Jamboree Photo Contest Winners

As we mentioned in this blog in early April, 1000memories.com sponsored a photo contest for Jamboree. Photos were submitted for three categories:

• Pre-1900 Ancestor Photo
• Most Humorous Ancestor Photo
• Best-Dressed Ancestor Photo

 The winner in each category wins $220 worth of professional scanning provided by 1000memories and their business partner ScanCafe.
A total of 40 people participated in the event, including those who submitted and voted on 102 photos, which will be saved indefinitely in the Internet Archive. All photos can be viewed here.

The winning photos are shown below. It's easy to see why they are winners! Comments are as provided by the photo owner

Pre-1900 Ancestor Photo, submitted by Connie Wills. "Taken in 1862 in Strasbourg area, Alsace, France, before Dec. 1842 with The Bieth Family. Margaretha Bieth, standing behind her parents and brother and sister, was my great-great grandmother just before her marriage. This is a copy; the original was a Daguerrotype, a process which had just gone public in 1839."

Most Humorous Ancestor Photo was submitted by DeeDee, "Taken in the 1920s in Venice Beach with My Great Aunts Katherine, Jean, and Lillian. The 3 girls my great-aunts, are barely balancing on the pillar, they told the family that you can see that there were "sharks" in the water around them."

Best-Dressed Ancestor Photo, submitted by Katherine Zollman. "Taken in 1893 in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois with Franklin Benjamin Snyder."









Thanks to 1000memories for sponsoring this fun activity and for the contributors for submitting their family photos!

Congratulations to our Big Winners!

You may remember that Alice Fairhurst and her fantastic team of treasure hunters turned up over $17,000 worth of door prizes. Here are the names of the very luckiest of the many winners.

I'm going to talk to Paul Traynor and find out his secret to winning! What a lucky guy.

Our sincere thanks go out to all of the wonderful sponsors and door prize donors for this year. We couldn't have had such a successful event without their support.

Congratulations to all!


Grand Prize - Judy Freund
Ancestry Seekers Research Trip and Six Nights at the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel

Donna Wilson
Seven Nights at the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel and $200 for Expenses from SCGS

Madeline Yanov
Nine Course Online Genealogy Study from National Institute for Genealogical Studies
(University of Toronto)

Greg Gazda
Nine Course Online Genealogy Study from National Institute for Genealogical Studies
(University of Toronto)

Robyn Dowd
Nine Course Online Genealogy Study from National Institute for Genealogical Studies
(University of Toronto)

Paul Traynor
Seven Hours Research from Record Click

Carol Satterthwaite
Three Night Stay Crystal Inn, Salt Lake City

Paul Traynor
Two-night stay at Strawberry Creek Inn, Idyllwild, California

Marsha Barnet
Family Portrait Sitting by Harvey Branman, Photography as Art

Carrie L Rogers
Personal Genome Serv.& T-shirt from 23andMe.com

Wendy Fisher
1 Year World Explorer Membership from Ancestry

Laura Higby
1 Year World Explorer Membership from Ancestry

Lynn Rhodes
1 Year World Explorer Membership from Ancestry

Jamboree Lost and Found

Several items were turned in to the Marriott Security when we closed up shop. In addition to the photo below, we collected a camera lens cap and a digital camera.

To claim the items, call the Marriott at (818) 843-6000 and ask to speak with the lost and found folks.

Jamboree 2012 Attendance 1643+

We are very pleased to report that attendance at the 2012 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree was 1643 onsite and 673 remote viewers of the streamed sessions that were held on Saturday and Sunday.


Whew! No wonder we were so busy.

Thanks to everyone who made this happen.

Return from Anywherebutjamboreekistan

Friends, attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, SCGS members (old and new), Board members and hard-working, dedicated and exhausted members of the Jamboree Committee,

We Had a Wonderful Jamboree,

and

We Couldn't Have Done it Without You!

