Zoom – GenealogyAtHeart.com

Getting the Most Out of Online Genealogy Classes

Do you have Zoom fatigue? Does the thought of watching one more online class make you want to throw something at your computer screen? If so, this blog is for you!

I keep a record of the courses I take on my website for several reasons. As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, I need to complete 12 hours of professional development yearly to renew. I participate in way over that requirement because I believe in keeping current and strongly support continuing education. Even in the most basic courses, I usually learn at least one new trick or I’m reminded of something I heard before but didn’t try myself. By keeping a list of the courses I’ve viewed, I can avoid re-watching those I’ve taken. I can look at what I’ve taken when I am approaching a new work task and refer back to the syllabus of the course that may help me with the task at hand. I can also determine if I’m lacking in an area so I can then actively seek out those areas to beef up on.

Personally, I’m loving the Zoom/Go To Meetings/Teams conferences and am actively advocating the organizations to which I belong to continue with at least a hybrid model when the pandemic is over. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel and to meet with other passionate family historians in person. I just don’t think that old thinking model is right anymore. Watching from your home is helping the carbon footprint. I’m saving lots of money by not having to pay for the travel expense, hotel accommodations and food. I’m also winning big on saving time by staying home. I can afford to attend more conferences than I would have before covid so I’m definitely ahead there. People from all over the world can attend, although the time differences are problematic and largely unfair to those not living on the eastern US coast. I’ve recommended that presentation times vary as this is just not fair to everyone. The online format is a win-win for both those who would have difficulty traveling because of a disability or childcare and for the organization who now has more participants. The voices of those who couldn’t attend before can now be heard.

For the conferences that offer breakout rooms, I have the extra advantage of still meeting up in a group and discussing the topic that we just viewed. If you are shy, no worries! It’s a great place to be a fly on the wall.You can turn your video off and just observe. I will bet there are many mouthy people like me that will be actively engaged and you’ll hear discussions and gain new insights by just listening.

For the conferences that don’t off that feature, I definitely use the chat function. Click to have the chat up and place it off to the side of the screen so you can follow along with the side conversations while the presenter is giving the information. This make me think of another plus for online classes. Remember attending a lecture in the past and the folks behind you that wouldn’t stop talking? You’d shift in your seat. Then you’d turn and give them the teacher look. They didn’t care and continued. Finally, you asked them nicely to be quiet. “Sorry,” they’d say but a few minutes later they were back to their sidebar discussion. None of that any longer! The chat is that conversation and if it distracts you, then just ignore it. At the end of the lecture, before you sign off, you can read it and take note of any web addresses that were posted. You can also copy and paste it. If your Zoom conference doesn’t have that option with the click of a button here’s another option – just hit the control + C to copy the info and then, in an open Word document, click and paste (control +P).

Here’s another chat hint – you can message the group or just an individual. A few weekends ago I took a class on the Chicago fire given by the Chicago Genealogical Society. Several of my husband’s cousins were in attendance. I sent them private messages in the chat. It was kind of like sitting with friends. If you know another attendee is watching this works well. If you don’t know if one of your friends is on, simply click in the chat box from All to Private and you’ll see a list of those who are attending. Scroll down the list to identify the folks you know and send them a personal Hello!

If there is a syllabus, I keep it electronically in Dropbox under a folder called Syllabuses (duh!). Inside the folder I have more folders for the offering organization, such as APG, NGS, etc. No more wasted paper or killing my printer ink. It’s much easier to find what I’m looking for quickly and using the control + F (find) helps me zero in to discover the exact item I’m looking for on the syllabus. That list I keep on my website is a time saver here as if I can’t quite remember which organization offered the class, I can look on the website for the topic and then find where I’ve filed it in the online folder.

While I’m watching the lecture on one screen, I have my second computer screen up and waiting to try out what the presenter is talking about. For example, this past week I watched the National Genealogical Society sponsored Ancestry course on the new update to their Freedmen Bureau records. I had Ancestry open on my second screen so as the two presenters were discussing how best to search, I was trying it out myself. I do that because I can still ask the presenters questions, either through the Chat or the Q and A feature before the class ends if I’m having difficulty in following what they suggest. This sure beats trying to check it out on my cell which is what I used to do with on site classes. I’m also getting practice which increases the likelihood that I’ll use the tool in the future.

Also in Dropbox, I keep an Excel spreadsheet called Help Ideas. It has only 3 columns – Topic, (web) address, comment. When I’m attending a lecture and the presenter recommends a specific website or archive to locate a record, I record the information on my Help Ideas spreadsheet. For topic, I might record “Blog”, record the web address and under comment, record the presenter’s name and date of the lecture. This has helped me with brick walls as no one can possibly remember everywhere to look. Sure the Familysearch.org Wiki is wonderful but it is not complete. Remember, I’m only recording info that is new to me or that I want to gain more information about later. When I need to research in an area I haven’t done in awhile, it’s simple to filter for that topic and instantly I have a great list of where I can research. Make sure you keep the list up so you can add to it while you’re watching.

Last but not least, if you are watching a pre-recorded lecture, definitely use the speed up button if available and if the presenter speaks slowly. This is my magic trick for how I get through so many lectures in a rainy afternoon. Trust me, you get used to the funny sounding speech after only a lecture or two. I always use this for classes that are more than 50 minutes and for those that might be on a topic I have a good knowledge base already. If the presenter does get to a part that is new to me, I can always return the speed to normal to make sure I understand the information. It’s simple to back up and listen again if you missed something.

Now go pop some popcorn, get in a comfy chair and watch those lectures you have on your to-do list.

Recording Memories – Some Ideas

The recent pandemic was a wake up call for many parts of our personal lives. Perhaps you are now a member of your family’s “oldest” living generation. Maybe your grandparents or great grandparents are in failing health and you have questions about their history. Possibly you are reflecting on the events of the past year and a half and want to preserve your experiences for posterity.
This would be a wonderful time to capture the memories!
In the past week, I’ve received emails requesting how to info on this topic. Here goes…
The simplest way is a face to face interview with a loved one. They know you and you know them – that relationship has already been established and trust is vital when sharing of personal information is about to occur.
If you have a video recorder and a tripod you are ready to go. If not, check the capability of your smart phone. Mine has an awesome camera but a so-so recorder. There are work arounds in that situation; record with your phone and use a separate recorder for the sound. It’s not a wonderful solution but it’s better than not preserving the memory.
Before you begin, think of who you plan on meeting with. This isn’t about you – it’s about them – so make sure you get permission to record the interview. Keep in mind, like the past year, a person’s life is not always rosy. Some of the memories may be painful. Some may cause hurt feelings to relatives that are still living. I’m not saying to avoid touchy situations. I’m cautioning you to think about what you plan to do with the recorded memory. Posting it online could be a major privacy problem. Make sure you inform the interviewee what your intent is with the finished product. You may want to even get written permission. As a professional genealogist I would most certainly do that. If it is between you and a close family member, you may, instead, mention that your interviewee has given consent for the interview and what you plan to do with the recording on the recording itself. The interviewee can acknowledge the agreement.
Here’s how my family handled that situation in the 1980’s – When video recorders first came out my husband and I couldn’t afford one to film our first born. As a surprise Christmas present, my in-laws purchased a recorder for us. They were shipping it to us from the Midwest and my father-in-law wanted to make sure it worked. He then got a brilliant idea to go around to various relatives in his area and record them so that our child would be able to “meet” the family. He contacted the family members and arranged for a day/time that was best for them. Some of the filming was outside their home, others wanted to come to his house. He started every interview with “This is Dad. I’m at Uncle Bob’s house. Today is November 16, 1985. Uncle Bob is your Mom’s brother.” Then Uncle Bob is filmed and he says, “Hi.” He goes on to tell us about his day – some were planning on going to work, others mentioned that they just got home from church and the church’s name is given. Lots of genealogical breadcrumbs were given for future family historians who might not know this information.
The important piece above is that you record who is interviewing, who is being interviewed, the date and place of the interview and the relationship. God bless my father-in-law! He had NO GENEALOGICAL background and he did an awesome job for posterity.
That tape was done on the old clunky large VCR Beta format. Keep in mind whatever you are using will eventually become old tech. You will have to keep reformatting it to the latest and greatest in the years to come. I’d make a few copies. Give one to the interviewee. With the interviewee’s permission, you can give some to other family members. Why? Because bad things happen to good people! Houses burn down, weather disasters occur, people lose items. The more copies out there in different parts of the world the greater the likelihood that one will survive. Think of that old family Bible you are searching for. If there was more than 1 family Bible recording those birth dates from 1730 you’d be in great shape, wouldn’t you?!
Now that you know who you will interview, you have permission and you have arranged a day/time that is best for the interviewee, it’s time to think about interview questions. Below are some ready made questions to choose from:

https://blog.myheritage.com/2017/03/questions-to-ask-your-family/

https://www.familytreemagazine.com/storytelling/interviewing/interview-questions/

https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/20-questions-capture-grandmas-story/

https://www.loc.gov/vets/kit-generalquestions.html

Or you can devise a list of your own questions. Some folks do better with a prompt instead of a question. For example, instead of asking “Where did you go to school?” you may prompt for school information by stating, “It’s almost back to school time, I’m interested in learning more about your school experiences.”
Try to avoid asking a lot of closed questions which are questions that have a specific short answer. Asking for the interviewee’s date and place of birth is important. You would expect a few words to answer that query. Asking “Do you remember the location of where you first lived as a child?” will give a response of either yes or no. If the answer is “Yes” then you want the interviewee to elaborate and provide more information.
Be cognizant of your interviewee – is he/she/they getting tired? If so, end the interview and arrange to meet again later. The length of the interview is determined by the interviewee. The content of the interviewee provided information is determined by the interviewee. If you ask about a topic that is uncomfortable for the interviewee – let it go. It is true you may never hear the individual tell you that “secret” information you are asking about. That’s hard, I know that from personal experience, but you must respect the interviewee. If they are not ready to share it you must accept it.
I also recommend that you have tissues and water available. Your interviewee or you may not need them but it’s best to be prepared.
At the conclusion of the interview, end the recording by stating “This is the end of the interview with (insert the name of the individual) on (insert the date) at (insert the place). If the information gets cut off at the beginning, you’ve got it at the end. It also lets listeners know they have the complete interview.
Sure, all of this sound fairly easy but there may be some kinks in your plans. If you don’t have a recorder or are not able to meet face to face with the interviewee, consider using aps for Zoom, Go To Meeting or Teams. A video meeting can be scheduled and will record the interview. That’s a nice feature if you have permission to send other family members the recording – you will just need to send them the link of the recorded “meeting.” If you aren’t familiar with one of the companies I linked to, you may know of another that hosts meetings. I’ve used the three I mentioned and all are simple to use. Check out their FAQ page to get started.
If you would like the interview saved with the Library of Congress, another option for recording is using StoryCorps. I have not personally used that program but think it is an awesome idea. Recording are limited to 40 minutes.
Lastly, don’t forget you can interview yourself. Your story is just as important as your family members. Have I done that? No, but it is on my to-do list. Put it on yours, too.

Free Sites for Genealogy in April and Onward

Run out of your regular go-to’s for genealogy research? You are in luck because some free offerings are now available to get you out of your rut:

British History Online is a digital collection of Great Britain, Ireland and more that will be free through July. Currently I’m using it to research the Caribbean (West Indies) but colonial U.S. information is also available. I discovered one of my distant family members was interested in the East Indies in the 1500’s – who knew?! Check out this blog before you get started.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars is offering a free webinar from their extensive library each day in April. If you aren’t a member, now is a wonderful time to take a look at what they have to offer.

With libraries closed throughout the world, why not go to your local or state genealogy association’s home page and see if they are still offering meetings from the comfort of your own home. My local group has switched to using Go To Meetings for their weekly tech meetings. Yours may be using Zoom or Microsoft Office Teams. They’re easy to use and if you’re new here’s a few hints. For Zoom, you can click on the upper right of the screen and change the view of attendees from a bar across the top to a grid that will take up the entire screen (like the old Brady Bunch). Wondering why some people have a black square and no picture? They clicked the video button the bottom of their screen to disable their computer’s camera. The host (the person who sent the invitation link or password info) has the ability to let everyone speak or to mute and then unmute attendees. You can mute yourself on the same bottom bar if you like. Want to ask a question but not interrupt? Just click the message on the bottom bar and a side bar will appear. Type whatever you like and click enter. Your message will appear and the host will hopefully get around to answering it. When you’re done, just click the red “Leave Meeting” button and you’ve disconnected from the site.

Although this is not directly related to genealogy, it will most definitely help you if you don’t already have Microsoft Office. Check out this link for details, restricts do apply.

Hope you’re staying safe and finding family!