Sitting at home last year watching live streaming from RootsTech2011 and following along with social media, I was jealous of everyone there. It looked like the most exciting genealogy event ever and the reviews all seemed to be raves. I wasn't going to miss out again so I registered for RootsTech2012 last September and made travel plans to included three extra days for the Family
History Library.
It was probably impossible for
RootsTech to live up to my expectations and it didn't quite make it.
That is not to say that I didn’t
enjoy RootsTech, I had a great time. I just can’t say that I learned very much that will
actually help me with my genealogy research today or tomorrow. I’m not saying I didn’t
learn anything because I did. It just wasn’t at that level of head spinning
information overload I get from FGS and NGS conferences. I expected to learn
about new software, apps and gadgets that would make my genealogy life easier
and more productive. I actually learned that I am a more advanced tech user than I ever thought.
Was it too “techie” or perhaps not enough tech? That is one of the questions Thomas MacEntee asked in GeneaBlogger's Open Thread Thursday post "RootsTech 2012 Review: My Perspective" earlier today.
From my perspective, RootsTech was
not techie enough. It seemed to be geared more toward
users just beginning to embrace technology rather than the large numbers of us
who already use every technology we can find and adapt for genealogy. I heard several explanations of “the cloud.” I’m all for including
those just learning to make technology work for their genealogy pursuits but
were there actually people attending a tech conference who were not familiar
with that concept?
If that is really the case, maybe a beginner session for the first time slot each year should be a very basic overview of technology buzzwords and concepts rather than having so many speakers repeatedly explaining the same basic processes. Or have a "things you should know before attending RootsTech" cheat sheet available in advance to bring everyone up to speed on the very basics of the topics to be presented.
If that is really the case, maybe a beginner session for the first time slot each year should be a very basic overview of technology buzzwords and concepts rather than having so many speakers repeatedly explaining the same basic processes. Or have a "things you should know before attending RootsTech" cheat sheet available in advance to bring everyone up to speed on the very basics of the topics to be presented.
A quick count shows 30 beginner level, 34 intermediate level and four advanced level user sessions. There were also 18 sessions billed as "all levels." Most of the intermediate sessions I attended seemed pretty basic. There was obviously a need for more advanced
user sessions. Some topics should have a separate session for at least two, if not all three, levels of users.
Several very popular sessions quickly became overcrowded leaving people sitting on the floor, standing in the back or finding a different session. An online process to let registrants select the sessions they plan to attend in advance (like other conferences use) would allow organizers to better plan room sizes or identify the need for multiple presentations of the most wanted sessions.
One of the best things about any genealogy conference is the opportunity to meet and socialize with other genealogists. With 4,300 attendees (and nearly 100 bloggers), RootsTech definitely delivered on that front.
Two of RootsTech’s biggest strengths are promoting the spirit of collaboration between vendors and introducing innovative ideas that will make the future of genealogy brighter. Those things alone make it a worthwhile conference. If you have an opportunity to go, you should take it.
Two of RootsTech’s biggest strengths are promoting the spirit of collaboration between vendors and introducing innovative ideas that will make the future of genealogy brighter. Those things alone make it a worthwhile conference. If you have an opportunity to go, you should take it.
