Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindmyPast and MyHeritage – I don’t think you can call them booths!). Clearly these sponsors spent time and money so attendees would have “an experience” and we certainly did. Well done! Many of the smaller vendors also did a great job with their booths. It was interesting to see the wide array of services, products and educational materials. I was impressed with the setup for the Media Hub, the Demo Theater and the Discovery Zone (and appreciated that they were spread out among the various exhibits). I understand why the big players were “front and center” as we came in the main doors (after all they underwrote much of the cost), but it would have been nice to have them more spread out in the Exhibit Hall as each had demonstrations and videos going all through the day and there were definitely large groups of people at all times as well as a constant din in that front section.

Since this was my first genealogy conference – these are my impressions as an attendee and future potential exhibitor:

Why are you exhibiting at RootsTech? – Do you have a product or service – if so, what is it, how will it help me, who is your target, and do you have your “elevator speech” to share with me as I walk by and/or stop? If you don’t have a great sign or banner (something that I can see from the walkway) and/or you don’t have an inviting “who we are” in the conference guide to get my attention, chances are I won’t be stopping by.

Give me something – I know that sounds crass but  – many of the vendors provided a button, a ribbon, a bag, or a raffle prize – and you should to. First, it is a great advertisement for your company or product. Second, it’s a good ice breaker and gets the conversation started. I was happy to have something to give people who stopped by the FGS Society Showcase – on Saturday - we gave away FGS bags and encouraged people to enter the giveaway for a free registration to the FGS 2016 conference.

Exhibiting at a conference is about more than selling your product – the vendors who simply sold missed out on the opportunity to inform, teach, make connections, and provide help to the attendees. You may have had great sales (and I get that is why you were at RootsTech) but it is about something more. I wanted to understand the services and products offered – for many vendors I can purchase your items online (and I had airline baggage limits!) so I appreciated the time you took to explain your product or service, answer questions, give suggestions, and point me in the right direction. I did not appreciate those vendors who chatted amongst themselves and ignored me (and others), or who had no idea of how their product or service related to the genealogy community.

I made a point of going through the RootsTech Conference Guide and circled those booths and exhibits that I wanted to check out. There weren't enough hours in the day (unless you skipped some sessions) to give the Exhibit Hall its due – and that must have been tough on the exhibitors and vendors - three eight-hour days can be tiring, you did an amazing job!). In future it might be nice to have a 2 or 3 hour block for the Exhibit Hall when there aren’t any sessions and then close down the Exhibit Hall during sessions or only keep the big players open, as they do for many other types of conferences.

With the proviso that I didn’t get to see everything (but I did make a couple of circuits each day) I was impressed with these exhibitors:

FamilySearch’s discovery zone - it certainly got lots of attention after it was showcased during the opening session. Loved the idea of the museum of me and the fun aspects of finding out about given names, surnames, migration, and how to place yourself in your family’s history. Well done to FamilySearch to being interactive and meeting budding genealogists where they are!

MyHeritage’s orange bags and helpful booth personnel – those bags were big, comfortable to put over your shoulder and collect ‘stuff’ on Exhibit Hall forays. Your booth layout was excellent - easy to navigate and personnel who could answer questions and provide some suggestions.

Panstoria’s discount cards and videos – well informed booth personnel and interesting videos really showed off your product to the best advantage. No hard sells at this booth and a nice discount that could be used in future. I was especially interested in your product as I am transferring from Creative Memories – you answered my questions and it appears it will be a breeze!

Outside the Box Sessions – the powerhouse genealogists (Janet Hovorka, Lisa Louise Cooke, Denise Levenick & Maureen Taylor) did some great 30 minute sessions and kept it entertaining at their booth. Sometimes all I wanted was a quick overview of something – their handout with their schedule, prize drawing, and their sessions was really helpful! The only quibble was the seating area (these ladies were popular) and the booth’s proximity to the Demo Theatre – all those mics and music were a bit distracting.

Shotbox’s brilliant idea becomes reality – the guys at the Shotbox booth have solved a problem for me! A clever and useful idea and they were happy to explain it and give me a demonstration using my mobile phone’s camera. I sent the photos to my sister and we are on the waiting list for this tabletop photo light studio – excellent “kick the tires” approach to showing off your product.

Unlock the Past Cruises – how can you go wrong with Alona Tester and Helen Smith meeting and greeting you? This booth had lots of information, it was nicely laid out and their booth personnel were friendly and helpful.

Chickasaw Cultural Center's materials - beautiful brochure and booklet as well as thoughtful booth personnel. I was so impressed with this booth and these were materials that I took home! I was pleased to see Native American culture represented and it would be great to see more of our Native American tribes represented - excellent. 

