Sunday Quote

"Perhaps you have been prompted to look for ancestors but feel you are not a genealogist. Can you see that you don't have to be anymore? It all begins with love and a sincere desire to help those beyond the veil who can't help themselves."
-Richard G. Scott

RootsTech mobile app

The bad news: Sometimes the RootsTech moblie app can seem difficult to use

The good news: Findmypast wrote an awesome article on how to use it! 

RootsTech is mayhem.

15,000 family history enthusiasts, hundreds of classes, tons of new technology to preview and dozens of A-list speakers.

Creating a carefully-crafted conference plan is one of our key ways to succeed at RootsTech 2016. It's easy to get overwhelmed, especially if it's your first conference - how will you make sure you don't miss that perfect class, speaker or demo?

The RootsTech Mobile App is your answer.

The year, the folks at RootsTech have released an amazing smartphone application that can be used on an iPhone or Android and it promises to revolutionize your conference experience. The application is essential to organizing your conference schedule, getting important updates and connecting with other genealogy-buffs.

Our favorite thing about the RootsTech app is the ability to browse conference offerings.

The best thing about having the entire RootsTech 2016 schedule and details at your fingertips is that you can browse any time - on your commute, at the gym or while watching TV - take the chance to find can't-miss conference opportunities and use the app to keep them organized.

As with any smartphone application, it can be a little overwhelming at first, but if you use our easy-to-follow guide you'll be making the app work for you in no time:

Set your personalized schedule so you don't miss a beat

If you're using an iPhone, find the button for the "App Store" on your phone's home-screen and search for "RootsTech 2016" in the search bar. If you're using an Android phone, you'll want to find the app through the "Play Store".

If you see something like this, you know you've found the right one:

Hit the "install" button, and then "accept" the terms and conditions. Your phone will take care of the rest of the installation - it should be a very quick process.

Next, hit the "open" button, or tap the icon on your phone's home screen. If you can't find it on your home screen, see how to add an icon to your home screen for Android and iPhone.

The first screen you'll encounter will require you to use your email and password that you chose when registering for the conference. You can register if you haven't yet, or you can continue as a guest.

Once you're logged in, you will see the beautifully designed home screen. The best thing about the app is that it's very intuitive and straightforward. To go to any section, simply touch the icon above the word.

First, we'll take a look at the schedule. Tap the calendar icon, highlighted in red below.

Here you will see the master schedule for all of RootsTech. You can sort the events either by time or by type. At the bottom of the screen, you can navigate between days of the conference. To see the details of any event, just tap on the title.

For each individual event, you will find all the details you need, including a description of the event. If you're interested in attending an event, hit the calendar icon with a "+" on it in the lower left (highlighted in red below). This will save the event and add it to your personalized schedule in the application.

Going back to the home screen, let's quickly take a look at the exhibitors section (tap the icon highlighted in red below):

Just like with classes, you'll see a list of exhibitors to scroll through (you can also search by tapping the magnifying glass in the upper right corner). When you find one that interests you, just tap on the name:

You're able to add an exhibitor to your favorites list by tapping the star in the lower left corner of the screen. You can do the same with speakers as well.

At this point, take some time to browse the schedule, exhibitors and speakers list and favorite the ones that you want to remember. Once you've compiled a nice collection of your interests, go back to the home screen and tap the "my event" icon - this is where it all comes together.

In this section you'll be able to review everything you have saved. Events will be entered onto your schedule, and your favorite speakers and exhibitors will be in a nice convenient list. Use this successfully and you won't miss a beat!

The best part is, the app is available for download right now, free of charge. Download it today and make sure to do some thorough browsing right from your phone - you never know what you'll discover!

Its as easy as that! Thanks findmypast!

 https://blog.findmypast.com/root-1559793466.html

Promo price

The promo price for RootsTech is ending today! Sign up quickly! 

RootsTech App

For those of you going to RootsTech (if you're not then click on the link) there is a wonderful tool available. RootsTech has an app. All you do is open your app store, and search for RootsTech. The app allows you to see what classes are available and even build a schedule. The app has maps on it, and info about the conference. I have used it in past years and it has given me excellent results.

Sunday Quote

"I am bound to them, though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history. I cherish their lives. I will tell their story. I will remember them."

