Saturday, August 18, 2007

Carnival of Genealogy, 30th Edition




Welcome to the August 18, 2007 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is genealogical conferences/seminars. Our group of writers are for the most part veterans of the conference circuit. Read on to hear their insights, observations, and fantasies. Let the carnival begin...

Starting us off with a hilarious post that had me laughing out loud, we have Janice Brown presenting Genealogy Seminars I'd Like to See posted at Cow Hampshire. Janice isn't the seasoned veteran that many others are when it comes to genealogy conferences but she sure has a good start on putting together a conference we'd all drop what we're doing to attend! Sign me up Janice! And thanks for sharing and making us laugh!

Next up, Jasia presents My Fantasy Genealogy Conference posted at Creative Gene. I have a few pet peeves as well as suggestions to share. If I was a professional conference organizer I'd be sure to integrate my most delightful idea...

And next, Randy Seaver presents Genealogy Conferences I Wish I'd Attended posted at Genea-Musings. On a more serious note, Randy laments not having attended any national genealogy conferences and shares a bit about local ones he's attended. He suggests a Webinar as his dream conference. I'd sure like to see that become popular too Randy! Thanks for sharing!

Lori Thornton presents Conference Advice posted at Smoky Mountain Family Historian. You should bookmark Lori's article. You'll want to reread her very sage advice before the next conference you attend. Lori is a veteran conference goer and shares her very valuable advice with us. Thanks for sharing, Lori!

Next, John Newmark gives us grins and giggles with What If... posted at Transylvanian Dutch. What a great sense of humor John has, very clever too. He takes a very creative approach to blogging about a rather conventional topic. I'd like to be on that midnight discussion panel ;-) Thanks for sharing, John!

Steve Danko presents My First Genealogy Conference and Its Aftermath posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve details the first genealogy conference he attended and the huge impact it had on his research. The man has a mind like a steel trap. He also has a talent for writing methodology. Read it and learn. Thanks for sharing, Steve.

Becky Wiseman presents Genealogy Conferences, FGS Conference - Day One, and FGS Conference - Day Two, all are posted at kinexxions. Becky shares with us her experiences at a national and local genealogy conferences in her first post and then goes on to share with us her experiences at this week's Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Ft. Wayne, IN in the next two posts. I really enjoyed reading Becky's posts and I'm sure you will too. Almost as good as being there... Thanks for sharing, Becky!

Next, Kimberly Powell presents Why I Don't Attend Genealogy Conferences posted at About.com Genealogy. Kimberly shares her personal issue with us and gives us food for thought. I can relate to Kimberly's perspective on attending conferences and I'm sure many others will too. Thank you so much for having the courage to blog about your experiences Kimberly and for sharing your article with us here on the COG.

Schelly Talalay Dardashti presents Carnival of Genealogy: Gathering the clans posted at Tracing the Tribe, saying, "Thanks, Jasia, for always asking us to respond to challenging questions!" Well, Schelly's fantasy conference wish is one we can all agree to... a time machine! What a grand idea and a great imagination. Thanks for sharing your conference experiences and wishes with us, Schelly!

Craig Manson presents Be Still My Heart! A Genealogical Conference in the Heartland! posted at GeneaBlogie. No doubt about it, Craig has a thing for Kansas City. And he couldn't be more happy about the idea of making a return trip there for the NGS Conference in the States & Family History Fair next summer. As always, great post Craig. Thanks for sharing!

Wrapping things up for us, footnoteMaven presents Thinking Outside The Genealogy Conference/Workshop posted at footnoteMaven. It takes one to know one. I recognize all the signs... our Maven is a professional student. She's also an excellent writer. Here she shares with us her educational background as it pertains to genealogy (prepare to be impressed, it's extensive) and laments the preponderance of beginner level sessions at conferences. Be sure to read her comment section for a great list of online genealogy classes and other resources. Thanks Maven!

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Thanks to all of you for participating in the COG. I must say, if we put our minds to it this group could put on one heck of a genealogy conference of its own! I am always honored to play hostess to such a fine group of genealogists/family historians/geneahistorians and writers ;-)

And now it's time for a Call For Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Confirm or Debunk: Family Myths, Legends, and Lore. Family myths or legends are those widely circulated yet unconfirmed stories that may range from the origin of an ancestor to more complex lore. Everyone who looks into family backgrounds, however we label them, sooner or later comes across the truth or untruth of these myths or legends. What does one do when confronted with evidence contrary to a long-standing family legend? What are some of the legends that the participants have confirmed or debunked or would like to confirm? How did family react to the discovery of the real story? Maybe the real story was even better than the myth?

The next edition of the COG will be hosted by Craig Manson at GeneaBlogie. The deadline for submissions is September 1st. You can submit your blog article for the next edition using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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