Dispatches from the Ancestry.com Breakfast (FGS2013 Update 5)

While I was at the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Fort Wayne, I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast sponsored by Ancestry.com.

As with all vendor-sponsored meal invites, there's always a presentation.

The Ancestry.com show emphasized five points of their approach to family history using Who Do You Think You Are? as an example.

The general idea was the use of records to tell a story which in turn draws people to family history. We need to know our audience and use different approaches to draw them in. Involve them in the process, make sure they can see the story you are trying to tell and make it visually compelling.

The points above are all used in the tv show. We can use them to draw our own families in as well. While each WDYTYA is a finite episode with an end, our own stories keep unfolding. I get the feeling Ancestry is crafting the "typical" user experience to assist subscribers in unfolding their own stories. Less about proper citations, more about the family history experience (which is how the vast majority of their customer base approaches genealogy).

We also got a peek at some new developments at Ancestry.com. Ancestor profile pages will have a Story View button which allows users to see an ancestor's timeline in a different format.

There was also discussion of "smart filters" which are used when searching directly from ancestor profiles. I did see an option on the presentation screen for turning smart filters on and off. Ancestry says 1% of people have this option as a test, but eventually all subscribers will get it. You can read more about smart filters at this Ancestry.com blog post.

More updates: Family Tree Maker 2014 is coming, mobile apps are being updated, further improvements are being made to search and DNA components of Ancestry.com.

After the presentation, there was a Q&A session. Someone resurrected the dead horse that is "Old Search." The answer given was that they're trying to add the most-loved features of Old into the New. Old was expensive apparently. I'm not emotionally invested in the debate so pardon my lack of outrage.

Other questions were more of an individual nature because genealogists can't help but talk about themselves and their own issues. I wanted to hear more about what's coming up at Ancestry, but I didn't have any good general questions myself.

Guess that's it from the Ancestry.com breakfast. I had a good time and I appreciate being kept "in the loop" about upcoming developments. Hopefully my wonderful friends and readers do, too.

Cyndi's List Plenary Session (FGS2013 Update 4)

Society Day at the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies kicked off with a plenary session led by Cyndi Howells. You might know her better as the Cyndi in Cyndi's List.

Is your society web site all it's cracked up to be? That was the title of her talk and the question she asked of all the attendees.

Cyndi has seen a lot of web sites. There are over 7,000 society web sites alone on her own site, so she's more than qualified to advise others.

First, Cyndi said that society web sites should be updated--at the very least--quarterly or monthly. However, she recommends updating your web site with fresh content each week. Not everything needs to be "new" but upcoming events should be current.

Does your website accurately represent your society? If it is updated or stagnant, what does that say about your society?

Cyndi talked about ease of use and design. Simple is in. Cutesy graphics and sound are huge outs.

One of the most simple and important points Cyndi made is that your full society's name should be on each page of your web site. For example, you shouldn't be a "genealogical society" on one page and a "genealogy society" on another. Also, if you're a county society, PLEASE include your state somewhere in the title.

Cyndi provided a ton of good advice, too much to list here. Basically it was a call for societies to look at their websites with fresh eyes from the perspective of new members.

My favorite takeaway from this session was that if your society does not update its website regularly, it's like sending out the same newsletter every month.


Donate to Cyndi's List

Touring Fort Wayne on Foot (FGS2013 Update 3)

While in Fort Wayne, Lisa Alzo, Kathryn Doyle and I did something we've never done at any genealogy conference. We took an afternoon to tour the host town.

We saw the courthouse. 

Supposedly the courthouse has wonderful murals but we couldn't go in the building because we had cell phones. This was a no-cell place.

Then we saw a nifty old building so we wandered that way.

It is the History Center. Here is some detail of the building built in the 1890's.

We paid admission and learned a little bit about Fort Wayne.

And then we went into the basement, which turned in to Lisa and I doing some time.

After the walking tour, we stopped in at the delightful and well-hidden Lincoln Tower Soda Fountain. I had my first phosphate. It was a delightful end to a historic walking tour in a town holding a convention about history.

