The 2012 Atlanta History Expo Begins

2012 Atlanta Family History Expo Conference Participants Visiting Exhibit Tables

The 2012 Atlanta Family History Expo began this afternoon at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA with registration at 1:00 PM and the opening keynote session at 2:00 PM by renowned author and speaker Robert S. Davis, M.Ed, MA. Early conference participants began the Expo by visiting the various exhibit tables in which they could talk to exhibitors, see genealogical product demonstrations, learn about useful services to aid them in their genealogy and family history quest, and thumb through books and other literature before making decisions on which one(s) to purchase.

Hanging Out at the Bloggers Table

2010 Atlanta Family History Expo Bloggers of Honor Table

I am looking forward to attending the Atlanta Family History Expo next month. My first expo attendance was in 2010 also in Atlanta. One of my favorite parts of the expo was hanging out at the Blogger table. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I skipped a few sessions just so I could remain at the table and enjoy the presence of my fellow bloggers and the numerous visitors to our table.

I had met most of the bloggers online prior to the conference, but it was even more exciting to meet them face-to-face. The Official Bloggers (also known as Bloggers of Honor) of the Family History Expo receive full registration benefits and have the following responsibilities:

• Pre-Conference: announce and promote the expo, sponsors, exhibitors, and activities, as well as share press releases.
• During Conference: share daily happenings at expo, share blogging tips with attendees, and highlight websites, tools, and discoveries made.
• After Conference: Summarize overall conference experience.

So as I prepare for the conference, I am also preparing for the blogging tasks by looking at new social media tools and new features in Twitter and Blogger. One of the new tools I’m looking at is called Storify which I found on the blog of fellow Blogger of Honor, Linda McCauley of Documenting the Details. Storify is a website that creates and preserves stories or timelines using social media, photos and videos and I like the way that Linda has used it to document the story of other genealogy conferences. Click here for a sample of how Linda used Storify at the 2012 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference.

To others who have served as official bloggers at any genealogy conference, what other tools or tips do you have to share with the  2012 Atlanta Family History Expo Bloggers of Honor?

2012 Atlanta Family History Expo Blogger of Honor

I am pleased that announce that I will be a Blogger of Honor at the 2012 Atlanta Family History Expos. I attended the 2010 conference and had a FANTASTIC time where I met numerous bloggers and genealogists whom I had gotten to know online prior to 2010.

I will also be conducting a workshop at this conference entitled “Thinking Out of the Box - Creating Things with Genealogy.”

(All Levels) Is genealogy only about who begat whom or would you consider thinking out of the box by creating a new way of researching and sharing your genealogical stories? In this workshop, participants will learn ways to be creative in sharing their genealogy research.

Congratulations to the other Bloggers of Honor.

Greetings From Holly Hansen

It was great to meet Holly Hansen at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expo. What a great conference! Thanks to Holly and the others who helped this conference to be a success.

Meeting Bernie Gracy

I was thrilled to meet Mr. Bernie Gracy at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I learned so much from the three sessions he conducted on Location Based Genealogy. Prior to the conference, I had begun applying some of the concepts I learned from him though his YouTube videos that I discovered this past summer. (Read more about this discovery.) I also had an opportunity to let him know on Friday of the conference that I had blogged about his work earlier that month.

On Saturday, I saw Mr. Gracy again and he informed me that he had read my posting and even sent it out to his Facebook friends.

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, Part 3

My presentation at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos was entitled “Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation” so I decided to videotape greetings from various bloggers and others whom I communicate with online through various social media sites. In most cases, I only communicate with these persons (who will be featured in this series) through writing and seeing each other’s smiling face on photos on social media sites. It was great to meet some of these online friends face-to-face and to greet them with a hug or handshake.

It was great meeting Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog during the conference. Several years ago, I took at least one of Lisa's classes which were offered online through GenClass.

Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, Part 1

My presentation at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos was entitled “Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation” so I decided to videotape greetings from various bloggers and others whom I communicate with online through various social media sites. In most cases, I only communicate with these persons (who will be featured in this series) through writing and seeing each other’s smiling face on photos on social media sites. It was great to meet some of these online friends face-to-face and to greet them with a hug or handshake.

The first is Thomas MacEntee Geneabloggers. This blog is full of information for bloggers and genealogists and has a great repository of links to numerous types of genealogy blogs.

Social Media Panel Q & A

Participated in the Social Media Q & A of 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I had a great time participating on this panel and posted this blog posting during the session.

