FGS Recap Day 2

(Though this is my second day at FGS, the conference really hasn't kicked off yet. That is tomorrow. Hopefully "day 2" doesn't confuse anyone.--Amy)

For day 2, I was up very early for the Association of Professional Genealogists Professional Management Conference. At the first session, attendees were told to refrain from text messaging or the use of Twitter. No reason was given for the request. Therefore, I don't feel comfortable blogging about the all-day experience without running the risk of stepping on any administrative toes.

To the five speakers whose presentations I attended, I am sorry I can't give your names, plug your websites or praise your efforts.

To the 750+ people in my professional/social genealogy network (through this blog & its various feed readers, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, etc) I am sorry I am unable to share my insights of the experience, perhaps convincing some of you to attend the conference next year. It is what it is: lost marketing opportunities and unfortunate administrative decisions.

At 5:00 pm, I attended "Blogging, Social Networking, and Podcasting Open Forum. Drew Smith (of Genealogy Guys fame and librarian extraordinaire) moderated a panel of George Morgan (of Genealogy Guys fame and Aha! Seminars Inc., among other pursuits), Jim Ericson of FamilyLink.com and Gena Ortega (who plays roles for WorldVitalRecords and GenealogyWise).

Each person gave an introduction, then the discussion moved from blogs, to social networks to podcasting. The talk was informal and the audience was invited to participate at every point. I really enjoy this format because the audience asks good questions and often provides great answers. Collaboration and information sharing is a good thing. That’s the theme of this post.

I also was able to do some socializing/networking with Randy Seaver and Tami Glatz before and during the presentation. Half of the value of conference attendance are these conversations and interactions outside of presentation time.

After the awesome open forum, I went to dinner with members of the various ProGen study groups. There were eight members, 1 mom of a member and a “groupie” we’re trying to recruit. I am proud to say my ProGen 3 was well represented. The dinner was casual (pizza) and the conversation moved from ProGen, to other educational options, to boo-boos we’ve made to juicier tidbits about genealogy. Again, this event outside of conference time was just as valuable—if not more—than many conference sessions. Networking is key.

After dinner, I called home and put on my mom hat. Now it’s time to rest so I can get up and do it all over again tomorrow.