Tuesday's Tip - School's Starting - Plan for Education

No, it may not be starting today where you are.  But in some parts of the country teachers are already back in the classrooms.  And students are starting this week or next or started last week or even two weeks ago.

I'm a grandmother, so why does this matter to me?  I think of the NEW year as the beginning of school, not in January.  I start planning activities for the coming year in August and September, and sometimes in July. 

So what are you thinking of doing in the next year to help you improve your researching techniques?  Dates have been set for many national and regional conferences, institutes and seminars.  I have a 2014 calendar that I printed off the internet that I have marked up.  No, I'm not going to be able to attend everything I list on this calendar, but at least I have the dates in one place.  Check web sites for activities you may be interested in or that are near you.  AND... Don't forget your local genealogical and/or historical society meetings.  Put them on your calendar also. 

SO..... What's on my calendar right now?
Jan 13-17 - SLIG - Salt Lake City, UT
Jan 17-18 - Mesa Family History Expo, Mesa, AZ
Jan 25 - Pinal County Genealogy Workshop, Casa Grande, AZ
Feb 6-8 - RootsTech - Salt Lake City
Mar ?? - FHSA Seminar, Phoenix, AZ (Day not set but it's always in March)
Mar 24-26 - Forensic Genealogy Institute, Dallas, TX
Mar 27-29 - Advanced Forensic Evidence Analysis, Dallas, TX
May 7-10 - NGS, Richmond, VA
Jun ?? - SCGS Jamboree, Burbank, CA
Jun 8-13 - IGHR, Samford University, AL
Jul ?? - GRIP, Pittsburgh, PA - At least I hope it will be offered again
Aug 27-30 - FGS, San Antonio, TX

I know I've missed many.  But make your own list and circle the dates on a 2014 calendar.  This way you can plan for your continuing education in the 2013-2014 "school year."

Tuesday's Tip - Organize Business Cards Received

Did you come home from FGS or another conference with a stack of business cards and you can't put a face with the name?  Do you exchange business cards and then can’t remember who the person is and what common surnames you share?  Did you forget what you had in common, what you talked about, or what session(s) you both attended?  In the past I have.

The FGS Conference in Springfield was different.  I exchanged cards with many attendees.  But instead of just keeping the cards filed until I returned home,  every night, I made a note of what this person and I talked about, whether it was a surname, a society issue, or just general genealogy information.  A couple of great people I shared meals with, both of us being singles and deciding to share a table.  I noted all of that, or at least as much as I could remember after a long day at the conference. 

At past conferences, I wasn’t as diligent in keeping track of the great people I met, and so I am not able to easily contact them with information that may be of interest to both of us.  I mentioned this to my daughter and son-in-law after the conference and they both stated that they often write on the back of the new card special information.  They do this as soon after they exchange the card as is politely possible to do.  I think I may try this next time.  I can always make notes during a session before I start taking notes or put the new card away.

I’ve only been home 6 days and I still need to organize some of the cards I received. But I know who they are.  And I promised a couple of new friends some information.  Now I just have to get it ready to send.  That will be next week’s project. 

So, my suggestion is to decide the best way for you to record enough information about the person you receive a card from so that you will benefit from the meeting at a later date.  And, you will know who you promised what information so that the next time you meet, you won’t be embarrassed about your short lapse of memory (senior moment?)

And if you have other ideas, please share them.  I’m open to new ideas.

FGS - Introduce Yourself

Amy Coffin of WeTree http://wetree.blogspot.com/ wrote about Sheri Finley's (The Educated Genealogist http://sherifenley.blogspot.com/) "We Were All First Timers Once."  If you haven't read these blogs, please do.  THEN, let's all make sure we introduce ourselves to those first timers.  Well, why not just introduce ourselves to those sitting around us at sessions. 

Oh, by the way, I'm from Arizona.  In Springfield I plan on wearing a long skirt and some Indian jewelry (pendants and earrings), and I'd love to meet you.