RootsTech, Day 2

(Note that you can see my entire RootsTech 2016 collection here.) 

First off, if you're actually attending RootsTech in person, come hear me give an intro to JewishGen at 12:20PM on Friday on the Demo Stage in the Expo Hall--and then say hi!

My second day of RootsTech started early with an Ambassadors-only tour of the massively huge expo hall, pre-opening.

RootsTech Expo Hall

There are nearly 400 exhibitors here, ranging from the biggies (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, etc.) to small niche booths.  Also in the expo hall is the Discovery Zone, allowing people to discover more about their families while also recording information that they already know.

Discovery Zone

I also saw my own name and this blog referenced (from this post), as Israel Pickholtz has a booth here:

My blog is semi-famous!

I spent much of the morning at the Media Hub, where I'm enjoying the tables and wifi, blogger comradery, and goodies.  If you're here, come say hi--it's in the middle of the Expo Hall!

Media Hub

I also spent some time at the IAJGS booth where they've had a surprising number of people come up who have Jewish ancestry, as well as others who hope they do.  There are JGS organizations across the country--check out your local one!

IAJGS Booth

I've also been wandering the Expo Hall.  Besides the hundreds of booths, there's Innovators' Alley which has some of the newest technology for genealogy.

Innovators' Alley

I also sat down with two of the finalists for the Innovators' Summit: Keiko Faupula of Scibbitt and Guillame Langenau of Famicity.

Scribbitt is an expansive journaling site which uses multiple different ways to organize and share your life.  The idea is that Facebook and other social media sites include large amounts of personal information, and that this information will be what the genealogists of the future will need to research.

This product originates information within their site and can post to Facebook if you want to.  Continuing connections is the driving force behind the product.

 

Everyone with a scribbit account gets a cover page.  This is a personal blog-style page, only accessible to people you invite.  Groups and organizations can also get these pages, and they will give a consolidated place for people to find information in 100 years.

 

I asked about the longevity of this.  While they obviously don't expect to fold, everything on the site can be downloaded/backed up in PDF form.  Scribbitt also provides a mechanism when you sign up to give a deposit so if something happens to the company, you’ll get your information sent to you on a thumb drive.

Famcity is a tree site that is GEDCOM-compatible and can be collaborative with people you specifically invite.  The site is free and creates a timeline of a person’s life.

Both products look quite promising!

I ended the day with a reception by FindMyPast, where all the Jewish attendees ended up sitting together.  Fun!

Note:  I'm on Twitter.  Feel free to follow me (@larasgenealogy).

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