From the Thursday pre-events right through the closing Grand Prize door prize drawing, the weekend was characterized with the traditional Jamboree buzz or spark or energy or whatever it is that differentiates Jamboree from other national conferences.  We had a fabulous time and we hope you did too.

Jamboree old-timers won't be surprised to learn that each year, I (Paula) go on a self-imposed exile to Anywherebutjamboreekistan for a week or so until I regain my strength, objectivity, perspective and sense of humor. After being the problem resolver throughout the weekend and running on adrenaline and chocolate, I just can't handle feedback (good or bad) or constructive criticism until I am able to handle them with objectivity. This I know from experience.

But now I have returned from exile. I'm ready, physically and emotionally, to review suggestions, criticisms, accolades, and cheers. In a few days, all attendees will have an opportunity to provide formal feedback through an online survey. I hope you will all participate when you get the invitation. Look for an email with JAMBOREE 2012 FEEDBACK SURVEY as the subject line. If you don't receive it by June 23, send an email to jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com and ask that it be resent to you.

Watch for several more blog posts over the next few days to fill you in on all the skinny. There's a lot to celebrate.

Oh, and mark your calendars now.  June 7, 8, and 9, 2013.  Not sure if we're doing a pre-day, but you might as well mark that June 6 off too.



Thank you all again for helping make this a fantastic year!

Paula

Jamboree Pre-Day Comes to an End

The warm-up to the Big Event, the Family History Writers Conference and the Tech Trax session, came off without a hitch today.  Deep Breath #1.

I always like a warm-up day like this. It's a bit like a "soft launch" of a website or a blog. It gives a chance to shake out the bugs before it all breaks loose (e.g. noon Friday).  We resolved a couple of questions and avoided a couple of ... oh what should I call them ... uh ... challenges. Yes, let's use that word.

The rest of the weekend shapes up to be an outstanding event, and if you haven't thought about coming to the Marriott, please do think about it.

The exhibit hall is free and open to the public for the entire weekend. (Please note that parking will be $10.)  We have not yet closed off registration to walk-ins and will welcome you once walk-in registration opens at noon.

For those of you who have registered in advance, you will be able to pick up your registration materials beginning at 8am Friday and Saturday mornings. The pick-up area is outside in the area between the hotel and the Convention Center. You'll get a registration bag compliments of Geni.com, a name badge pocket compliments of RootsMagic, some trinkets and reading matter, the CD syllabus, and tickets to any special events.

We'll see you at Jamboree!!

(and don't forget your tiara. Such a display of faux wealth already! The Royal Family has nothing over on these sparkles.)

Jamboree Streamed Sessions Announced

We're making the last big reveal leading up to this weekend's Genealogy Jamboree.

In keeping with SCGS's tradition of delivering exceptional genealogical education over the Internet, we are proud to announce that the 2012 Genealogy Jamboree will offer ten streamed sessions over two days, Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10.

Streamed sessions will be delivered at no cost to the viewing audience. As speakers permit, sessions will be archived and made available for viewing after Jamboree through the SCGS webinar archive. While we are not charging to view the sessions, we greatly appreciate the support of the genealogical community in making contributions to offset the expense of bandwidth, speaker honorarium, equipment, camera operators, etc. Depending on your personal situation, donations may be tax deductible. SCGS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

There are a limited number of viewing "seats" available for each session. For that reason, we will go off air between classes and will ask viewers to log in for each individual session. We appreciate everyone helping to "share the wealth" with other family historians around the world.

The sessions and registration links follow:

Saturday, 8:30-9:30 a.m. PDT
SA-011 - Warren Bittner, CG, MS
"Beat the Children with a Fresh Birch Stick so the Animals Don't Get Worms"  Reading for Historical Context

Read to put your ancestors into their own world on their terms. Learn how to find books about the social, cultural, political, occupational, and religious lives of your ancestors.