Some of my favorite things!

The best takeaways from my Exhibit Hall travels:

FGS stylus – very nice, it’s a pen, no it’s a stylus – no it’s both! So thank you, thank you FGS. I used this handy dandy stylus with my mobile phone from the moment I got it. Brilliant!

MyHeritage orange bag – loved this, MyHeritage gets points in both categories! Also took it grocery shopping with me. My nephew who is a fan of Oregon State wants it (for the orange) so I will have to keep my eye on this one!

Aussie pen – thanks to Pauleen Cass for this gem – lovely, colorful and every time I use it, I will think of my genea-friends from down under!

Anyone that gave out buttons or ribbons or blogger beads – you gave it some thought, knew we wanted some bling and you delivered. In return, you got some free advertising and our appreciation. I did not get to all of you but thanks to Ancestry, FGS, MyHeritage, Midwest Genealogy Center, RootsMagic, and Unlock the Past Cruises – happy to advertise for you! And I also appreciated the ribbons that made a statement and were subtle - #genealogy and I’m Connected. I was proud to wear by Geneabloggers’ beads and enjoyed meeting up with my fellow Geneabloggers (thanks Pat, Russ and Thomas). I missed out on some ribbons and buttons that I should have picked up (my fault – too many things to do and too little time) but to those of you with the budget (and I know some of you were there on a shoestring – so thanks for making the effort to exhibit), you might want to consider doing something in the future.

Tomorrow – Opening Sessions & What I Learned at RootsTech

Society Do-Over (or Do Better) - FGS Society Day 2015

One of the reasons I wanted to attend RootsTech/FGS 2015 was that it was billed as a genealogy extravaganza (two - two - two conferences in one!).  I don’t know how the powers that be originally envisioned it, but in my mind I pictured two days focused on FGS offerings and two days focused on RootsTech offerings with a big bang finish of the two conferences coming together on the last day.

It did not quite turn out that way – with the exception of FGS Society Day on Wednesday. FGS and RootsTech together was just that – sessions offered by both overlapping on each of three days (Thursday, Friday & Saturday). There was a wealth of choices every hour (too many in my humble opinion - decisions, decisions). My first pass through the selections on the RootsTech mobile app often resulted in three must-see choices. Unfortunately I have not learned how to clone myself and I had to make some tough choices. Added to that was the always open Exhibit Hall with its siren song that kept calling to all of us – “skip the sessions, visit with us, get a button, badge or ribbon, watch a demonstration, have a glass of lemonade, buy a book or DVD, stay here and play with us!” Did I mention that I can be easily distracted?!

Thankfully the Exhibit Hall was not open on Wednesday and as a first time conference attendee I had not been corrupted (yet!). I attended the FGS opening session, three sessions, the FGS luncheon, and the evening session which promised a “behind the scenes” look at genealogy and television, together with some food and drink.

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net - Stuart Miles
The FGS Keynotes and  Sessions provided solutions to Societies

The opening session’s keynote speakers were all excellent – kudos to FGS to including Denna Coutant (a new-to-me speaker who reminded us of the importance of tending to our society like we tend our gardens – with some humorous reminders that we have to prepare, plant, water and prune as necessary to have a great garden society – her references to thorns or troublesome plants that suck up all the water drew chuckles and several knowing nods!); Jen Baldwin (who addressed the need to be mindful and thoughtful in coming up with and implementing our society social media – planning, flexibility, being realistic and detail-oriented is key); and Curt Witcher (who with tremendous enthusiasm and energy – I want what he’s having! – reminded us that our society has to continue to grow and evolve if we want to not only survive but thrive in the future).  

I had planned to attend the first session but ran into a fellow Guild of One-Name Studies member and he offered to buy me a cup of coffee so we could chat. Anyone who knows me – knows my love of coffee (I come by it naturally having been born and raised in Seattle – the coffee mecca and home to Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee). We talked about our society, its trials, tribulations and triumphs in 2014, how we met and missed some of our goals, improvements to consider for 2015, and how our society fits the models discussed during the opening session. It is always helpful to take what you learn and apply it right away (I made notes in my bullet journal, we discussed networking opportunities while at RootsTech/FGS, and confirmed our Saturday morning FGS volunteer activity at the Exhibit Hall).

I got back on track and attended Joshua Taylor’s “New Kid on the Block” session. I am a huge fan of Joshua Taylor (fast talkers have to stick together!) and he brings aha moments to any topic he addresses.

