RootsTech Announces Winners of the Developer Challenge

Congratulations to the winners of the of the #RootsTech Developer Challenge:

First Place: Jimmy Zimmerman, NoteFuser

NoteFuser connects your Evernote® notes to Geni.com or new.FamilySearch.org person records. It also allows you to easily create Evernote® powered research logs and other notes with one click.  Make sure you watch the NoteFuser Demo video on the homepage http://notefuser.herokuapp.com.

Second Place: Brooke Schreier Ganz, LeafSeek

LeafSeek helps you turn your genealogical or historical record collections into searchable online databases. LeafSeek includes features such as built-in geo-spatial searches, pop-up Google Maps, Beider-Morse Phonetic Matching, name synonyms, and language localization to help you turn your spreadsheets of names and dates into a full-featured genealogy search engine.  Check it out at leafseak.com.

Third Place (tie): Brigham Young University Computer Science Department, 20 Minute Genealogist

20 Minute Genealogist is a site that will visualize your family tree using your new.FamilySearch.org credentials.  You can see who in your tree needs work and instantly link to FamilySearch and Ancestry to search for the missing information.  Sign up to be a beta tester at twenty.byu.edu. 

Third Place (tie): Ellie Rasmus, Facetree

Facetree has been developed as a way of using genealogical data from GEDCOM files as context to improve the accuracy of face recognition.

RootsTech Registration Winner Shares Her Conference Experience

It's hard to believe that another RootsTech conference has come and gone. It was a whirlwind weekend packed full of genealogy, technology, and live social networking.

While at the conference held at the gorgeous Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City I managed to squeeze in interviews with the movers and shakers in family history between the classes I was teaching. (You can view the video of my Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 presentation that was streamed live at RootsTech which is part of the Saturday Recap video on the RootsTech homepage.)

In this first video I'll introduce you to one of the 4,000 genealogists and technologists that attended the event. Carol is a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener and winner of a free RootsTech registration that we gave away on the Genealogy Gems Podcast Facebook fan page.  In this interview, Carol shares her experience and what she learned at this innovative event.

RootsTech Announces Ancestry.com as Keynote

#RootsTech has just announced  a panel of Ancestry execs as a unique "Keynote" at RootsTech 2012.  Here's the scoop from the RootsTech website:

"From the arduous task of scrolling through microfiche, to bringing family history research online, to taking your family tree with you on the go, Ancestry.com is leading the technology landscape for family history. With technology available to surface the 7 billion records and 29 million family trees on the site, Ancestry.com has the sophisticated engineering and systems in place to take on the challenges of the fast growing family history industry, while also creating an avenue for users to weave search results into an edifying and meaningful family history story.

Get the inside details of the technology behind Ancestry.com from some of their top technology leaders in this don’t-want-to-miss panel discussion, moderated by Tim Sullivan, President and CEO of Ancestry.com. The panel will also feature the following Ancestry.com leaders: Eric Shoup, SVP of Product; Scott Sorensen, VP of Development; Jonathan Young, SVP of Technology; and Ken Chahine, SVP of DNA."

RootsTech Schedule Announced and Last Chance for Discount

It was all over Facebook: Genealogists who didn't attend the #RootsTech conference debut last year lamenting their decision on Facebook and Twitter.

Indeed it turned out to be one of the family history highlights of the 2011.  And RootsTech 2012 is shaping up to be a "must attend" event for anyone interested in tracing their roots.

Thankfully there's still time to get in on the discounted ticket price of $149 (reg. $189), but hurry because it only lasts through January 13, 2012.

Everyone has waited with baited breath to see the class schedule, and it's finally here! It's packed with sessions for technology developers and genealogists alike.  I'll be presenting three sessions:

• Thursday, Feb. 2 at 11:00 Google Earth for Genealogy (a hands-on workshop!)
• Friday, Feb. 3 at 9:45 am Genealogy Blogs and Podcasts 
• Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:45 pm Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life

I hope to see you in class and please stop by and say at my Genealogy Gems booth in the Expo Hall.  (And thankfully after a bit of an online genealogy uprising online you will have book seller booths to visit too!) You may also see me in the Media Hub where I will once again be interviewing the movers and shakers, as well as attendees to give you an insider's look at this exciting event.

