by Lisa Cooke | Nov 6, 2012 | 01 What's New, Newspaper
100 years ago, before the Internet, TV and radio, newspapers were key to obtaining information. But on election night, even an EXTRA edition couldn’t break the news fast enough. In San Francisco, CA the San Francisco Call newspaper collaborated with city managers and the utility company to get the results out instantly. The November 5, 1912 edition of the Call announced on the front page that a plan was in place to flash the city lights off and on to indicated the winner:
1 blink for Wilson
2 blinks for Roosevelt
3 blinks for Taft
It turned out to be a “One Interval” night as Wilson won the election. Read more about it here
Many old newspapers like the San Francisco Call of digitized and available online on websites like the Library of Congress’ free Chronicling America. Run a search on the people, places and events that shaped your ancestors lives and you may be amazed at what you find! I haven’t come across a family yet that wasn’t mentioned in a newspaper at some point. If you would like to have a proven step by step process to follow for getting the scoop your family in newspapers and some of the newest most innovative tools for doing do, check out my book How to Find Your Family in Newspapers.
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 27, 2012 | 01 What's New, iPad
In all the hullabaloo about the iPad Mini, you may have missed hearing much about the new iPad that will be hitting 
stores Nov. 2. But if you picked up the “New iPad’ about 8 months ago, you may be wondering if you really need to be looking at the newest version. The answer is: it depends. Here are some question you can ask yourself to decide:
Do I need more speed?
Most people I’ve talked to are very happy with the speed of the the “iPad 2” and “New iPad” (#3). However, the next iPad will sport a A6 dual core processor with quad core graphics boasted to be twice as fast as the A5 in the previous version. So if you need speed, it’s definitely worth a look. (And the battery life is to remain at the current 10 hours.)
Am I going to upgrade to the iPhone 5?
It will sport the new smaller Lightning connector, and the new iPad will as well. In fact, you’ll be seeing the Lightning connector from now on. If you aren’t upgrading yet, just be aware that you’ll have to deal with two different cords if you upgrade your iPad.
Do I plan on spending a lot of time on Skype, Google Hangouts, or other video communications?
You’ll look your best if you make the switch thanks to the upgraded 1.2MP FaceTime HD front facing camera.
Still undecided? Here are a few more details on the 4th Generation iPad:
– 9.7-inch LED backlit multi-touch IPS Retina display (1024 x 1536 pixels)
– 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera
– 5MP iSight snapper
– iOS 6
– Lightning connector, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, 4G LTE
– 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable Li-poly battery
Use Your iPad for Genealogy
No matter which version of iPad you have, my new book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse will show you how to put it to work for all your genealogy needs!
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 25, 2012 | 01 What's New, Conferences
I wake up every day knowing that when I go to work, I will also be working on something I am passionate about. Having a genealogy-related career can be AWESOME, but without knowledge there is no success. If you’ve been thinking about a career in genealogy (and there are a wide range of careers available in addition to doing research!) then the place to start gaining that knowledge is the 2013 Professional Management Conference put on by the Association of Professional Genealogists.
I will be there, along with other genealogy professionals, giving you the tips and strategies you need to be a genealogy guru. Here’s the scoop from APG:
All-Star Speakers to Address Strategies for Building a Successful Business
WESTMINSTER, Colo., 24 October 2012−The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) today unveiled the details of its upcoming Professional Management Conference (PMC). Top genealogical speakers will address this year’s theme, “Strategies for Building a Successful Business.” Tom Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, will kick off the event with a workshop and lectures on Tuesday, while Judy Russell, J.D., CG, will open day two of the event with a hands-on workshop on court records. The event will be held in Salt Lake City the 19th and 20th of March, 2013, the two days prior to the RootsTech conference (http://www.rootstech.org).
