Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest

The first prompt

“Tell us and your readers/followers what you think of when you here Connect. Explore. Refresh in relation to a genealogy conference”

For this final part of prompt one, I am going to bring together the strands in preparation for a genealogical conference. My opening statement in part one was

“There has never been a better time to Connect with others, Explore genealogical material, both on and off line and Refresh our thoughts on our research, our families and the historical context in which they lived.”

Having made the decision to attend the conference you need to plan. Who do you want to connect with? Is that a fellow genealogist, a genealogical buddy, a speaker that you enjoy hearing present, someone who you want to hear present?

All of that can be achieved as long as you plan what your aims are. Do you plan on spending time at the Family History Centre? What records do you hope to connect with and explore? What do you plan to refresh? – research undertaken in the past, previous friendships and connections made or a wider historical context that might assist your understanding of the times your ancestors lived in?

There is so much to think about when you decide to attend a conference, and once you have made a plan it most certainly helps when you want to Connect. Explore. Refresh.

Here are the links to the earlier posts. Connect. Explore. Refresh
Twitter #FHS2015

The first prompt

“Tell us and your readers/followers what you think of when you here Connect. Explore. Refresh in relation to a genealogy conference”

Earlier I posted about Connect. Explore. Now we are going to look at Refresh

I am a firm believer in reflecting and taking stock. To revisit those earlier discoveries to see if anything “pops”. Perhaps data you missed or didn’t know you had until you did subsequent research.

Just before a genealogical conference, where technically you have access to the best in the field, revisit those earlier discoveries, shake down those missing and problematic ancestors. Set your attendance at the lectures on offer to enable discussion, discovery of those question marks that reside over your family tree.

Don’t forget to refresh your learning. What did you learn? What do you want to explore further? Use attending conferences such as FGS as a stepping stone to discovery. Not just of those missing ancestors, but also of what you can gain in terms of expanding your knowledge.

At the back of your mind ask the following – what do you need to know in terms of

• personal growth and development
• in order to establish a result to your genealogical puzzle
• who can you catch up with who you can learn from, network with and share information and development

What a wonderful way to Refresh. Stay tuned for the bonus posts Twitter #FGS2015