Liv's Tree House

RootsTech for Newbies: Packing & Attending the Conference Part 3 of 3 See Part 1 here and Part 2 here . RootsTech is quickly approaching, so let's dig in to the last minute prep as well as the advice I have for newbies while at the conference. PACKING A list of things to consider, followed by a few recommendations as you pack your bags for RootsTech. Weather:  Salt Lake weather during   RootsTech can range from mild winter days in the 50s to sub-freezing daytime high temps, so pack warm clothes and layers. They do keep the conference center at comfortable temperatures so it's just getting to and from the building as well as to and from any other plans you have made that you'll need the extra layers. Activities:  RootsTech will keep you completely busy, but we discussed some other options in the last post . That said, be sure to keep all of these extra-curriculars in mind when packing. Meals:  The Salt Palace has several food options, ...

This is it, the reason I applied to be an Amassador at RootsTech . . . . I wanted the opportunity to bring RootsTech in a more complete way to those of you who simply can't make the conference. So follow me on my social channels as I bring you lots of live content and experiences from RootsTech. Here's a quick summary of all of the content you'll want to be aware of to be able to consume the most RootsTech from home: Live Streaming Schedule : RootsTech has a full schedule of Live Stream sessions so you can stay busy every hour that classes are in session.  They pull out all the stops with incredible keynotes and lectures from conference favorites like Crista Cowen. See Live Stream schedule here . Virtual Pass : New and improved virtual passes this year are a total steal as you can watch 30 streamed classes for only $129. That's an amazing deal since you can't even attend that many in person at the conference. See Virtual Pass info here . RootsTec...

RootsTech for Newbies: Registration, Travel, & Stay Part 1 of 3 Considering attending RootsTech for the first time? I was recently asked if I had any advice for newbies, and instantly my answer was, YES!! So I figured I'd share a few "pro tips" here. I have been attending for seven years now, so I've learned a few tricks along the way. First of all, if you're still on the fence about attending, first read, Countdown to RootsTech2020--Yes This Conference is For You .  If you've ever attended a conference of this magnitude in the past you know that there's an energy that can't be recreated online or in any other setting, and the spirit associated with family history creates an unparalleled experience, which alone is worth the price of admission. That said, if you just can't make it this year, watch for my #NotAtRootsTech series coming soon, where I'll do my best to help you recreate the experience from home this February. So le...

RootsTech 2020 is already shaping up to be the greatest Family History event ever, and I don't say that lightly.  I sincerely believe as it is already the largest and most well attended Genealogy conference--and the only one of it's kind--combining the best of genealogy with the latest in technology. With it being the conference's 10th year, the RootsTech team is pulling out all the stops. Every year I'm incredibly impressed at how they figure out ways to innovate the conference, even expanding to London this year, but even with all the good conferences in previous years, the 2020 conference is bound to be the best. I'm excited as the conference approaches to share with you some of what'll be new at this year's RootsTech, but for now, let's focus on why everyone and anyone could have an incredible time at this conference, and why YOU should definitely attend this year. So just for fun, which category do you fall under? Uninterested Genealog...

It's time for another BYU Family History Library Webinar.  This month I'll be presenting Preserving Family History in Fun & Modern Ways Thursday, March 28th at 3 PM Other Resources: Collectionaire Coupon Code: livs2019 50% Discount Expires May 31st, 2019 Doodly  Special Price FHTL.BYU.edu Feel free to let me know in the comments if you would like me to teach any of these products more step by step in a future webinar. To learn more about the BYU Family History Webinar Series and for more information: https://sites.lib.byu.edu/familyhistory/classes-and-webinars/online-webinars/  *See the side panel of my blog for other upcoming classes.

Today I'm going to add to my #CrazyBusyHelps series with some tools provided from Adobe Spark.  I'm going to focus on their use from a family history angle, but certainly there are many other uses. So I've been teaching about using Adobe Spark for Family History for a few years now and I really do love it, so I thought blogging about it was long overdue. Adobe Spark has 3 different projects you can create, posts, pages and videos.  I've used all three for Family History purposes and I'll give you a quick example of each: GRAPHIC Are the easiest and quickest creations you can make, basically think of it as creating a meme, collage or social media post of some kind.  I've used it mostly for making images to go along with my posts on the blog but my friend Jana Greenhaulgh from the Genealogy Kids blog gave me the idea of creating posts for holiday's and other events to share with your family about their ancestors.  There are many ideas out there, but...

If you haven't noticed yet, I LOVE finding out about new technology in general, but finding new apps that make my life easier is the best kind!! SO the tool I bring to you today is Qeepsake ----- Qeepsake is an app my sister introduced me to a few months ago and I immediately fell in love. It was built to be a modern day baby book, but I've found that it can do much more than that.  All you have to do is signup and set up your account to get things rolling. They have a free version or subscription versions.  The free version is totally adequate, but of course I've found myself on the paid plan because some things are just simply worth every penny, this one definitely is!! What problems does it solve? Documenting important events in your kids' lives; Tracking milestones; Capturing the cute things your kids say; Journaling to let your kids know how you feel about them. Asking the question you wouldn't have thought to ask. Providing great oppor...