-Author Unknown

Thursday keynotes

RootsTech is less than 3 weeks away! I’m going to post the keynotes and a little bit about them, each week until RootsTech starts.

Thursday:

Steve Rockwood: Stephen T. Rockwood is the managing director for the Family History Department and President/CEO of FamilySearch International. Prior to joining FamilySearch, Rockwood specialized in creating unique service offerings for worldwide customers of such brands as MasterCard International, AT&T, Disney, Office Depot, and Citibank among others. He also started two companies that were later acquired by larger companies. Most recently Steve served as director of the international division at FamilySearch.

Steve received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University and later his MBA from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO.

He has served in a number of Church callings including full-time missionary in the Argentina Cordoba Mission, elders quorum president, bishop’s counselor, stake mission president’s counselor, bishop, stake young men president, stake president’s counselor, seminary teacher, and high counselor.

Steve was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming on March 2, 1963. He married Jill Ansley Forbes in August 1985. They are the parents of four children. Steve and his wife, Jill, reside outside of Denver, Colorado.

Paula Madison: Paula Williams Madison is Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a Los Angeles based media consultancy company with global reach.

In 2011, Madison retired from NBCUniversal, where she had been Executive Vice President of Diversity as well as a Vice President of the General Electric Company (GE), then the parent company of NBCU. During her 22 years with NBCU, she held a number of successful leadership roles, including President and General Manager of NBC4 Los Angeles, Los Angeles Regional General Manager for NBCU’s Telemundo TV stations, and Vice President and News Director of NBC4 New York.

Madison is the executive producer and subject of Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China, a compelling documentary that chronicles her journey to her maternal grandfather’s homeland in China and the reconnection of her family with his 300 descendants. HarperCollins published a memoir on the journey, Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem in April 2015.

Honored for corporate leadership and community outreach, Madison was named one of the “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine in 2005 and included in the Hollywood Reporter’s “Power 100.” She’s also been honored by Asian organizations, having been recognized in 2014 as one of the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business and was recently honored by the East West Players and AARP with their Visionary Award.

In August 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Madison to the Los Angeles Police Commission, where she served as vice president until 2015. Madison is a Board Member of the Greater Los Angeles United Way, the California Science Center Foundation, Vice Chair of National Medical Fellowships, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, Cardinal Spellman High School, Chair of The Nell Williams Family Foundation, as well as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

A native of Harlem, Madison and her husband Roosevelt reside in Los Angeles.

*I’ve already had the privilege of hearing a little bit from Paula Madison during a RootsTech ambassador meeting, and her keynote is definitely one you won’t want to miss!

Bruce Feiler: Bruce Feiler is one of America’s most popular voices on contemporary life. He writes the “This Life" column for the SundayNew York Times and is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers, including Abraham and The Council of Dads. He is the writer and host of the PBS series Walking the Bible andSacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler. His most recent book, The Secrets of Happy Families, is a bold playbook for families today. It collects best practices for busy parents from some of the country’s most creative minds, including tops designers in Silicon Valley, elite peace negotiators, and the Green Berets. Featured on World News,Nightline, GMA, the Today Show, and TED, and excerpted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Parade, the book was a Top 5 New York Times bestseller.

Since 2001, Bruce has been one of the country’s preeminent thinkers, writers, and speakers about the role of religion in contemporary life. Walking the Bible describes his perilous, 10,000-mile journey retracing the five books of Moses through the desert. The book was hailed as an “instant classic” by the Washington Post and “thoughtful, informed, and perceptive” by the New York Times. The book spent more than a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into 15 languages, and is the subject of a children’s book.

Abraham recounts his personal search for the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. “Exquisitely written,” wrote the Boston Globe, “100 percent engaging.” The book was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, debuted in the top 5 of the New York Timesbestseller list, and inspired thousands of grassroots interfaith discussions around the world. Bruce Feiler has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, the New York Times magazine, and Gourmet, where he won three James Beard Awards. He is also a frequent contributor to NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. A former circus clown, he has been the subject of Jay Leno jokes and a JEOPARDY! question, and his face appears on a postage stamp in the Grenadines.

A native of Savannah, Georgia, Bruce lives in Brooklyn with wife, Linda Rottenberg, and their identical twin daughters.

I got all the biographies from the RootsTech website.

I'm so excited only 19 days left!