Grab a pop, find a porch swing and enjoy Pickin’ and Trimmin’
Overcoming Angst: How to Prepare to Attend a Genealogy Conference
February 11, 2013 By
Have you thought about attending a genealogy conference, but found the idea a bit daunting? First-timers can feel thrown back into “junior high school mode”:
- Which classes should I attend?
- Where will I sit?
- What if I don’t know anybody?
Don’t let a little shyness stop you from going! With a little preparation you can be ready to hit the conference running.
In this video presented by George Morgan (The Genealogy Guys) for the Southern California Genealogical Society (the folks who put on the annual Jamboree in Burbank, CA) you’ll learn what to expect, how to prepare, and how to get the most out of your time once you are there.
Watch the video: How to Get the Most Out of a Genealogy Conference from SC Genealogical Society
The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is a terrific conference and plans are already in the works for Jamboree 2013 to be held in Burbank, CA June 7 – 9, 2013. Head to their website for all the details on the schedule and registration. Hurry – according to their website early bird registration ends April 30, 2013.
I hope to see you in some of my classes at Jamboree:
Friday June 7 at 1:30pm Pimp Your Pad! How to Turn Your iPad (and other tablets too) into an Ultimate Genealogy Cruisin’ Machine
Friday June 7 Banquet – Behind the Scenes of WDYTYA? (I’ll be moderating)
Saturday June 8 at 11:30am Master Using Google for Common Surname Searches
Saturday June 8 at 2:00pm The Google Earth Military March Game Show (Ooo…this is going to be good!)
And of course I’ll see you at my booth in the exhibit hall.
Who Knew the iPad Could Do This?
January 9, 2013 By
If you got an iPad or tablet for Christmas, you may have spent a good deal of time playing angry birds and checking your email. (Come on, be honest!)
But, if you got a copy of my new book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse, then you have moved well beyond hurling squawking pudgy red birds at piles of wood, and you are now pivoting to your pad for nearly every area of your family history research.
But who knew that the iPad could do this?!!:
5 Reasons You Need the New YouTube App for Family History
January 1, 2013 By
The Genealogy Gems Channel is in the #1 spot when searching “genealogy” in the YouTube app, along with many other excellent family history channels
There’s a new YouTube App for iPad (also available for iPhone and Android) that is a must have for your favorite mobile device.
It’s been a long time coming but worth the wait. Here’s a list of the features you will enjoy:
- Improved search – New tools include auto-suggestion and the ability to browse for new videos while you watch
- Faster Loading of videos – We like faster!
- More Ways to Share Great Video Finds - Share a video on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, email or text message right from the YouTube app
- Sleek New Design – YouTube Channel Guide allows you to swipe right to see new videos from all your favorite channels
- More Videos – Tens of thousands of videos now unlocked for your phone
Still not convinced as a genealogist that you need the new app? Here are 5 reasons you should be using YouTube in conjunction with your family history search:
#1 Learn More about Your Ancestor’s World
Search for clubs, businesses, events and other items that impacted your ancestors’s lives.
#2 Find Your Ancestors in Action
Ever since the Internet came on the scene, genealogists have been searching online for photos (or for the distant cousins possessing photos) of their family. Apply this strategy to YouTube and video. Click here to read about how a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener hit pay dirt by following this advice.
#3 Get Quick Answers to Your Genealogy Questions
Got a pressing question on how to fix your Ancestry tree to how to how to create crafty family history gifts? Videos on YouTube not only supply answers, but show you how. When you find a channel that you like, click the Subscribe button. This will set you up to be notified of new videos from that channel as soon as they are published. (Sign in to YouTube with your free Google account because, yep, Google owns YouTube.)
The Genealogy Gems Channel in the YouTube App
#4 Benefit from Genealogy Conferences from the Comfort of Your Home
Not everyone has the time or money to attend a genealogy conference. Conference organizers understand this and are harnessing the power of online video to bring key content to users where they are. To get started, check out the videos that feature popular conference speakers and the conference experience from channels like SCGS (Jamboree) by searching SCGSgenealogy in the app and NGS by searching NGSGenealogy.