The key takeaways from Joshua’s session:

We need to do a better job as a society in welcoming, encouraging, supporting and communicating with our volunteers

Invest time and effort in training our best resource

Treat our society more like a business in certain respects:

• Place a volunteer where s/he can do the most good and enjoy their job
• Job descriptions and training are important for a volunteer – pay attention at the outset so the volunteer does not wander in the desert, become discouraged, and quit.
• Check in with a volunteer to see how it is going, offer assistance, and celebrate the volunteer’s accomplishments.
• Move a volunteer around – a society is the sum of its parts and people, not the province or plaything of one or a few people (my first thought was “we should use musical chairs” – complacency, entitlement, or treating a society like a clique is never a good thing).
• Get ideas from all your volunteers - don’t judge or dismiss the ideas out of hand and banish “we have never done that before” “we tried that once 10 years ago and it didn't work” and “you don’t know how things run” from your vocabulary.
• The key to smooth transitions is to shadowing a postholder or officer position. Make sure your volunteer realizes that it is about the society and not about them – temper tantrums or ultimatums have no place in a society and people who use that type of behavior need to be removed (difficult but much better for the society in the long run).
• Good recordkeeping and centralized recordkeeping is essential for smooth society transitions. Never allow one or a few people to control the society’s lifeblood – its membership lists, treasury, contacts, and projects.
• Offer distance members an opportunity to be part of the team. With the advent of some amazing Internet features, distance is no longer a barrier to being an involved and integral member of a society.
• Learning how to work together for the benefit of the society is important. We all have different personalities, learning and working styles. We need to learn how to lead and follow – how to work with others and value their contributions. We need to know when to step back, take responsibility, and shine the light on others – building up a strong and happy group of volunteers is the key to each society’s survival.

Those were just a few of the highlights from Joshua’s session – this session was recorded and I would encourage every society to order a copy, train your postholders and officers, and then use it with your volunteers!

The FGS Luncheon was a great opportunity to visit with FGS delegates and ask about their societies, what was working and what wasn't – and then hear the “state of genealogy societies in 2014” from the speakers. There were some interesting statistics about societies and social media. It was a great reminder that not everyone is online and we need to do a better job of keeping our current members while attracting new members. I think it would have been nice for an FGS board member or postholder to be at each table rather than grouped together at a few tables. As delegates it would have been nice to meet them and have them encourage the conversation at each of the tables.

Big fan of dessert and the chocolate
kept me going in the afternoon!

Stacie Newton’s session on “Creating a Dynamic Educational Program” was interesting and she provided a number of suggestions on how any society could plan, implement and publicize an educational program. Her examples related to her society (Daughters of the American Revolution) but I found her “in the trenches” approach useful and immediately considered how some of her ideas could translate for my society.

The key takeaways from Stacie’s session:

• Know your society and your membership – learn what is important to them and what are they willing to work on.
• Spend the time looking into grants or scholarships or internships – if your society needs funding and expertise you can find it in these programs. Make use of high school and college students who could work with your society for school credit.
• Planning is the cornerstone to success – give your society enough time, resources, and a mission – if everyone is on the same page you will be able to accomplish your program goals.  Working in fits and starts or not keeping everyone on the team informed is a recipe for disaster.
• Work with your community, your local or regional newspapers, and other societies. There is strength in numbers and you can share the workload.

My last session of the day was Lisa Louise Cooke’s "Video Marketing: Killer YouTube Strategies for Societies." Lisa is one of my personal favorites as a speaker, writer, podcaster and blogger. Lisa does it all, she does it well and with grace. Although her topic (YouTube) is something I am already comfortable with – we can always learn something from someone else’s experience (we don’t know it all – keep an open mind and be willing to learn).

The key takeaways from Lisa’s session:

• Be authentic – don’t try to be something you aren't and don’t copy others – it shows when you are authentic and people respond to the real you.
• It is all about the content – have something to say and think about how to share it (clear, concise and positive).
• For a society – if you don’t know what your members what to know or learn – ASK THEM! And then, give them what they want.
• Learn the basics, practice and then build your following on YouTube. It is about providing quality not quantity.
• Plan and then DO – get started, don’t just think about it.

Lisa had several examples and resources that she shared with the attendees – again another excellent session that was recorded. If your society is thinking about or already on YouTube, this would be an excellent training video. And did I mention that Lisa is a pro at answering questions, chatting with attendees, and just being such a positive influence in the genealogy world.

I enjoyed the FGS evening session "Behind the Scenes" (and the food and drinks were especially welcome at 7:00 pm after a full day) but I think tables and chairs rather than classroom seating would have been a better choice. Classroom seating did not provide for conversation or ease of plates and glasses at place for the attendees. We watched three clips from Genealogy Roadshow, Finding Your Roots, and Who Do You Think You Are during the first two-thirds of the program. The final third of the program was for questions from the audience to the panel. I would have preferred more panel discussion and shorter clips. I had previously seen (and many others had as well) two of the clips – the third had not aired yet. However, it was a long and busy day for FGS and their people were working the entire day to bring us great functions and sessions. All in all, FGS Society Day was entertaining and educational – I took away lots of ideas and suggestions for my society, the Guild of One-Name Studies. 

