SCGS Jamboree: Why Live Blogging Didn't Work for Me

And the Implications of That!

I had said that I would "liveblog" the Jamboree. As it sadly happened, I could not, but others did. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons, each with certain implications and lessons.

FIRST: I had assumed without checking that the Marriott's Convention Center would have wireless Internet access for all participants. Apparently, there was a network available, but the key was accessible only to the speakers. So I paid $9.95 a day for wired access in my room. That, of course, made liveblogging impossible. I should have checked the situation beforehand. I hope that at other and future conferences, wireless access can be made available to all (even if we have to pay a reasonable fee for it). Additionally, as Randy Seaver has noted, the conference rooms were small and crowded with little space for computer use by participants other than the presenters. This fact made lugging my laptop around a major inconvenience. Now, looking at the majority of participants, I would guess (yes, I realize that I'm stereotyping here by age), many may not have been that interested in almost cutting edge tech issues and may not have had the hardware or the desire to carry it around for the conference. But there are many, regardless of age, who do have such interests and we need to accommodate them. That's where the world is heading.

SECOND: I did not have the state of the art hardware. I'm a tech dinosaur, I suppose, stuck back in the ancient days of 2006 or even 2005. I marveled at the fact that Elizabeth O'Neal not only liveblogged, she "moblogged." How did she post a picture of the Bloggers Summit on her blog while the summit was still going on? She used her cell phone! The cell phone took the picture; the cell phone printed the text; and the cell phone transmitted all of that to Blogger! This is facilitated by Blogger Mobile. Any cell phone with the capability to send email via MMS can work with Blogger Mobile. (And I suppose only a 2005-vintage dinosaur would describe Elizabeth's mobile device as simply a "cell phone"!). My cell phone is text-enabled and can send email via MMS, but I've never bother to do this. I can connect to the Internet with it, but I've never bother to do that, either. It can't take photos, however.

It's a fact of life that time and technology yield for no one. I need to catch up or be left behind. Reading Family Matters is a good way to to catch up for those who want to come along!

AN OBSERVATION: During the Bloggers Summit Q&A, I sensed that a number of people who may want to be more "tech-savvy" are a bit wary, even afraid, of the technology. This afternoon as I prepared to leave the hotel I talked with a woman who said she still didn't get the "how-to" part of starting a blog. Perhaps local societies should have a tech "How-to/Hands on Day" to demystify some of this for folks not used to it. We're at a point in history where technology is more accessible to more people than ever before. It would be too bad to let some smart people succumb to tech-phobia.

Carnival's In Town! With Tech Stuff!

The 43rd Carnival of Technology, um, I mean Genealogy (and that was a real synapse-lapse!) is here at Jasia's place, Creative Gene. And the topic is technology! Check it out.

Call for Submissions! In keeping with the month of March being National Women's History Month, and March 8th being International Women's Day, the topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will once again be: A Tribute to Women. Write a tribute to a woman on your family tree, a friend, a neighbor, or a historical female figure who has done something to impact your life. Or instead of writing, consider sharing a photo biography of one woman's life. Or create a scrapbook page dedicated to a woman you'd like to honor. For extra credit, sum up her life in a six-word biography (thanks to Lisa Alzo for the suggestion!).

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

GeneaTechnology

What technology is indispensable to me as a genealogist and family historian? Well, don't expect any big surprises here--my indispensable choices are rather pedestrian.

Hardware: My 2GB thumb drive is invaluable. It makes my data portable and it's a decent backup.


Software: Okay, I know I'll seem like a caveman, but for me it's got to be PAF 5.2. I've also got the latest iteration of RootsMagic, but I started with PAF and it's still like a companion you grow especially fond of.

Website: Although I subscribe to a number of commercial sites and regularly visit many excellent non-pay sites, there's nothing like Google, with all its accessories like Google Books, Google Scholar, and so forth. I've broken through several brickwalls with Google's help when the commercial sites yielded nothing! I've just fallen in love with Google StreetView!