The event is once again being held at the Salt Palace Convention Center just steps from The Family History Library- the greatest genealogy library in the world!  Click here to visit the website to learn more about the venue and nearby hotels.

Start off the New Year with no regrets - attend RootsTech 2012 and see what happens when genealogy and technology converge!  

Solve a Family History Challege and Win $5,000!

Here's an exciting opportunity from FamilySearch:

Have you recently been doing something family or genealogy-related and thought, "There should be an app for that!"? Now is your chance. Solving that problem and entering the RootsTech 2012 Developer Challenge could earn you $5,000.

Tens of millions of people around the world are interested in some facet of family history. These people need software solutions—whether on the desktop, online, or through mobile delivery—that help them engage and succeed in their efforts to discover, preserve, and share their family history.  RootsTech will reward developers who introduce the most innovative new concepts to family history with $10,000 in cash rewards and increased visibility. 

Visit the Developer Challenge page on RootsTech.org to find out more about rules, prizes and deadlines.  Developers wishing to enter the challenge must register by January 1, 2012 but actual submissions are not due until January 15.  Spread the word and register today!

Contest Winner of the RootsTech Registration

Lots of Genealogy Gems Podcast listeners combed through the Genealogy Gems You Tube channel for the answers to the contest questions and a winner has been selected from all of the correct entries.  Congratulations to lucky winner Carol Genung who answered the following questions correctly:

1. Which "non-genealogist" did I interview at RootsTech last year about Family History Mobile Strategies?
Answer: Ty Hatch

2. Which popular genealogy blogger did I interview at RootsTech last year about the new "FamilyTech" Family Search Website?
Answer: James Tanner

3. Which well-known and energetic genealogy expert did I interview about Family History for Kids?
Answer:  Tony Burroughs

Carol has not only won a free registration (retail value $189) to the RootsTech Family History & Technology Conference being held February 2 - 4, 2012 in Salt Lake City, UT, but she will also be invited to join me for a chat at RootsTech about her experience for an upcoming video on the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel!

And the good news for everyone else is that the Early Bird Registration price of $129 is still available until Nov. 30, 2012. Investing in your on-going education is critical to genealogical success and RootsTech offers a rich experience. I'll be there teaching three classes and I hope to see you there too!

Many thanks to the RootsTech folks for providing the registration prize. See you at RootsTech!

Hurry For Your Chance to Win a Free Registration to RootsTech 2012 AND be a Video Star!

RootsTech made a big splash last year when it hit the U.S. genealogy stage and the 2012 conference is shaping up to be another exciting weekend of family history and technology!

As an official RootsTech blogger I'm very pleased to announce that one of my lucky readers will win a FREE registration to RootsTech 2012.  The lucky winner will also be invited to join me for a chat about their experience for an upcoming video on the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel!

Entering to win is fun and easy! Here's what you do:

STEP 1: Go to the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel and answer the following three questions:

1. Which "non-genealogist" did I interview at RootsTech last year about Family History Mobile Strategies?
2. Which popular genealogy blogger did I interview at RootsTech last year about the new "FamilyTech" Family Search Website?
3. Which well-known and energetic genealogy expert did I interview about Family History for Kids?

STEP 2: Email your name, email address, phone number and answers to me at genealogygemspodcast@gmail.com (with "CONTEST" in the subject line) by 11:59 PST on Wed. November 23, 2011.  

STEP 3: Visit this blog  to find out if you are the winner. I will draw the winner from the pool of correct entries on Thanksgiving Day (11/24/11) and one lucky person will have an extra reason to give genealogy thanks this year!  Good Luck Everyone!