I haven't joined the blog link up for a while but I really didn't want to miss this one because I LOVE the topic.  Admittedly, I could step up my game when it comes to teaching my own children genealogy skills, but as I got to thinking about the topic I realized that while I haven't ever sat down and tried to work on the family tree with them, I have taught them some valuable skills through regular play. I'm honestly pretty averse to a lot of the family history for kids ideas out there because so many require a lot of front end work just to prepare said activity before you can start doing it with your kids.  Due to my #CrazyBusy life, usually finding an activity like that just ends up NEVER HAPPENING. :)  So . . . over the years I've found some great games for teaching and learning family history alongside my kids, which I love!!  So for this post I'll share 5 of my faves: Roots & Branches : Built for ages 4 and up, Roots & Branches is an awesome way to...

So...this class was born from my recognition that I really do have a very distinct process for managing the messes that I find when doing my family history in FamilySearch. I learned it through picking several peoples brains about their process then adapting it to be my own.  That said, consider this all a guideline then adapt it to fit your brain. I have a very strong conviction that it's important, as a member of the LDS church, to help contribute to the clean up and improvement of the great big tree known as FamilySearch Family Tree.  I've honestly spent most of my time as a genealogist cleaning up messes and have learned nearly all of my researching skills from working through those messes.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that even some who have been doing genealogy for years are just avoiding the so called "messes" because they don't really know how to tackle them. And so this class was born. First of all lets define "knots" from the t...

So this little puppy came in the mail today! I was super excited to win the WeGather raffle at RootsTech . I feel like I never win, and I honestly didn't know I entered to win, so winning was a complete surprise.  But--I do not write simply because I won.  I have to report on WeGather because it's awesome, and I love the developer! Stories are the currency of our past, present and future. Without them, we are bankrupt. Since family photos trigger those stories, we should save and share them. --   Rachel LaCour Niesen So I met Rachel at her booth at RootsTech, but I had been following her site for months before that. I absolutely love her, I love her passion, her drive, her mission, and all that her site stands for.  We share our passion for photos and stories and she's got some amazing resources. I've learned some great tips and tricks from following her.  She has great insight into photos and stories and how they can impact who we are and who we can become....

Alright so I had a super busy weekend.  I taught 3 classes this last Sunday at the BYU Family History Library , and what I hadn’t thought to prepare mentally for was the fact that if you’re teaching in the same room 3 classes in a row, you’ll also be chatting & on your feet not only the whole class hour, but also in between classes too.  So from 3-7:30 pm I was talking straight through.  That said, I was exhausted when I was done last night and my feet were killing me. Note to self, no heels when teaching at RootsTech .  Today I’ve been dragging a bit too, BUT I promised my class some info about Zoning on here today, so here it goes--- Zoning , a new tool from FamilySearch .  It’s in beta mode, so it’s likely to change from what I give here, but for now this is where things are at.  It’s a great alternative to indexing for those peeps who are burnt out from Indexing but are still not quite ready to dig into research, OR for those of us who research and ...

I had a huge stack (as you can see) of binders to digitize, but the pages were those sticky kind where it’s like photograph suicide to remove…the only solution, a book scanner.  So to the BYU Family History Library I headed this weekend.  I couldn’t carry them all in so in enters the double stroller, I knew motherhood was preparing me for more than just mothering. Sadly, that amazing book scanner I used last time was apparently on trial at the time and has since been removed.  To those of you interested in using it, they said they’ll be purchasing one in the 2017 budget year, so it will return in the future.  BUT--I had a task to do so I decided to check out the other options for book scanners.  They have some amazing flatbed scanners that really do a great job and are quite quick…12 huge binders of photos and 4 hours later I was done. The great news is that during my time in the library I made some friends.  I love chatting it up with people and helping w...

I'm bound to write more on this subject in the future, but I've gotta give a sneak preview.   Cloud by Daplie is a new product I discovered on Innovators Alley at RootsTech --by far the best addition to RootsTech this year btw, but that's beside the point. The product isn't quite ready for market yet, but I got a sneak peak today giving some feedback on the product to the developers.  For those of you who are sick of paying monthly fees for online storage, you're going to LOVE this product! The slogan they used when explaining it to me was "We're taking back the internet." I love it! Who doesn't want more control and to understand better where their stuff is stored? Basically just imagine being able to purchase as much storage space as you need--NO limits and NO monthly fees--awesome right?!!  You just purchase the hard drive space you need and the attachable server and voila, you can access your files anytime, anywhere, from any device. Plus, the...

Genealogy, technology, genealogy, technology, genealogy, technology...........I don't think it gets any better than this!  A 3 day event so full of amazing resources and technology to help in your genealogy research, I can't really imagine anything better.  I'm afraid my husband thinks I'm officially crazy but I LOVE IT and I can't even help it. I learned about RootsTech about a year ago when I first got introduced to genealogy, when trying to learn everything I possibly could before teaching a class on the subject (yes, I got in over my head), I stumbled upon one of the RootsTech recorded classes, I then realized that it was an amazing resources of the latest and greatest in genealogy and technology.  So if I wanted to be at the edge, this is where I needed to start. So here I am a year later, when I found out we were moving to Utah, I signed up as quickly as I could, and this is what I got out of the deal.  Amazing keynote speakers, a Demo Hall with a nearly endle...