A huge thank you to all the FGS volunteers and speakers for a great day and nice kick-off to the rest of the week. 

Tomorrow – RootsTech begins and the number of attendees and sessions multiplies!

A Little Late - RootsTech/FGS: My Week In Review

I saw quite a bit of this design at the Salt Palace
going round in circles until I got the layout down.

I have no excuse!

My flight was quick and easy between Portland and Salt Lake City – did not travel from a far distance as all my Australian and UK geneabuddies did.

I got plenty of sleep and downtime – my accommodation was great with one of the best beds and quietest places I have ever stayed.

I planned my conference time - my schedule of events for the conference week was set out on a daily sheet as well as the RootsTech mobile app (great job by the way and wished more attendees used the friend message feature).

I prepared my session presentation in advance (and even practiced it!)  – had handouts for attendees as well, so I was good to go and the RootsTech people had it all together for the speakers - thanks.

Still, it took a week to get unpacked, do the laundry and grocery shopping, get caught up on snail mail and email, put away the conference swag, and get back to my real life schedule and responsibilities. 

During the past week, I reviewed my bullet journal (where I keep all my notes about everything!), read others’ comments and reflections on RootsTech/FGS, ponder and process the experience while on my daily walks (thankfully on a walking path rather than the Salt Palace's concrete) and only now am I ready to write.  

The Grand Ballroom - where it all started and ended each day!

So here we go – a little bit each day about my week at RootsTech/FGS.

I was

a first time attendee at a national conference (although I forgot to get my ribbon),

an FGS ambassador (publicized the event in my blog both before and after  – too tired to write during the event – and I did get my ribbon),

a first time presenter at a national conference (got my speaker ribbon – it was actually already attached to my lanyard), and

I am now

a believer in attending regional and national conferences for the sessions, the speakers, the other attendees, and the vendors – it is an amazing experience.

My first takeaways (more to follow all this week)

Lovely Condo - had it all and
was only 2 blocks from the Salt Palace

Arrive a day early to get acclimated to the city and the event – if possible pick up your conference materials early as well. You want to get a sense of the accommodations, find the grocery store or shopping area for anything you forgot or only now desperately need, get unpacked and situated. 

Wonderful Thai Chicken Pizza &
A Good-Sized Corona

Plan to meet up beforehand to meet a few people. I cannot thank Jill Ball enough for having a pre-function. A number of us met on Tuesday evening and walked down to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and conversation. I knew a few of these genealogists from online (Facebook and Google+) but it was a treat to meet up in person. The food and the conversation was great and the bonus was that I ran into my new geneamates throughout the week so I always had someone to chat with (thanks Jill, Pauleen, Helen, Rosemary and Alona, and several more - good thing we had genealogy cards to share), compare notes with, and a few attended my session and gave me moral support (thanks Hilary and Caitlin – it was so nice to see your friendly faces in Ballroom G!).  

Go to the general sessions with an appreciation for the effort made by your hosts/sponsors – the general sessions are designed to get attendees enthusiastic about the upcoming day. They are also an opportunity for the sponsors to show off what’s new and their plans for the future. Are they selling their product? Yes in a subtle way. But let's remember they are also underwriting a large portion of the event. Should you make negative comments or complain about the choice of speakers? No, unless you are the type of person who goes to a dinner party and then complains about the food and other guests. 

Sadly I heard some attendees complaining (a few rather loudly) about the choice of speakers (right in the hall). I don’t know about you, but I was invited to attend all of the sessions. I made choices about how to spend my time, and there were no hall monitors making sure I went to everything. I did not go to every morning or evening session. However, for each general session or evening entertainment I did attend, I was a good guest. Don't get me wrong - most of the attendees were as well – so this is a gentle reminder to those who found fault, be polite – people made an effort and shared their thoughts and talents, so let's respect their contribution.

Get out of your comfort zone – try sessions where the topics are new to you, don’t attend the same sessions you have already seen online at webinars or even in person, try the new-to-you speaker, and think outside the box. I made a point of attending sessions on topics that I don’t have a direct connection to but I think will help me improve my methodology (applying those concepts or using those record sets or researching in a new area of the world).  I made a point of not attending sessions that I have seen online or going to a session simply because the speaker was really well known. That said, kudos to those well-known speakers who upped their game and had new presentations to share.

The remainder of the week I will share my takeaways from each day of the conference – first up FGS Society Day. See you back here tomorrow.