Saturday, June 9 - 10:00-11:00 a.m. PDT
SA-020 - Lisa Louise Cooke
Projects That Will Captivate The Non-Genealogists In Your Life

Learn creative ways to capture the imagination of your non-historian friends and relatives, while honoring your ancestors. The joy in genealogy isn’t just climbing your family tree, but building bonds with current and future generations, and this class will show you high tech and low tech ways to do just that. You are guaranteed to be inspired!

Saturday, June 9 - 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. PDT
SA-021 - Steve Luxenberg
Genealogy from the Inside Out: Tracing the Mysterious From a Single Clue
When a family secret alters our understanding of the family tree, when we learn about a hidden relative (or a hidden marriage, or a hidden divorce, or a hidden cause of death), how do we pursue it? Steve reveals how he assembled the paper trail that led  through burial records, birth certificates, hospital records, immigration documents and wartime records, and assembles them into a coherent paper trail. This session is more of a “how-to-think” than a “how-to.” Beginners, intermediate and advanced researchers will come away with new ideas for unearthing what had been hidden.

Saturday, June 9 - 2:00-3:00 p.m. PDT
SA-038 - Kerry S. Bartels
National Archives Website Microfilm Catalog, Archival Databases, and Guides
Participants will learn about the National Archives Microfilm Catalog database, guides to the holdings of the National Archives, and use of electronic databases mounted on the National Archives website.

Saturday, June 9 - 3:30-4:30 p.m. PDT
SA-047 - D. Joshua Taylor
Printed Legends and Missing Footnotes: Dissecting 19th and 20th Century Compiled Genealogies
Discover the methods used to create a compiled genealogy and how to ensure its contents do not lead you down the wrong trail.

Saturday, June 9 - 5:00-6:00 p.m. PDT
SA-048 - Barry J. Ewell
30 Second Genealogist: How to Find Genealogy Answers You Want Now
Find, access, and explore genealogical resources quickly. Develop, expand, and sharpen your genealogy research skills. Discover clues to trace and explore your family ties. Quickly identify which record collections to search first. Learn to find and use specific country, state, and county records... And much more. Source for the presentation is MyGenShare.com.

Sunday, June 10 - 8:30-9:30 a.m. PDT
SU-003 - Warren Bittner, CG, MS
Complex Evidence:  What is it? How Does it Work? Why Does it Matter?
See a Complex Evidence Case Study. Learn why complex evidence is the only way to establish identity or prove relationships.

Sunday, June 10 - 10:00-11:00 a.m. PDT
SU-019- Kerry S. Bartels
Military Records at the National Archives
The National Archives holds military records documenting service to the United States from the American Revolution to the present day. This session will identify and describe the vast array of documentation for different time periods including examples of those that are rarely used.

Sunday, June 10, 12:30-1:30 p.m. PDT
SU-023 - Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGS, IGSF
Historical Research Methodology:  Engaging the Process to Find All the Answers
Many genealogists miss opportunities to find consequential documents for advancing their research because they do not follow a standard research methodology, namely the “historical research methodology.”  Special care is given in this lecture to emphasize the importance of some rather fundamental basics which, when used together, make for a powerful data-gathering methodology.

Sunday, June 10 - 2:00-3:00 p.m. PDT
SU-030 - Laura G. Prescott
Diaries and Journals: Finding and Using these Valuable Resources
This lecture explains the advantages of using diaries, letters and journals in compiling and comprehensive and appealing genealogy. Opinions and observations written by our ancestors or someone who knew them add a personal dimension to names, dates, and places. We'll explore a few examples of the different types of journals and diaries available, where to find them, and how to apply what you find to your research and your family history.

Jamboree: Take a Test Drive in the Tech Zone

A popular event at the past Jamborees has been our Tech Zone. Here's a place where you can test-drive many paid databases. You can also try a new search technique or resource that you've just learned about in a session.

For 2012, the Tech Zone will be found in Room 129 in the High-Tech Hallway, which is located inside the East Tower of the Marriott, directly across the hall from the elevators and workout room. Look for signs.

