#UTPCruise - Day 3

Sailing along the southern coast of Australia I'm wondering if I can get this posted before I lose internet access via my Telstra wi-fi gadget.

I woke naturally this morning after sleeping like a log and decided that, as I had several geneatasks that I needed to accomplish, I would stay on board the ship instead of doing some touristing in Melbourne. The sail in this morning was most attractive and I found that I took around 100 snaps as we approached Station Pier.

Good Morning Melbourne

Station Pier, Melbourne

I opted for a leisurely breakfast in the Dining Room and was delighted to see Eggs Benedict on the menu and it was the best meal I have had so far on the ship. On Conference Days I cannot afford the luxury of a proper breakfast so I take the option of a grab and go meal.  

Eggs Benedict - Yumm

I escaped from the cabin to grab a coffee when the steward came to do my room and found Kath and Joan from Victoria in the Coffee Shop, they had also decided to hang around and 'do genealogy', naturally I had to chat with them for a while. I was interested to learn about the free resources that their society in Bendigo has shared on its website and of the great work members are doing in indexing local resources.

Kath hard at work

I accomplished quite a bit during my enforced solitary confinement in my cabin (including a successful Google Hangout) and rewarded myself with lunch around 2pm. By this time the tourists were starting to return to the ship so I spent quite a while chatting with old and new friends as they stopped by for a bite of lunch. I find this casual networking aspect of the cruise/conference experience so valuable.

Next stop was the conference centre for the Software Special Interest Groups and Research Help Zone meetings. Groups convened to discuss Family Tree Maker, Legacy and Family Historian; Jan Gow seemed to have quite a large following for her Legacy session.  I found myself quite busy (and feeling rather impotent) as I was the only speaker available in the research help zone where several of the questions were out of my league or area of expertise. I was, however, able to suggest names of those who would be able to help. Thanks to Margaret Doherty and Jackie van Bergen whom I grabbed to help with a couple of queries for their assistance.

Tonight's panel on the future of genealogy hosted by Thomas MacEntee was engaging as the four panelists had differing opinions on some of the issues raised. It was a very lively discussion around a series of questions posed by Thomas. I was pleased that three of the four panelists, Shauna Hicks, Chris Paton and Kirsty Gray saw the value of using social media for genealogy purposes while still emphasizing the importance and value of traditional records and research methods.

The Future of Genealogy - Panelists

What I found particularly exciting today is that several people have approached me to learn about blogs and blogging. If I can find a quiet public area on the ship when in port I have promised to teach them how to set up a Blogger blog. 

I was pleased that I stayed on board as I met some lovely new people including a delightful couple from South Africa around the ship today. Getting my tasks done and having plenty of time for informal discussions in a less crowded environment made for a super day.