FamilySearch Blogger Dinner at FGS (FGS2013 Update 2)

Tuesday night FamilySearch held a dinner for the genealogy bloggers attending the FGS conference in Fort Wayne. They've been graciously doing it so long that it always feels like a family reunion when I attend one of their events.

As usual, FamilySearch has big plans, and they shared them with us.

First, we got the scoop that Diane Loosle was the new director of the Family History Library. This is a great choice on their part. We were lucky enough to hear some of her plans and upcoming changes at the Family History Library.

Loosle said that the FHL will have collaborative research spaces, with staff coming out from behind the counters to assist patrons. These spaces will be divided loosely by research interest and have all the tools one needs to do that research. She gave an example of the Nordic area of the library. Usually we get a film in one area and go to the microfilm readers in another area, or a computer in another. In the collaborative space, many of these things are grouped together. This lets Nordic researchers work among each other. What happens then is that they start talking and helping each other. Add that to the staff that are out and about and that's how collaborative research happens.

Paul Nauta then gave the most recent stats for FamilySearch holdings. They are up to 2.9 billion searchable names, with 1.7 million names being added daily. They are still filming like crazy with 237 camera teams around the world.

Nauta also hinted at a new kind of Family History Discovery Center. These are more interactive and outreaching than the traditional local Family History Centers we all know. They will include oral history recording studios and bells and whistles to help the casually interested folks get their family history down. The Discovery Centers--I think he said 4 or 5 are being planned initially--will be in high traffic/high tourist areas. He was pretty secretive about the locations so stay tuned for that.

FamilySearch Family Tree is coming along. It's technically not being promoted to the public yet, but it's growing fine. I know this because a client is paying me to use this service and I've already added several hundred names and 1050 photos to the big tree. I asked about the ability to add documents. He said that's coming this year, as well as the ability to add videos. Yay!

Family Search Indexing is launching an international marketing campaign in 10 languages to raise awareness and attract volunteers on a global level. I tried to find the video online to share but gave up. If anyone who was at the dinner has the link, can you let me know?

Nauta also gave a RootsTech 2014 update. The upcoming conference will expand to 600 satellite locations with an estimated 120,000 remote attendees. Registration opens this week and involves an early discount so sign up now.

That's it on the FamilySearch update front. They gave the bloggers a nice gift or a solar phone charger with flashlight. They always bring the quality swag.

Thank you, FamilySearch for the great evening.

Dinner with Friends at Fort Wayne (FGS2013 Update 1)

Greetings from Fort Wayne, Indiana! I'm in town for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies conference. Some might think this is an unusual place for a national conference, but in reality it is a hotbed thanks to the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Department.

As planned, I went to a meet-up with some genealogy pals. We had a pub date:

Left side front to back: Diane Boumenot, Linda McCauley, Tina Lyons, Kathryn Doyle, Me, Lisa Alzo

Right side front to back: Janney Lanctot, Kathy Chastain, Amy Crow, Shelley Bishop, Susan Clark, Diana Ritchie

We had a lot of fun and it was a great way to kick off the week.

FGS Preparation (or Lack Thereof)

As Jill Ball likes to say, only "two sleeps" until I make my way to Fort Wayne for the 2013 FGS Conference.

I've been reading lots of Facebook updates of how people are already packed, their class schedules and research plans laid out and ready to go.

Me? I've done none of these things. The only preparation I've made so far is to ensure that the syllabus is downloaded on my iPad so I can access it offline. That's it.

Don't confuse my lack of preparation for lack of enthusiasm. I'm still working to get The Eternal Client Project done. I've been shuttling my son to and from summer band practices. Every 30 minutes or so I have to stop what I'm doing and go investigate a strange noise from somewhere in the house. The cats have settled in and are exploring new places, often where they aren't supposed to be. Time to prepare for a conference? Take a number and have a seat, I'll be with you when I can.

So today is about laundry and tomorrow is about packing. The overnight lows in Indiana are supposed to be in the mid-60's! To a Houstonian in August, this is simply delightful.

My FGS2013 social schedule is getting full. I have 3 vendor meetings/meals and a couple pub dates (everyone is welcome to those). I have 1 ticketed luncheon on Wednesday (Mark Lowe's delegate one. Anyone going?). I also volunteered to man the Texas State Genealogical Society booth for a block of time.