“Given the success of last year’s conference, as well as the breadth of this year’s theme, we have expanded the event to a day and a half,” said APG President Kenyatta D. Berry. “We are excited by our speakers’ topics and are pleased that we have been able to continue offering fresh, exciting conferences that help our members develop their businesses.”
Speakers and topics include:
Workshop: Overcoming Research Barriers—An Interactive Case Study;
Variables in Professional Genealogists’ Approaches to Research;
Client Reports: Dos, Don’t, and Maybes
Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Order in the Court: Hands-on with Court Records;
More Than the Begats: Using the Law to Spice up a Research Report
Judy G. Russell, J.D., CG
Launching an Effective Marketing Campaign
Thomas MacEntee
Video Marketing: Killer YouTube Strategies
Lisa Louise Cooke
The Best Educational Plan for You: The Workshop
Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL
Organization for Genealogy Speakers
Jean Wilcox Hibben, Ph.D., M.A., CG
APG will also hold at reception and roundtable from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 March, which is open to members and non-members.
Register Now for APG PMC 2013
Attendance at PMC is open to members and non-members. Attendees may choose to attend the full conference or a single day. Details on pricing and the conference sessions are available at http://www.apgen.org/conferences/index.html .
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 23, 2012 | 01 What's New, Premium Video
You asked for it and now it’s here! The newest Genealogy Gems Premium Video is my incredibly popular class How the Genealogist Can Remember Everything with Evernote!
When you want to remember just about everything, Evernote comes to the rescue!
This brand new video offers a comprehensive overview tutorial great for all skill levels. Now you can watch my class from the comfort of your own home, and don’t miss the free downloadable handout!
If you are a member sign in now to start listening, or become a Premium Member today.
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 23, 2012 | 01 What's New, Newspaper
The Chronicling America website, chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, a free, searchable database of historic U.S. newspapers,
has posted its 5 millionth page!
Newspapers are one of the great record groups that only a fraction of the available records have been digitized. So it’s encouraging to see that Chronicling America continues to make strides in bringing them to our computer’s for free
.
Get answers to your questions about how to find old newspapers in my book How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers. Now through 10/26/12 get 20% off the paperback or ebook at my store at Lulu.com.
Here’s more from the LOC’s recent press release: Launched by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2007, Chronicling America provides enhanced and permanent access to historically significant newspapers published in the United States between 1836 and 1922. It is a part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a joint effort between the two agencies and 32 state partners.
“This magnificent resource captures the warp and weft of life as it was lived in grassroots America,” said NEH Chairman Jim Leach. “Metropolitan newspapers were early targets for digitization, but Chronicling America allows the journalism of the smaller cities and the rural countryside to become accessible in all its variety—and sometimes, quirkiness.”
The site now features 5 million pages from more than 800 newspapers from 25 states. The site averaged more than 2.5 million page views per month last year and is being used by students, researchers, congressional staff, journalists and others for all kinds of projects, from daily podcasts to history contests. The news, narratives and entertainment encapsulated in the papers transport readers in time.
For instance, on Oct. 22, 100 years ago, there was a lot of news about Theodore Roosevelt recovering from an assassination attempt several days earlier. A Washington Times headline said “Roosevelt Home Swinging His Hat with Happiness, Finishes Tedious Trip to Oyster Bay in Good Shape.” A crime story in the New York Tribune read, “Girl Runs Down Thief, Pajama-Clad Coed Races over Campus to Save Violin.” International news focused on the First Balkan War. “20,000 Turks Reported Taken by Bulgarians,” according to a story in The Washington Herald.
In 2003, the Library and NEH established a formal agreement that identified goals for the program, institutional responsibilities and overall support. In 2004, the NEH announced guidelines for grants, funded by NEH, awarded to cultural-heritage institutions wishing to join the program and select, digitize and deliver to the Library approximately 100,000 newspaper pages per award. Since 2005, the NEH has awarded more than $22 million to 32 state libraries, historical societies and universities representing states in the national program.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about NEH and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov
