Another New Toy

Thanks to the members of the Facebook Technology for Genealogy Group who gave positive feedback on the  Fujitsu Scansnap IX500.

I bought one online from a Sydney store and it is running beautifully.

So far I have scanned ordinary paper, old air mail letters on very fine paper, photos on regular photo paper, business cards and old greeting cards. It will scan straight into Evernote, Google Docs, Dropbox.... or into any folder one nominates. This device has so many capabilities - there is so much to learn.

Lots of scanning options

The only item the device has refused to scan so far is a tiny ticket to an event. I thought I was stretching the friendship in asking it to do that but my trusty little Flip-Pal that will scan that for me. This latest toy will not scan everything; there is no way I would put a precious original old photo through the feeder, that's a job for my ancient old slow and reliable flatbed scanner.

What it will do for me is allow me to quickly scan the mountains of paper that surround me and help me along the road to becoming an organised genealogist.

A Fair Day

I took very few photos at the Central Coast Family History Fair yesterday as I was a working girl. My purpose was to assist Alan Phillips on the Gould Genealogy/Unlock the Past tables at the Fair. I took orders for a few Flip-Pal mobile scanners, I even sold a scanner to a member of my Society who had come to the Fair for that sole purpose,  and answered questions about Geneacruising. But I did much more than that. Alan Phillips is rather a generous chap when it comes to supporting genealogy downunder so he was quite happy for me to chat with Fairgoers and answer their questions on any topic. Thanks, Alan, for taking me to the Fair and giving me a chance to meet with so many enthusiastic family historians.

I really enjoyed giving impromptu lessons to people on a few topics (once a teacher always a teacher). There were several enthusiastic Flip-Pal owners there who used their devices for scanning small photos but who had never tried to scan and stitch larger items. I scanned and stitched this photo of Merle Gillespie and her mother Eliza Gowans numerous times during the day as I taught these students. 

In between I answered some questions about Social Media and how one could use Facebook for genealogy, I told people about MyHeritage and its collections and gave advice on how to start one's research. I referred people wanting lookups to the FamilySearch tables as I didn't have good internet access for lookups. I was able to give some advice on researching WW1 ancestors and suggest resources to find details of Australian ancestors and so on and on and on. No wonder I was a little hoarse at the end of the day! 

Taree Family History Inc getting ready for the day 

FamilySearch had lots of giveaways

There was an enormous range of raffle prizes

I sat opposite Ben from Inside History Magazine and watched him dispense advice and information 

The Nepean Group had a steady stream of visitors

There were transcription agents in attendance

Fair Organiser Wendy Condon with Gosford Mayor, Lawrie McKinna who opened the Fair

Great to see Sharon from the Gathering Dust blog at the Fair

There were several Family History groups in attendance, State Records NSW, some commercial organisations, some stalls selling bits and pieces and a great range of refreshments on site. The only downside is that the Fair was a victim of its own success, many people who arrived just after the opening time of 9:30 expressed disappointment that they could not gain entry to any of the sessions as they were booked out. A much larger venue for the talks was needed.

Congratulations to the organisers on a hugely successful day, there must have been several hundred people through the door. 

Surprise from MyHeritage

Another social media success tale.

Yesterday morning after I arrived at The Central Coast Family Fair and had unpacked my gear I
took a couple of photos as the stalls were being set up. I posted one photo of the Familysearch display on Twitter and was pleased to see it taken up and retweeted by FamilySearch.

On Google+ I posted a photo of a couple of stalls with the message "The workers are busy getting ready for the Central Coast Family History Fair at East Gosford today. Come on down.". A few people gave the post a +1 and that was good BUT I also received a direct message from someone in the US. I had met Mark Olsen from MyHeritage at Roostech earlier in the year and he had been very keen to help me out. I filed Mark's business card away with all the bumph I got from #Rootstech and think any more about it, however, Mark and I follow each other on Social Media. 

The message that was from Mark said: 

"Hi Jill - if you like feel free to offer the East Gosford Folks one or two full access MyHeritage plans for one year as door prizes.  If you decide to do this just email the winners names and emails to me and I will take care of them. Have fun."

As the Fair was crowded (and I was busy on the Gould Genealogy stand) it took me a while to track down the organiser responsible for prizes. She was delighted when I relayed Mark's message and  asked me to Make an announcement over the PA system telling of The MyHeritage prizes. In an audience that is mostly unaware of the power of social media it was wonderful to be able to share a real-life example. 

After I made the announcement a few people came along  and asked me about MyHeritage and what it is. perhaps it is time for a marketing push for this product in Australia.

Thank you to Mark and MyHeritage for enabling me to share these prizes at the Fair.

Like a Scout

Just like a good scout I want to Be Prepared.

As I get ready to head to East Gosford for the Central Coast Family History Fair tomorrow I am packing my kit for the day.Tomorrow I'll be a working girl on the Gould Genealogy/Unlock the Past tables at the Fair. I'll put the Flip-Pal mobile scanner through its paces and answer questions fairgoers may have about Geneacruising.

So what will I be packing?

Bottled water - I'll be doing a bit of talking so need to keep my whistle wet
Peanut butter sandwiches - I might not have time for lunch
Peppermints - need to keep halitosis at bay
My camera with spare battery - can't miss an opportunity to get pix for this blog
Business cards - although I'm usually too shy to hand them out

My pretty pink bag

Some old photos and an ancient family album - for demos
Flip-Pal scanner and its pretty pink bag - essential for demos
Spare rechargeable batteries and charger
Spare SD card - just in case
Small laptop - for downloading of photos
My Galaxy tablet - to use as an internet hotspot for my laptop

The bonus for me is that I will be able to chat with a lot of fellow researchers, buy some resources and hear some talks by experts.