Class schedule? I haven't even planned that. I never do until I'm at the host city. The only for-sure won't-be-missed session is the one about the Great Lakes ship wrecks for obvious reasons.

Everything else is up in the air. And I like it that way.

Will I see you in Fort Wayne? I always want to meet new people and reconnect with genealogy friends.

Student Rate Set for FGS2013

The Federation of Genealogical Societies introduced a student rate for their 2013 conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It went live yesterday. Here's how you register for the FGS2013 student rate.

The student rate represents a significant savings, and allows young 'uns affordable access to one of the bigger genealogy conferences.

If you know someone who is interested and fits the bill, let them know.

For the rest of us old farts, the early-bird rate expires July 1. Get on it.

Did you hear? I'll be at FGS2013 and I want to meet you.

FGS 2013 Bound!

Today I made my arrangements to go to the 2013 FGS Conference. It's in Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 21-24. Are you going? If so, will you be there earlier? I'm going a bit early and would like to meet up with dinner mates and such.

Though I've been to Indiana once (for an incredible Notre Dame football game experience), I've never been to the genealogical Disneyland that is the Allen County Public Library. I'm looking forward to it.

I did something I don't normally do and signed up for a luncheon. I'm going to the delegate one to hear J. Mark Lowe speak...and to learn how to be a good delegate for Chaparral Genealogical Society.

Other than that, my meals and social hours are open. From the looks of this handy downtown Fort Wayne restaurant map, there are some interesting places. It would be cool to do a Tweet-up/pub crawl one night. Any interest?

With the tickets purchased and reservations made, the next step is to scour and browse the Allen County Public Library catalog for genealogy treasures. It will be nice to work on my own family tree again.

Will I see you at FGS 2013? Let me know so I can get excited and look forward to our visit in Fort Wayne.

P.S. The early-bird FGS 2013 registration rate expires July 1, 2013. Get it done!

2013 FGS Conference Registration Is Open

“Journey through Generations” – A Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists

March 8, 2013 – Austin, TX. Online registration is now open for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, scheduled for 21-24 August 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Register at http://www.fgsconference.org by 1 July 2013 for an early-bird discount. This year’s conference theme is “Journey through Generations,” and the local hosts are the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI).

This year’s FGS conference offers an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in researching their family history. This conference will offer over 160 educational sessions on records, strategies, and tools for genealogists of all levels. Ten different sponsored luncheons will provide opportunities for networking.

Session sponsors include FamilySearch, findmypast.com, Ancestry.com, Archives.com, Fold3, Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild, National Archives and Records Administration, and the Indiana Historical Society.

Conference Highlights

• Conference Sessions: A wide variety of genealogy-related lectures and workshops for all experience levels. Attendees will be able to learn about Midwest research, African American research, European research, military research, genetics, technology, migration, methodology and more.
• Focus on Societies: On Wednesday, August 21, 2013, sessions are jam-packed with ideas and tools to help societies promote themselves, increase membership, and develop sources of revenue.
• Librarians’ Day: On Tuesday, August 20, 2013, ProQuest will sponsor a full pre-conference day of sessions designed for librarians, archivists, and other information professionals serving family history researchers.
• Special Events: Include FGS Opening Social at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory and “Journey Through the Genearations with Our Veterans” at the Allen County Public Library.
• Exhibit Hall: The large exhibit hall will feature the latest software, books, maps, databases and gadgets on the market for genealogists and family historians, as well as information about genealogical organizations. Representatives of FGS member societies will staff their booths in the special Society Showcase area.
• Extended Hours at ACPL: The Genealogy Center at ACPL will open early and stay open late during the FGS 2013 conference week to help genealogist maximize their research time.

There are more activities and research opportunities too numerous to list. However, you can learn all about the 2013 FGS Conference and register for this exciting four-day event at http://www.fgsconference.org. Be sure to also visit or subscribe to the FGS Conference Blog at http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org for more information.

We look forward to seeing you in Fort Wayne in August!

Learn More and Stay Connected

• Like the conference on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FGSconference.
• Follow the conference on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/FGSconference and hashtag #FGS2013.
• Visit Fort Wayne at http://www.visitfortwayne.com/FGS.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.