Rootstech conference
I recently attended the hugely popular Rootstech conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the popularity of ancestry.com, 23 & me, and television shows like Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots, conference attendance is exploding. Reports show that the attendance for the 2018 event topped out at over 17,000 people.
While I am not a genealogist, I do help people with their family history by organizing and digitizing photographs and other media, documenting historical stories, taking photographs of the storytellers, along with the physical gathering of pertinent documents to ensure the protection of family history for the generations to come.
The keynote speakers at Rootstech were amazing and included the likes of Brandon Stanton, founder of the Humans of New York project, Scott Hamilton, the Olympic Gold Medalist. a fabulous, authentic speaker with his own amazing story to share, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the highly-respected Harvard Professor and host of the PBS series, Finding Your Roots, a fascinating program that combines genealogy research with DNA test results.
Entertainment was provided by the hysterical emcee Jason Hewlitt. If you do not know who he is, be sure to check him out on YouTube. Funny guy! Another entertaining highlight was the interview with and performance of Natalia Lafourcade, whose recording of Remember Me for the animated movie Coco went on to win a Grammy Award the next night!
Learning is a lifelong endeavor
While at the Rootstech conference I attended many classes to learn about the latest tools and techniques for organizing and digitizing family photographs and documents. I also enrolled in classes on storyboarding and video storytelling, both of which were very informative and fascinating. One of my favorites was a class facilitated by the founders of Evalogue.Life, Rachel Trotter, and Rhonda Lauritzen. Do check out their business page at www.evalogue.life.
The Best Product of the Conference
The Rootstech Expo Hall was filled to capacity with vendors sharing their products, programs, and services. By nature, I am a cautious shopper. And with the work I do, I have become a conscious consumer. In visiting the vendor booths, I have to give my unofficial Best Product Award to Qik-Frame. Qik-Frame is an amazing product designed by owner Jay Ward. Read my full blog review here.
In closing
Do you need help gathering, organizing, or digitizing your family photos, videos, and documents? I can help you gather them up and get them digitized so they will be protected against loss. I can also help you document your life story for posterity’s sake, and would be happy to give you a referral to a highly-qualified genealogist who can conduct your family history research for you.