Jay Holladay and his band of geeks techs will help.

These databases and websites will be available for your use:

Ancestry Library Edition
FindMyPast-UK
FindMyPast-Ireland
Fold3/Footnote
GenealogyBank
HeritageQuest Online
NEHGS/American Ancestry
NewspaperARCHIVE
ProQuest Obituaries
Origins.net
VitalSearch California
World Vital Records

Plus the following databases from the ProQuest Trial Site
- African American Biographical Database
- African American Heritage
- Historic Map Works
- Proquest Civil War Era
- Proquest Historical Newspapers (17 databases)

Jamboree: Parking. Blech.

Let's talk about parking.  Blech.

There's just no getting around it. Parking is always challenging at the Marriott. While the location is very convenient for our out-of-town visitors and those who stay overnight, it's particularly  hard on the daily commuters. The Marriott has heard our pleas and has worked out an overflow parking area. We'll cover that in a few paragraphs.

Let's take care of the basics first.

Enter from Hollywood Way if you want to check in and drop off your luggage, if you want to use valet parking, or if you're dropping someone off at the lobby.  You can make a U-turn and go back out the driveway without having to pay.

Enter on Thornton Avenue to park in the Marriott parking lot.

When you are leaving, exit on Thornton Avenue.

Parking is $10 per day. Marriott guests have in-and-out privileges and can come and go at will. Tell the Marriott registration desk that you are parking, and they will code your room keycard to allow you to get in and out of parking. They will add the charge to your hotel room.

If you are commuting and not staying at the Marriott, daily parking is also $10 per day.  Daily parkers have no in-and-out privileges.

On Saturday and Sunday, nearly 1100 parking spots are available for our use. During business hours on Friday, the Bank of America parking lot is not open for use by Jamboree attendees.

IF THE MARRIOTT LOT IS FULL,
1. DO NOT move any barricades or signs to come into the lot.
2. DO NOT park in fire lanes.
3. DO NOT drive around for 45 minutes, looking for that one open spot and getting all worked up and annoyed. There isn't one and it won't help.
4. DO follow instructions from parking staff members. 
5. DO use the overflow parking area.

You can park in the Airport Economy Lot C parking lot directly to the north of the Marriott across Thornton Avenue. The parking cost is $10. The Marriott will provide shuttle service to and from the Airport Lot C. (This map is also on the App and you can download a copy of it here.)

Handicapped parking is available throughout the Marriott lot. Additional handicapped parking spots will be available in the rows immediately to the east of the pavilions.

Commuters, to prevent delays leaving the parking lot, please pay before you go to your car. A parking attendant will be available according to the following schedule:

Friday
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Outside the Main Hotel City Ballroom
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Convention Center

Saturday and Sunday
9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Convention Center

Valet parking is available at a cost of $22. Valet parking may be limited.

Jamboree GALA Reservations Re-open till Monday Noon PDT

We have had so many requests to reopen registrations for the Hollywood Gala that we have crumbled to the pressure.

Reservations to the 

Hollywood GALA

Red Carpet Reception 

are open through 

12:00 Noon Monday, June 4.

Tickets are $40, buy one, get one free. Please, please provide the name of your guest in the comment box so our registrar doesn't stick pins in a doll that holds a lock of my hair.

Reservations are taken online only here:

http://tinyurl.com/JamboreeGalaBOGO

10 Reasons to attend the Red Carpet Reception:

10 - Butlers
9 - Red carpet, red velvet ropes and Walk of Fame stars
8 - Free photo booth (Thanks FamilyTreeDNA!)
7 - Pasta bar (fettuccine, tortellini, ravioli, three sauces and freshly grated Parmesan cheese because you can just never have enough)
6 - Movie Stars
5 - Elvis will be in the building
4 - Hors d'oeuvres (to give the butlers something to do)
3 - Bruschetta bar
2 - Sparkling cider (to give the butlers something to do when they are tired of passing out Hors d'oeuvres)

and the NUMBER 1 REASON to attend the Red Carpet Reception?
.
.
.
.
1 - Tiaras!

