Category Archives: Conferences

Jamboree 2012

I am just back from Burbank for the annual celebration of genealogy, Jamboree.  The folks at Southern California Genealogical Society put on a great event that I have to recommend.  I’ve yet to go to one of the national conferences, but this regional event packs a punch.  Don’t let anyone say you have to travel to the midwest or east coast for good genealogy because the west coast is where it’s at.

One thing that struck me was the quality of tech related talks.  I was disappointed with the classes designed for users during the last Rootstech in Salt Lake City.  It’s a new conference, but I felt that they offered little for the intermediate to advanced computer user, which is why I ended up leaving classes and landing in the beginner developer classes.

At Jamboree, on the other hand, many classes spoke to tech issues for researchers, like how to effectively use a certain website, or mobile options for genealogists. These classes bridged the divide between researchers and the tools available to them.  After all, technology is a means to an end, not the goal itself.

That doesn’t mean I won’t go to the next Rootstech.  But I do hope that organizers will offer more options for advanced users.  Equally, I hope that some of Jamboree’s speakers will consider submitting papers to have the opportunity to share their knowledge with a wider group.

For Jamboree, they need to keep doing what they’re doing.  I’m already blocking off the dates for next year and will do everything I can to attend this energizing and educational event.

Rootstech 2012

In the interest of publishing this while the conference is still going on, this post was written rather loosely and I haven’t included links. Perhaps at some point I will add the links, but if I don’t, please don’t hold it against me. This was the first full day of Rootstech conference in Salt Lake City, and I must say I’m having a great time.  Part of that is the people, of course.  I’ve run into a whole slew of CGS members from near and far and have been welcomed into a particularly fun sub-set of Geneabloggers, which has kept the off hours filled with great conversation.  Plus, being a geneablogger comes with an extra benefit Continue reading Rootstech 2012

Repost: Macworld 2011

Macworld is upon us again. I intend to post a summary of what I find from my excursion. Until then, here is the post I wrote about last year’s event, originally posted 31 Jan 2011:

I have consistently attended the annual convention celebrating the Mac computer and all things Apple.  This was the first year I walked the aisles of the Moscone Convention Center with the eye of a genealogist.  Though it was not surprising that genealogy apps like Reunion didn’t have a large booth in the center of the convention floor (or even show up), I was pleased with the great number of software and hardware options that could easily be used to benefit genealogical pursuits. Continue reading Repost: Macworld 2011