RootsTech App: A Wonderful Resource for Attendees

The final details about RootsTech are being released and it looks better and better all the time.

The RootsTech App is now available for iPhone, Android, and other systems, including BlackBerry.  The RootsTech app was developed by Core-Apps, the same industry-leading team that developed the Jamboree app. It was great fun and instructive to see how another organization used the features available on the app's software.

Those who remember the Jamboree app will recognize the icons on the dashboard. Because of the app's intuitive design, new users will quickly become familiar with navigating through the many ways to help attendees stay organized and updated at a conference.

 You can start with the "Events" section.  Review the session schedules (selecting developer or users only, or viewing all sessions in a single list)

• Pick the sessions you want to attend.
• Click to create schedule, using either the schedule provided in the app, or the smartphone's calendar you use every day.
• Just like when you started high school, take a few minutes to review the floor plan to find path around the Salt Palace. 

Or you can start looking at the "Speaker" section first. Many RootsTech speakers will also be with us in Burbank.

• Navigate easily through the various sections of the app.
• Pull up the list of speakers to make sure you don't miss your favorites.
• Read the speaker's bio, see all of the sessions they are presenting, and then click to jump directly to the class description. 
• Rate the session when it's finished.

Learn all about RootsTech and conference producer FamilySearch:

• Watch FamilySearch and RootsTech videos
• Stay in touch through the Twitter feed (#RootsTech) and feeds from selected blogs and conference announcements
• Tweet directly from the app.
• Look at photos that have been uploaded

The app offers features that have not yet been activated in the RootsTech version. I hope it will be added in the next week.

• The exhibitor section contains valuable details about each of the Expo Hall exhibitors: contact information, links to the exhibitor's external website, description of the exhibitor's business, the organization's logo, and PDFs of product information available for download.
• Photos of the speakers
• Syllabus articles - the most valuable element of the app last year. The articles were downloaded by hundreds of users.
• Jamboree's app included advertising and special offers from onsite exhibitors as well as "virtual exhibitors" from authors, bloggers, nonprofits and commercial organizations. Many of the ads contained special offers and discounts. It's understandable RootsTech would not use that option.

RootsTech's video section is outstanding. It really increases the value of the app. We didn't use that section last year for Jamboree, though we hope that we'll have content in 2012.

I didn't remember having issues with the Friends feature but then I realized we didn't activate that service either. In brief, the friend number can be used with only one friend. To add another friend to your list, you need must get a new number. A new friend, a new number. Repeat. Maybe Core-Apps will redesign Friends between new and June.

Stop by booth 627, the SCGS booth, and say hi. Between now and then, keep your eye on the Jamboree blog. We have a couple of surprises for you, including news on how to win a free registration to Jamboree.

Stay tuned.