Jamboree: Please Meet Carla Laemmle

Special guests at our Friday night Red Carpet Reception are two lovely movie stars from Hollywood's golden past. Both ladies will sign autographs to support their personal charities.

First meet Carla Laemmle, the niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle.  Now, I'm told that although movie stars typically shave a few years off their age, Ms. Laemmle proudly wears her 102 years most beautifully.

Her Wikipedia entry details her filmography spanning 1925 through 2012. She will proudly tell you, "I had the privilege of speaking the first lines of dialog in the first talking supernatural thriller." Although it was a small part, it established Ms. Laemmle's place in history. She is the last remaining link to Dracula and to the original Lon Chaney Phantom of the Opera as well.

Please take a few minutes and meet Ms. Laemmle.  (Note: There is supposed to be a video here. If it disappears inexplicably, you can find it at http://youtu.be/RaVChkMdOqo

Jamboree: Over $16,000 and more than 200

Over $16,000 and over 200 what?  Door Prizes!!

Our Door prize committee, headed by Alice Fairhurst, has done a phenomenal job of rounding up door prizes for Jamboree. And the prizes are simply fantastic.

• A 7-night stay at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel and $200 toward expenses
• A 7-night stay at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel and a research tour guided by AncestorSeekers
• Annual World Explorer Subscription to Ancestry.com (one each day)
• Gift Certificate for 9 courses for National Institute of Genealogy (University of Toronto) (one each day)
• 7 hours of Research Assistance from Record Click
• Family Portrait Sitting - Photography as an Art by Harvey Branma
• $300 Gift Certificate Home History Book from Home History Book
• 2 Night Stay, Deluxe Room, at Strawberry Creek Inn, Idyllwild
• Civil War Newspaper from JustaJoy.com
  Flip Pal Mobile Scanner from Flip-Pal.com

That's just the beginning. Add to that books, society memberships, DVDs, research consultations, food gift certificates, and entertainment.

Each paid registrant will receive one door prize ticket in their name badge packet. Additional tickets will be available for sale throughout the weekend. Raffle Central is located in a kiosk in the Convention Center. Drawings will be held from demonstration kiosk, and winners' names will be posted nearby.  Watch the monitors for examples of the gifts and be sure to look at the door prize list you'll find in your registration bag.

Additional tickets can be purchased in the following amounts:

$1 each
6 tickets for $5
25 tickets for $20

Tickets can be purchased:
At the SCGS sales table
At the registration desk
At the Raffle Central booth
From strolling ticket sellers

Jamboree: Research Assistance

Guest Post by Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, MA, CG(sm)

Is it possible that we are down to counting DAYS instead of WEEKS before the 2012 Jamboree? Are you ready to hobnob with the Stars of Family History? One place for some serious hobnobbing is the Research Assistance room. This year the consultants will be able to assist folks in finding the hard-to-locate ancestors in a more private area than last year. But it is still convenient to conference goers as it is between the hotel and the convention center, in the "High-Tech Highway."

While many consultant “spots” are already reserved, there will also be the option of getting “walk-in” help. Sign up for a consultant’s services at the room. Many of the volunteers for the Research Assistance program will be sporting buttons inviting you to ask about the help offered . . . please don’t be shy in asking for directions, suggestions, etc. And if you don’t see a helper, check at the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (SCCAPG) table for directions.

SCCAPG, in conjunction with SCGS, is sponsoring the Research Assistance this year and would love to be instrumental in helping you cut through a knot in your family tree. Remember, it is easiest for that to be accomplished if you bring along your pedigree chart(s) and family group sheets.

