Thursday, September 8th, marks the first day of regular lectures at FGS 2011. And I've  finally made my picks. It was tough, though. But here it goes...

8:30-10Am ~ General Session with David S. Ferriero who will be delivering the keynote address. 

11AM ~ Illinois Migration & Settlement Patterns with Rev. Dr. David McDonald, CG ~ Here's a little known fact about me: I am both fascinated and addicted to migration patterns. It fascinates me the determination, courage, and ingenuity it took to migrate, and I feel victorious when I can narrow down how an ancestor got to a certain place. I mean, my ancestors never -in a million years- thought that I'd be tracking down, well, their tracks. So, if any sessions will be discussing migration, I will most certainly be there. [Unless someone asks me to go have coffee or to walk through the vendor exhibit hall with them, of course. ;) ]

2PM ~ Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present, and Future with Lisa A. Alzo ~ Unless you are a hermit who doesn't communicate with anyone in any manner, you deal with other people and, oftentimes, you deal with them repeatedly. And I'd venture to say that each person could tell just a little something about you. Something your descendants might want to know about you, just like the tidbits that you try to dig up about your ancestors. So, it makes sense to look at who your ancestors interacted with. I've written an article in Shades on how to go about doing this, and I look forward to Lisa's presentation to see her perspective on this great method. [Plus? I've met Lisa. In person. And? She's so cool. Can't wait to hear her speak.]

3:30PM ~ The Curious Case of the Disappearing Dude with Debra Mieszala, CG ~ Now, honestly? I had another session picked out because of the subject matter, but I'm easily distracted by an awesome title. And, hello?!? This title tells me Ms. Mieszala is creative. Well, at least with her presentation titles. However, as intended, she captured my attention. Something tells me her presentation will also captivate me. And? I'm so ready to be captivated. Really.

5PM ~ Migration Through Canals and Waterways with Carol Smith, AG ~ Remember? Wherever migration is, I am. Looking forward to Ms. Smith's voyage through canals and waterways.

So. What sessions are y'all thinking about for Thursday, Sept. 8th, at FGS2011?

Visit the FGS 2011 Conference website for more information about their 2011 conference, Pathways to the Heartland.

~Caroline

[Please note: I am affiliated with Ancestry.com. However, I am not receiving any compensation for mentioning them in my article. My honest opinion of their services is given. That's right. The good with the bad. Please see my full disclosure here.]

Buffets are so cool. I’m usually assured that I will find something I like. I can try a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And if I really like something, I can go back for seconds. [Calories aren’t counted at buffets, right?].

And I would imagine that an American buffet would be neat for someone not from America to taste test our food for the first time ~ to see what they like and what they don’t like. Because of the variety, they are reasonably assured they will come away from the buffet with some new “likes” in the food department.

And this is the same reason a newbie to genealogy usually comes away from their experience, at least the first time, from Ancestry.com. Happy. The online database at Ancestry.com is not only huge, it’s varied. A newbie is more likely to come away at least a little bit happy. Satisfied, even.

But? Did the newbie see everything? Did they find everything? Did they go back a second time to see if the ‘buffet’ had been changed up? Was it chicken fried steak they had last time, or was it [Gasp!] actually liver? Did they even think about trying a new buffet up the street?

Nowadays, online databases are integral for doing genealogy research, but there are some tips and tricks to using them that every newbie should know so they can truly come away from the experience knowing they fully experienced the buffet to their ultimate satisfaction, and that they can fully plan their next buffet trip, wherever it may be.

Next Hints & Tricks post? Top 10 Tips to Using Ancestry.com for the Newbie Genealogist.

~C

Wednesday is all about Societies

I've personally come to the decision that it's time that  I network the old fashioned way with flesh and blood people. Hard to believe, I know. But it's true.

You see, I'm tired of looking into people's eyes as I answer a family history question [that they asked, mind you] and seeing that glazed-over look in their eyes. You know the one I'm taking about, right? That "I-must-have-been-out-of-my-ever-loving-mind-to-ask-this-question-How-did-I-know-she'd-take-the-ball-and-actually-run-with-it-This-is-what-I-get-for-being-polite" look. Yes, that look.