The Audience

The Panel

Myrtle, Tonia, & Amy

Valerie & Linda



Dru

Hanging Out at the Bloggers of Honor Table

Besides conducting a presentation at 11:30 and attending one at 3:00, I spent the majority of my time on Friday hanging out at the Bloggers of Honor table at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I had lots of fun talking to other bloggers and visitors to our table, as well as blogging and tweeting.

Podcast Interview

On Friday, November 12, 2010, I was a guest on the African Roots Podcast (click here) hosted by genealogist, Angela Walton-Raji. It was a delighful conversation in which we discussed genealogy in general as well as my presentation, Let Your Voice Be Head in the Digital Conversation, which was presented at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos.

So Many Choices, So Little Time

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ATLANTA on November 12-13, 2010 for the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos. I've been busy finalizing my travel plans and preparing for the upcoming expo and I am so thoroughly excited about attending this conference and meeting so many genealogists from around the country.

Conference Workshops. Part of my preparation has been examining the conference program to plan for the workshops I'd like to attend. This has been a challenging task with so many choices of workshops, and so little time. There will be only ten workshop sessions (nine room each session,) but since I will be conducting one during one of these time slots, that leaves me with only nine possibilities. So now my task is to PRIORITIZE and determine which nine workshops I need the most. Ah, Decisions, Decisions. I'm sure that other conference attendees are having this same dilemna.

My Workshop. I'm glad that I examined the conference program again because I see that my workshop, Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, has been moved up to the Friday, 11:30 a.m. slot instead of Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

The focus of this workshop is on adding audio or voice messages to spice up text‐based communications in documents, emails, and Internet sites. This workshop will help participants discover free audio recording tools on their computers and guide them in understanding the added benefits of enhancing digital documents with audio and voice messages.

I am also excited that I will be a Blogger of Honor at this conference.


REMEMBER THAT ALL ROADS LEAD TO ATLANTA on November 12-13, 2010. Hope to see you at the conference.

Upcoming Workshops at Genealogy Conferences

I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting a workshop at two national genealogy conferences; one in October and the other in November. I will conduct a workshop entitled, Let Your Voice Be Heard in Digital Conversations, at both conferences.

The focus of this workshop is on adding audio or voice messages to spice up text‐based communications in documents, emails, and Internet sites. This workshop will help participants discover free audio recording tools on their computers and guide them in understanding the added benefits of enhancing digital documents with audio and voice messages.

The October workshop will be held at the 2010 Afro-American Historical and Genealogicaly Society (AAHGS) Conference, October 7-10 in Adelphi, MD. My workshop is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.

The November workshop will be held at the 2010 Atlanta Family History Expos, November 12-13, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. My workshop is scheduled for Saturday, November 13 at 2:30 p.m.

I am overjoyed about the opportunity to share my knowledge and to be in the company of other great genealogists at both of these conferences.

The Day Has Finally Arrived!

The big day has finally arrived and the International Black Genealogy Summit has begun. I arrived to town about 1:30 p.m. Many preconference activities began earlier today including an Author's book signing which was held in the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room as seen below.

Genealogist and Author, Tony Burroughs

Five Mo’ Days and Counting!

In five mo’ days, the International Black Genealogy Summit will begin and I’M SO EXITED THAT I JUST CAN’T HIDE IT! I have been planning to attend this conference since late 2008 and now it will occur in just a few days. I’ve been doing the countdown for a few days and either calling friends or saying to coworkers, ___ mo’ days. Most of them say “_____ more days?”

“No,” I correct them. “I said ___ mo’ days.”

These conversations always end in laughter.

I am looking forward to so many things at this conference such as:

1. Presenting a workshop on “The Power of Blogging.”
2. Meeting many genealogists from around the world.
3. Meeting online genealogist face-to-face.
4. Browsing the vendor tables and discovering new genealogy books and other wares.
5. Attending numerous workshops and learning new techniques to further my research.
6. Breaking bread with other genealogists at the Luncheon and Banquet. Conversations over food is always a good thing!
7. Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room.
   

Research Plans
At the Allen County Public Library, I plan to research (1) Goodwyn Hunt and (2) Allen Pair, both who lived in Greensville County, VA. I do not know if I am kin to either of these men, however, I discovered both of them through research of my Greensville county family and I have found their lives and migrations interesting. I discovered the places where they migrated through either a census book index (Goodwyn Hunt) or online census index search (Allen Pair)

Goodwyn Hunt
Goodwyn Hunt was a free person of color born about 1797 in Virginia. He and several other Greensville County free persons of color, migrated to the Carthage area of Rush County, Indiana during the 1830s.