We are also still looking for folks who are willing to donate time to help others in the tree pruning experience; there is no need for assistants to have credentials or degrees in the field to give a little help. While assistants do not need to be registered for the Jamboree, those seeking help must be. The registration period has ended but walk-ins are welcome.

OK, tree pruners, get out your chain saws!

Jamboree Social Media Policy

The Southern California Genealogical Society is an active supporter of the use of social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging) at its events, including the Society’s annual conference, the Genealogy Jamboree. Event attendees are allowed and encouraged to promote, critique, and review the conference, its exhibitors, speakers, and activities using these forms of media.

Use of smartphones, iPads and other tablets, net books, laptops, etc., shall not disrupt other attendees. Mobile device ringers must be set to silent or vibrate during lecture sessions.

Attendees are prohibited from recording the proceedings of any lecture or workshop session by any means, including but not limited to photography, audio recording, video recording, or verbatim transcription, without expressed written permission from both SCGS and the lecture speaker. Some sessions will be professionally audio- or video recorded and available for purchase after the event.

Social media may be used to summarize or extract lecture content provided: (1) the author is referenced and cited appropriately; and (2) material is not shared in full.

We fully respect the intellectual property rights of the authors of syllabus materials and lecture content. Copyright laws apply.

Jamboree: Genealogy World Round Table Discussions

Are you looking for ancestors on the Continent or in the Colonies? Trying to find your Jewish or Scandinavian forebears? Wondering how to figure out whether those family stories are true?

Discuss your research successes or problem ancestors in an informal roundtable format at Genealogy World. Hosted tables will be available at which like-minded individuals can share and learn.

A JamboFREE activity, Genealogy World is scheduled on Friday morning, June 8. Two sessions will be held: one from 9:00-10:15 a.m. and the second from 10:45 a.m.-12:00 noon. Not all topics will be covered in both sessions. Here is a list of the currently scheduled topics:

Adoption Research
Denmark, Norway & Sweden Research
DNA
Chinese Research
English Research
Family Folklore
FamilySearch Wiki
French-Canadian
Genealogists in Second Life
Germanic Research
Virginia Research
Irish Research
Japanese Research
Jewish Research
Lineage Society Research
Midwest Research
New England Research
Organizing Your Research
Preserving Family Heirlooms
Portuguese Research
Scottish Research
Sharing Your Family Stories
Southern Research

Don’t see the topic you would like to discuss with other genealogists? Are you willing to serve as the table host? A few tables are available in the 9:00 a.m. session and, if you are willing to serve as host, we would be happy to reserve a table. You don’t need to be an expert to be a table host, but general knowledge of the topic is important to be able to keep the conversation going if required.

Just get in touch with jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com and put "Genealogy World" in the subject line.

GenealogyWorld is free and no registration is required. You'll find GenealogyWorld in Pavilion #1 at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank CA 91504.

Also during JamboFREE on Friday morning you'll find beginning genealogy classes, Librarians' Genealogy Boot Camp, and the Society Development Workshop.

See you there!

(This is a guest post by Denise Spurlock, the Jamboree committee member in charge of putting together the Genealogy World event.  Didn't she do a great job?)

Jamboree Survey Available Online

Those of you familiar with Jamboree will recall that use a questionnaire to help us make lecture room assignments. That survey has now been sent to everyone registered for Jamboree.

The invitation is addressed from phinkel@pacbell.net with a subject line [SCGS] Important Jamboree Update - Act Today!

We sometimes have difficulty breaking through spam filters.

If you have not yet received your invitation to the online questionnaire, please check your spam folders. If you still don't find it, please go ahead and click on the following link and you'll be taken to the survey.

http://Pre-Jamboree2012.surveyconsole.com

Every complete questionnaire helps us plan.

All seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
No guarantees can be made that there will be available room capacity.
All of Jamboree seating decisions will be made with safety in mind.
Jamboree adheres to the Los Angeles County Fire Marshal requirements.

Thank you for your cooperation and input.

Jamboree: Register Now Before it's Too Late!

  

We'll keep this post short, sweet and to the point.

The Jamboree advance registration period closes on May 28.  After that day, you won't be able to reserve a spot at the fabulous Hollywood Gala that is scheduled for Friday. You won't be able to reserve a spot at the Jamboree Genealogy Idol competition breakfast, and you'll miss the great banquet with Hank Z. Jones, FASG.

You won't be able to pick up your registration materials ahead of time to prepare your weekend.

You won't enjoy the advance registration discount.

You will be sad.

Don't be sad.

Register today!

Jamboree: "All I need is a little boost over the wall..."

Guest Post by Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, MA, CG(sm)

“I have hit another brick wall. Just when I think I am on the right track, I run out of ideas to find that elusive ancestor. All I need is a little boost over the wall, but where can I get that kind of help?”

I am sure many of us have uttered words just like that. But this time, instead of responding with “I know what you mean, it is a problem, for sure,” there’s a better answer: SCGS’s 2012 Jamboree! Besides registering for days of helpful classes, all of which offer solutions to various problems, registrants can get one-on-one help from an experienced genealogist. Now, not all the consultants have certifications or degrees, or are even “professional,” in the strict sense of the word, but they do have areas of experience and knowledge that are greater than what others have. They may have just the step-stool tool to boost you over that wall!

To sign up for a consultant, go to www.sccapg.org and click on the link for research assistance. The Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (SCCAPG) is proud to sponsor (along with SCGS) this special room for the benefit of folks who need just a little help. “Guests” or “clients” may sign up for a 20-25 minute session with a consultant (only one session at a time; i.e., consecutive sessions are not permitted). Besides the consultants who have already signed up on the SCCAPG website, there will be on-the-spot volunteers for walk-in help (sign-up sheets for these folks will be available in the Research Assistance room throughout the weekend), so if no one who is currently available specializes in your area of need, check the room during the weekend.

And for the readers of this blog who have an area of expertise (you need not be professional or certified) and are willing to help out, please sign up at www.sccapg.org or come by the room to volunteer a half-hour or more of your time. Thank you!

Just a reminder that research assistance is available to paid registrants of Jamboree.  Advance registration closes on May 28, but walk-ins will be welcome at the door.  Consultants need not be registered for Jamboree to assist.

Let’s shatter YOUR brick walls at Jamboree!!

Jamboree: #SCGS12 Mobile App is Alive and Growing

The #SCGS12 app is online and available for download at http://m.core-apps.com/scgs2012. It is available for Mac, Android, Blackberry and web-enabled smartphones.

At this time, the speakers are listed, as are the onsite and virtual exhibitors. The Twitter feed is buzzing and links to the SCGS Facebook and LinkedIn pages are active.

Nearly 100 syllabus articles are posted and available for download as well. THANK YOU to the speakers that are making this valuable material available on the app.

Exhibitors, you will receive an email with instructions on how to jazz up your listing with graphics, PDF downloads and other suggestions.

Enjoy and please help us pass the word.

Jamboree Genealogy Idol - Register!

The big news is out -- it's the Return of Genealogy Idol!

The second-ever Genealogy Idol competition will be held Saturday, June 9, 2012. The competition starts at 8am PDT, 9am MDT, 10am CDT and 11am EDT.

The three participants have been chosen and the winner will be decided by YOU! All you have to do is register for the live event (free), watch the 1-hour competition from your computer, and vote.

In the three rounds of competition, the three contestants will demonstrate their gen-tech expertise and try to woo you with their favorite gen-tech secrets. Everyone will learn - but only one will leave with the title of "Jamboree Genealogy Idol 2012." Legacy Family Tree's Geoff Rasmussen will host the event which will be broadcast live via the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California.

You need to register in order to participate.  Registration details and other Really, Really Important Information can be found on the Legacy blog:

Jamboree Genealogy Idol on the Legacy blog.