Likewise, I want to meet people who want to talk about local history. People who get excited about a document they found in the local courthouse, and then show it to me. Tell me how it fits into their family's history.

I wanna trade stories with someone whose family has been in this here parts since time began.

I wanna see the excitement in a young person's eyes when they finally realize they, too, have a part in history. That their family was a part of history.

I wanna be a part of a local group who wants to help their community find it's roots, wherever they may be.

I also want to help others with some of the skills that I've learned along the way. And I want others to share their skills with me.

All these reasons are why I joined a local society. And they are the reason I'm attending FGS2011. And they are the reason I'm so excited about the society session offerings at FGS2011 on Wednesday, September 7th. The following are my fantasy non-fantasy [Cuz I'm actually going.] picks for Wednesday:

8:30-9:15am ~ The Plenary Session [No. This is not going to be a talk about plants. "Plenary" is just a fancy word that means everyone's welcome to be there.] with David Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA, & he will be speaking on "How Will Our Society Survive? Do We Alter, Mutate, Modify, Shift or Switch?" ~ I'm definitely going to this, folks. Hello? I just explained that I need a local place. Therefore, I want it to survive. Right? Besides, everyone's welcome to be there.;)

9:30am ~ "The Dollars and Cents of Fundraising" with Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGA, FIGS ~ Mr. Witcher could talk about the differences between types of tree bark, and I'd be there. He's that good. I've actually paid good money to see him talk. He's that good. He could sell heaters in the middle of summer to people living in Florida. He's that good. Plus? I'm interested in my local society surviving. That means funds. So? I'm there, Mr. Witcher. With bells on.

11:00am ~ "21st Century Marketing Techniques for Genealogists/Genealogical Societies" with Thomas MacEntee founder of Geneabloggers.com and owner of Hi-Definition Genealogy~ I love Thomas. I love his ideas. I love to hear him talk. I always learn something new from him. Plus? I love marketing. My degree is in English, but my minor is in marketing. And you're probably not going to believe this, but I love social networking. Therefore, I'd like to know how I can help my local society put their best foot forward.

2:00pm ~ "Engaging a New Generation of Genealogists" with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS ~ Now. You were paying attention above, right? You know, the part about young people and the community's roots? How are we going to keep our local societies alive if we don't engage the "New Generation"? Mr. Taylor, I'm all ears.

3:30pm ~ "Finding and Keeping Volunteers" with Amy Johnson Crow, CG ~ Societies don't run themselves, and the same people can't do everything. Not only do we need to find volunteers, but we need to keep 'em around. Again. Not only do I want my local society to survive, but I want it to thrive. So, I'm there. And? I've communicated online with Ms. Crow several times. I can't wait to hear her speak! [See how I'm also converting an online person to an offline person? Social networking works, folks.]

5:00pm ~ "Brainstorming Session: Marketing Your Society" ~ I thought this would be kind of cool to attend and participate in. I like the idea of an unstructured session. Nothing like not putting up barriers so we can share new ideas. So. I hope it lives up to my hype. We'll see.

So. There you go. These are my picks for Wednesday at FGS2011. What are your picks? Even if you're not able to go, please take a look at the sessions here and share in comments below what sessions you would like to attend, or if you are going, which ones you think you'll be attending on Wednesday. And most importantly, why?

Also, for more information about the FGS 2011 Conference in Springfield, IL, please visit their conference site.


~Caroline
An Official Blogger for FGS2011

Every Saturday night Randy over at his blog Genea-Musings hosts a challenge called Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, a.k.a. SNGF. [I told you genealogy was fun, didn't I?] Well, this week's challenge is inspired by a post written by Tonia Kendrick on her blog Tonia's Roots where she explains why an elevator pitch is necessary for your genealogy blog and tips on how to write one. You can read more about it here. [But don't go till you read my pitch.]



Here's what Randy challenged us to do:
1. Write an elevator speech for your blog based on Tonia Kendrick's Blog series, 31 Weeks to a Better Genealogy Blog, #31 WGBG: "Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Blog."

2. Post it on your blog, in the comments on Randy's blog, on Google+, etc.

3. Leave a comment on Tonia's Elevator Pitch blog post. [Lots of blog traffic link love here, folks.]


And my pitch is straight from my About Page. You have read my About Page, right? If not, you should go visit it 'cause there's more where this came from, folks:

For Your Family Story blog is:

• For those who are completely new to genealogy (newbies);
• For those who've just started researching with no or very little instruction & could use some help; and
• For those beginner to intermediate researchers who've hit a brick wall or two & could use some help.

The one consistent theme you'll see here is that genealogy is not boring.  It's not stuffy.  It's fun.  At least, I'm going to try and make it fun.   It won't be hard.  I promise.  Ancestors rarely disappoint with their antics, with their silly decisions, and with their poor choices.  Most worked hard.  Sometimes they were sad.  But sometimes they were downright hilarious, at least in retrospect.  But what they're not is boring and stuffy.  [Even though most of the time they look boring and stuffy in their photos.]

~Caroline

[Disclosure: I am an Official Blogger for the FGS 2011 Conference.]


Doing it Old School Has Its Merits
I love technology. I love computers. I especially love my iPhone. But when it comes to planning stuff out, I prefer doing it old school – paper. And while FGS does provide an online Conference Program of each day’s sessions, I believe the best way to view and plan out your conference must-go-to sessions is by accessing the FGS 2011 Conference’s brochure, downloading it, saving it and printing it out.

Why waste the paper and ink? After all, it’s a 16-page PDF document for goodness sakes. Well, each day’s lectures, luncheons, and activities are in a 2-page table format. Printing it out allows you to see everything for that day at a glance and make informed decisions. [Trust me. They have a lot of choices.]

Steps To Access & Print the Conference Brochure
I stumbled upon this on their site, and thank God I did cuz making my non-fantasy fantasy picks [cuz I'm actually going] is going to be a whole lot easier with these day-by-day session grid table thingies.

• Either access the PDF Conference Brochure  by clicking here, OR you can go to the conference’s main page, click on the Media button,  on the lefthand sidebar click on the FGS 2011 Conference Brochure button, and click on the PDF download button located in the middle of the page to begin the download.
  
• Once you download the brochure, you can view it, save it, and/or print it out. [I did all 3, but definitely print it out.]
  
• Once you print out all 16 pages, take the 2 pages that list each day’s schedule, flip the 1st page for each day over, and line it up with the correct day’s 2nd page so that you can fully read all your choices for each day.

Some Additional Tips & Thoughts

• Each day is broken down into 7 tracks. The first day, Wednesday, is all about genealogical societies, Focus on Societies.   
• The rest of the days of the conference [Thursday, Friday, and Saturday] are researcher-focused, and in the future FGS Conference Friday posts, I’ll go over my picks for those as well. [Just as soon as I decide.]
•  Within each track, the sessions are organized across the 2 pages with the time of the session listed across the top and the name of the tracks listed going down on the left side. [See why you need to print it out? Hair, people. You don't want to pull out your hair trying to figure out if Thomas MacEntee's 21st Century Marketing Techniques for Genealogists/Genealogical Societies is at the same time as Lisa Alzo's Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present, and Future. And BTW, they're not.] Now, if “all about genealogical societies” is your cup of tea, there are some exciting topics that will be discussed with some even more exciting speakers discussing them, and I’ll go over the tracks and my session picks for that day on my next  Friday’s FGS Conference post.
•  And I’m not gonna lie to you. There are some tough decisions to make here for each day’s sessions, but don’t let that deter you. Also? Keep in mind that what you think you want to attend now may change once you’re there, and that’s okay. I mean, someone that you’ve been communicating online with might want to sit down and talk to you over a cup of coffee or tea. [For reals.] And if this happens, go for it. It’s part of the conference experience. ‘K?

So. How are you sorting out the FGS 2011Conference Sessions? Please feel free to share in Comments below.

What do you mean you haven’t registered yet? What are you waiting for? Their link for more info about registering and the conference overall is here.

Next Friday's FGS Conference Post: What I Think Will Be My Non-Fantasy Fantasy Picks for Wednesday

~Caroline