Allen Pair
Allen Pair was born around 1843. He was listed on the slave inventory in the estate of Howell Pair of Greenville County, VA In 1864. Allen Pair married Rebecca Jones on November 24, 1866 in Greensville County, VA. By 1880, he had moved to Leavenworth, Kansas.

Tweaking Presentation and Planning Wardrobe
I have spent the last few weeks tweaking my presentation and planning my conference wardrobe.

Earlier this month I did a dry run of the presentation for my local genealogy society. I’m glad that I did this because it helped me to see areas for improvement in the presentation.

African attire is encouraged to wear to the banquet and I have gone all out for this one. About a week ago, I ordered an African outfit online and it arrived in the mail two days later. Since its arrival, I have spent a lot of time buying accessories. I’ve consulted with my coworkers and some close friends on selecting just the right accessories and they are just as excited as me. I’m excited about my African Attire debut at the banquet next Friday night. I’ll share photos with my blog audience on next Saturday.

Five mo’ day and counting!

How to Tie An African Head Wrap

I am busy preparing to attend the International Black Genealogy Summit later this month where I will be presenting a workshop entitled “The Power of Blogging.” Besides fine tuning my presentation, I am working on plans for the trip such as choosing the workshops I want to attend and my wardrobe for the conference. I noticed on the program that wearing African attire is recommended for two events (a banquet and a luncheon). It will be fun to participate in the wearing of ethnic garb so I have been researching the Internet to get ideas for possible African outfits which might either be a caftan, skirt set, or pants set along with an African scarf or head wrap.

Part of my Internet research included searching for videos which demonstrated ways to tie an African head wrap or gele. This video is sponsored by Dupsies, a vendor of African styled clothing, jewelry, and other products.

Below are three videos demonstrating three different ways to tie an African head wrap. My preference is style #2, but I’ll try all three to determine which one looks best on me.



How to tie your African Head Wrap, Part 1


How to Tie an African Head Wrap, Part 2


How to Tie an African Head Wrap, Part 3

Power of Blogging Workshop

I will be presenting a workshop entitled "The Power of Blogging" at the meeting of the Hampton Roads Afro American and Historical Genealogy Society.

DATE: Thursday, October 8, 2009

TIME: 7:00 P.M.

PLACE: Hampton, VA Public Library, 4207 Victoria Blvd., Hampton, VA 23669, (757) 727-1154

WORKSHOP SUMMARY: Workshop will demonstrate the basics of blogging, ranging from the technical aspects of blog creation, publishing and upkeep, to ways to steer traffic to a blog.

Tour of Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room

I am preparing for a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana to attend the Black Genealogy Summit in late October. While there, I plan to do some research in the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room. These two videos give an excellent tour of the facilities.

Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part I




Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part II

International Black Genealogy Summit

I’m looking forward to attending and speaking at the International Black Genealogy Summit that will be held October 29-31, 2009 in Fort Wayne, IN. The theme of the conference will be “Reconnecting Lost Links.”

My lecture will be entitled “The Power of Blogging” and will demonstrate the basics of blogging, ranging from the technical aspects of blog creation, publishing and upkeep, to ways to steer traffic to a blog.

Not only do I look forward to presenting at this conference and learning new things from the other workshops, but I also anticipate meeting other researchers from around the world. Some of the attendees will be researchers whom I’ve met at other genealogy conferences. Some will be researchers whom I have met online and others will be researchers whom I will meet for the first time.

For a list and description of the speakers and workshops for the International Black Genealogy Summit, download the IBGS Speaker Summaries.

Conference Recordings

Were you unable to attend a genealogy conference? Then, you can still obtain some of the information missed through ordering conference audiotapes or CDs. I ordered several audio tapes a few years ago in order to advance my knowledge in certain areas. These tapes have been invaluable to my learning of new genealogy techniques. The best thing about it, is that I can listen to them repeatedly. Audiotapes cost $8.50 and CDs cost $10.

Jamb-Inc.com - Genealogy offers CDs from the following conferences:

• 2007 and 2008 National Genealogy Conferences
• 2008 Ohio State Genealogy Conference
• 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conferences
• Mesa Arizona Family History Expo 2008

Various genealogy conferences held between 1980 through 2004 are also available on audiotape.

• Audio Tapes - Genealogy

International Black Genealogy Summit

The first International Black Genealogy Summit will be held October 29-31, 2009 at the Allen County Public Library, in Fort Wayne, IN. This purpose of this summit is for all black historical and genealogical societies in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean to come together to celebrate the joys and challenges of black genealogy.

For more information, visit the summit website.