Come Speak in Ottawa in 2017!

My blog doesn't get a whole heck of a lot of traffic YET!!! but I wanted to share this call for presentations so that some of my international genea-friends* might apply to COME VISIT ME!!! 

The Ontario Genealogical Society's 2017 conference is helping to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. It will be held from 16-18 June in my current, beautiful hometown and our nation's capital city: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA!

In my estimation, OGS conferences are attended by around 500 people. Compared to my experience at RootsTech 2015, this is a much more relaxed, intimate experience. Please consider presenting and submit A FEW ;-) proposals to help create the most EPIC genea-con Canada has ever seen in honour of our patriot ancestors! I have highlighted the portions below that are suited to not-as-Canadian-specific presentations. C'mon!! USE YER IMAGINATIONS!!

So sayeth Tim Gunn.

Call for Presentations OGS Conference 2017

The annual Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2017 will be held in Ottawa on June 16-18, 2017 at Algonquin College. The theme of the conference is Our Canada – Your Family: Building a Nation. As 2017 will be the 150th anniversary of the birth of Canada, Ottawa Branch OGS will host the annual OGS conference and give the Conference a national flair, bringing together genealogists and family historians from all over Canada. We are looking for speakers and talks of interest to genealogists from all provinces.

In keeping with this theme, we invite proposals for presentations on: family history from every region and territory of Canada (e.g. Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia); migration to and from Canada and also within Canada and how this helped to not only build our families, but also Canada; pre- and post-1867 research in Upper Canada; religious associations; military connections; the latest updates on computer, social media and genealogy database technology; the ever growing use of DNA testing for genealogy; and skill-building for family historians (e.g. use of the genealogy proof standard, getting more out of online resources).

Speakers from other related disciplines are welcome! Statisticians, demographers, archaeologists, researchers, archivists, librarians, geographers, cartographers, scientists, theologians, doctors, PhD candidates, software gurus, internet intellectuals, social media mavens, and historians of all kinds have information of interest to family historians and we would like to hear from you!

Most sessions will be one hour long. Sessions may be streamed in or out of the Conference venue. Topics for interactive, hands-on workshops are also welcome (typically half-day sessions). Speakers will receive an honorarium, plus appropriate expenses and complimentary Conference registration. In early 2017, speakers will submit content for inclusion in a syllabus.

Please submit your proposals by e-mail. Include your full name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, website address (if applicable) and biographical information including recent speaking credits. For each proposal, please provide a unique title, a summary of your presentation (250 words maximum), the intended audience (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and your A/V requirements. Multiple proposals are encouraged.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS: 15 FEBRUARY, 2016

To submit proposals or ask questions, please contact the Conference 2017 Program Committee at: program.conference2017@ogs.on.ca.

For more information about OGS or Ottawa Branch respectively, please visit: www.ogs.on.ca or www.ogsottawa.on.ca.

Keep in mind, with the Canadian dollar at a crap-tastic low, our beautiful country should be considered prime territory for your genea-tourism!

CA-NA-DA!

Yes, The Asterisks Mean Something

* I'm hinting at YOU: Gena Philibert-Ortega, Alona Tester, Helen V. Smith, Jen Baldwin, Caitlin Gow, J. Paul Hawthorne, Marie Cappart, Cheryl Hudson Passey and the rest of you crazy lot!

PS. If you're not on this little list and you think you should be, chances are I still consider you too big a genea-celeb and I'm too shy to name you as a friend. LOL

Genea-Resolutions for 2016

I'm not generally someone who believes in setting New Year's resolutions; I prefer to set goals as required. However, for the purpose and betterment of this blog, I'm going to throw my Storm Trooper helmet into this ring of New Year traditions. After a stressful 2015 during which I felt "in the weeds" much of the time in most aspects of my life, compiling a list certainly can't hurt my focus! Right? Right!

Click the meme to follow the link to where I found this gem.

(Re above meme) Just kidding!

My overall goal for this coming year is to make genealogy my Number One Priority. Other than health and the other essentials of a productive life, my coursework and genea-goals WILL come first. Genealogy tasks and commitments WILL be attended to before any other. If a social gathering conflicts, too bad for the living people!

By December 31st 2016, I also will have...

1. Published at least 365 total blog posts (here, duh!). Keeping a thought on realism and time management, I have decided that this does not necessarily equate to one post published per day.
2. Applied for at least one genealogy-related scholarship or award to assist with expenses.
3. Fully completed at least my Canadian Records certificate from The National Institute of Genealogical Studies (my aim is actually to have fully completed this much sooner than the end of the year).
4. Become an effective member of the social media team for The Surname Society, specifically, and begun participating more in/with other societies/groups of interest.
5. Developed a better sense of direction and some clear cut goals for this blog, my social media strategy, my genealogical education goals and, ultimately, my overall genea-"career".* 

There are, of course, OH so many other areas in which I have aims to better and/or get more involved: general organization... my never-ending reading list... myriad societies and groups... DNA comprehension and use in genealogical projects... writing and publishing in non-blog formats... the technical side of things on this blog and, maybe, a website... visiting local repositories... generating family and youth interest in the family tree... Yeah, the list goes on and on and on and on and very quickly becomes very overwhelming to the point of petrification...

Found on Pinterest. Cannot find link to original upload but copyright is indicated on picture.

So, I shall only publicly commit to the above-mentioned quintet of tasks which have been plaguing my thoughts the most incessantly of late. And you shall deal with it! So there! HA!

The MyHeritage blog has posted five New Year's resolutions every genealogist should set, HERE. What are YOUR genealogy goals or resolutions for 2016??







Yes, The Asterisks Mean Something

* Perhaps a good start would be to stop using quotations when talking about my potential future career in the field of genealogy, eh? LOL