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Get Outside the Box at NGS 2014!
You know how it is – you head to a big conference, and you end up running for one 1 hour session to the next. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit for just a 1/2 hour, take in some really usable tips, and still have time to stretch and walk the exhibit hall and really see the displays?
It’s easy to get stuck in the “genealogy” box (both in our research strategies and our conferences), so this year we’re going to shake things up.
At the National Genealogical Society (NGS) conference 2014 you will have a chance to get outside of that box, and enjoy 30 minute sessions on the topics you’ve told me you want most at my booth in the exhibit hall.
I’m excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with The Photo Detective Maureen Taylor, and the Chart Chick Janet Hovorka to offer “Outside the Box Sessions!”
As presenters we don’t get to have the final say on which of our presentations is selected for the main conference, so it’s really exciting to have this unique way of offering the topics you ask us for. It’s a smaller intimate setting, and the sessions will be packed with tips you can start using right away. Participants can sign up to receive a free ebook of all the sessions handouts, we’ll have great prizes, and we will even have some treats to nibble on. I am really excited about this, and I think you’ll find it refreshing, fun and informative.
I’ll be holding four sessions – one each day of the conference:
- Ancestral Time Travel with Google Earth
- Evernote Quick Tips for Genealogists
- Tablet Tips and Tricks for Genealogists
- Google Search Strategies
And, my dear friends Maureen and Janet will join me and present some of their most popular topics too! All in all, you’ll have eleven ½ hour sessions to choose from to reinvigorate your genealogy research.
If you want to get outside the box, come hang out with us, get the ebook, nibble on some treats and break away from the crowd!
Outside the Box Session Schedule:
SCGS Jamboree 2014: Get the Free App
Are you going to the SCGS Jamboree 2014 (June 6-9)? The conference app is now available for download!
The app works on all web-enabled platforms, including iOS (iPad, iPad mini, iTouch, iPhone); Android; BlackBerry; Windows. Laptop and desktop users can also make use of the app.
The app is your personal conference guide. According to conference organizers, here’s what it helps you do:
Plan your weekend at Jamboree.
- Preview all of the classes by reading the descriptions.
- Browse day by day, or do a search by topic or experience level.
- Download the dozens of syllabus articles available through the app and print them for use.
- Look up your favorite speakers and review the sessions they are teaching.
- Select your sessions and add them to your own personal schedule to keep organized.
- Explore the exhibit hall from the comfort of your couch long before the doors open.
- Do you have questions for speakers or exhibitors? Ask them in advance.
Stay in touch before, during and after Jamboree.
- Create your profile so others know you’re attending
- Connect with your friends and send messages.
- Share your class schedule if you’d like others to know where to find you.
- Receive breaking news texts from the Jamboree staff about schedule changes, etc.
- Sync the app across multiple devices.
- Twitter users, send and read tweets from within the app.
- Keep up with the Jamboree blog.
- Provide your feedback on speaker sessions directly from the app.
Download the app today and give it a test run. Can you find Lisa’s classes in the Speaker section and her booth info in the Exhibitor section? It’s worth a look because there are two downloadable pdfs there for you!
Google Maps Street View Delivers a Taste of Time Travel
Google Maps Street View was given an edge today over Google Earth’s street view when Google launched a “time travel” upgrade. The ability to time travel is high on most family historians list, and Street View imagery for Google Maps desktop provides a taste of that prize.
According to Google’s blog post today they have “gathered historical imagery from past Street View collections dating back to 2007 to create this digital time capsule of the world.”
Here’s an example of viewing Gettysburg with the new feature. In many cases, there’s nothing earth shattering to see. But in some locations which have undergone substantial change in that short time period (such as viewing the reconstruction after the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Onagawa, Japan) the results are riveting.
Don’t worry if you don’t see Google Maps Street View Historical Imagery feature yet. When you have millions of users it can take a while to roll out upgrades.
Members Have Been Time Traveling for a While Now
If you’re a Genealogy Gems Premium Member then chances are you made a bee-line for the Time Travel with Google Earth premium video as soon as you joined. In that video we explore some incredibly powerful ways to travel back through our ancestor’s lives and times. And while I still think that those techniques deliver more relevant results for genealogists, this new Street View time travel in Google Maps is exciting in its own way. It offers a glimpse into the future.
Consider this: Google has been amassing incredible amounts of data over its short life including satellite and street view imagery. 7 years in and they can now begin to offer this collection of older imagery in a meaningful way. Imagine what historical street view imagery will look like in 10, 25, or 50 years from now!
After Looking Back in Time, I Offer This Prediction for the Future
While this feature has just rolled out in Google Maps, and is not yet available in our beloved Google Earth, I predict this omission will not last long. You may have already noticed that as you zoom in closer to street level in Google Earth a small clock icon appears at the bottom of the screen indicating historical satellite imagery is available. Next to the icon a date now appears indicating the earliest available imagery. Click the Historical Imagery icon in Google Earth’s toolbar and a time slider indicating the years available will appear.
For most areas of the world this spans about as long as satellite imagery has been around. But in some key areas, such as London and parts of Europe, the slider goes back to the World War II era. Black and white aerial imagery of war torn areas are plainly visible. (If you have World War II veterans in your family tree, this is a feature you’ll want to explore.) It can only be a matter of time before this same Historical Imagery comes to Google Earth’s Street View.
More Ways to Explore and Time Travel Now
If you are intrigued by the idea of using this technology to simulate your own genealogical time travel experience, watch my free video called Google Earth for Genealogy. You’ll travel along with me as I uncover the secrets of a photograph taken just over one hundred years ago, pinpoint the location today, and then travel back in time to further explore my ancestor’s neighborhood. From there, the sky is the limit with Google Earth and Google Maps!