#5 Learn New Techniques for Sharing Your Family History
Get crafty and creative with project ideas found on YouTube. Search for keywords such as photos, shadow boxes, quilting, scrapbooking, etc. I’ve set up a special playlist on the Genealogy Gems Channel called Family History Craft and Display Projects that is chock full of videos to get you started. Search “GenealogyGems” in the YouTube app or go directly to the playlist at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAE920F093159BD02
These are just a few ideas for using YouTube and the new YouTube app to enhance your family history adventures. Leave a comment and share the finds you have made.
Learn more about YouTube in Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 140
Genealogy Gems Videos
December 27, 2012 By
Visit the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel
for dozens of free family history themed videos
Be sure to click the Subscribe button at the channel to stay up to date on all the latest videos.
Videos are also grouped by Playlist for your convenience. Just click on the topic of your choice.
Meet the Man Who Witnessed President Lincoln’s Assasination
October 30, 2012 By
On Feb. 9, 1956 popular TV host Gary Moore escorted an elderly man out on to the “I’ve Got a Secret” stage. It was the job of Bill Cullen, Lucille Ball, Henry Morgan and Jayne Meadows to uncover Samuel J. Seymour’s “secret” through a line of questioning. My. Seymour had witnessed an historic event 91 year previously: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C.
It’s fascinating to see film of an eye witness, and even more interesting to learn from Mr. Seymour what most caught his attention at that fateful event. Sit back and watch this piece of history about a piece of history:
Copyright Law is Often on the Genealogist’s Mind
August 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The question of copyright is one that pops up on a regular basis for family historians, and one that we’ve covered on the Genealogy Gems Podcast. In fact Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast Episode 14 with Cath Madden Trindle is devoted to guidelines and resources for the genealogist in using copyrighted material in family history works.
Here’s a fun and interesting look at the story behind copyright law:
Julia Child’s 100th Birthday, Food and Family History
August 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
We’ve been exploring the connection between food and family history in the most recent episodes of the Genealogy Gems Podcast. And in episode 138 you heard a little tribute to Julia Child and her 100th birthday. Here’s another tribute from the station that brought Julia into our lives for so many years, PBS. Bon Appetit!
FamilySearch Updates Logon, International Genealogy Index
August 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The folks at FamilySearch.org are constantly tweaking their already-great free data site. The latest update involves two important features:
1. There’s now a drop-down menu for logging on to FamilySearch, which makes it easier to access the settings and source boxes from anywhere on the site. (Why have a log-in on a free site? Because FamilySearch doesn’t own most of its record sets, and those who do sometimes place restrictions on use. Those who log in have access to more records than those who don’t.)
2. That “classic” data set, the International Genealogy Index (IGI), is now fully searchable. From FamilySearch’s home page, just click on “All Record Collections” toward the bottom of the page, then enter “IGI” in the search field. (Why search the IGI? It accounts for about 20% of the 3 billion or so records on FamilySearch.org. Both indexed record sets and user-submitted trees are part of the IGI. The IGI has been around for a long time–long before digitized data sets came into use. The IGI can be particularly helpful if you are reviewing or updating research that was done many years ago and/or may have been submitted by Latter-day Saint (Mormon) families.)
Here’s a new, brief video that will walk you through the updates:
The Answer to a Plaguing Genealogical Problem
July 13, 2012 By 5 Comments
Have you ever wondered why you’re just not making as much progress on your genealogy research as you would like? In many of my live presetations I often ask the audience to raise their hand if they have enough time to climb their family tree, and nary a hand ever goes up. It’s a problem that plagues family historians almost without exception.
Thank goodness you’ve come to Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems because I have a gem for you that I think will cast a bright light on the problem and provide you with a better understanding of what’s really happening.