Inoreader

I would never manage to read all the blog posts I follow if I didn't have a way of seeing all those posts aggregated in one spot. My RSS Feed Read of choice is Inoreader.

While rabbiting on in a Facebook group today I confused one of the group members so, instead of typing out some instructions I used Google Hangouts to recordVthis little video. It may be of interest to you or your genimates.

We stayed in the Green Room

In a new experience for me tonight I demonstrated to a group at The Botany Bay Family History Society how Google Hangouts on Air work. I connected with Heather Clarey and members in the Society rooms in Sydney's far south from my kitchen in Sydney's far north.

Heather, who worked from her laptop, had set up a big screen so that the members could see us hang out. I had anticipated that we would Hangout on Air but, so that we speak candidly, I didn't press the record button and we stayed in The Green Room. We did not go  "Live On Air" and have the session recorded to Youtube as it was better for the newbies that we kept our conversation private. Apologies to those in the GeniAus community who were prepared to join in and say G'day to Botany Bay.

GeniAus hanging out with the genies from Botany Bay tonight

I really enjoyed the experience. Heather moved the camera around a bit so I could see the audience and some brave souls commented and asked a question. It was probably good that my image was grainy on the big screen.

Thanks to Heather and The Botany Bay Family History Society for giving me an opportunity to pay a virtual visit to their rooms to chat about Hangouts on Air. 'Twas a great learning experience for me too.

Genimates weigh in to support GeneaGala

On Monday morning I was feeling very, very nervous about the GeneaGala series of Hangouts I am hosting on Sunday for National Family History Month. Now I am just very nervous!

Thank you to my Genimates who have rallied behind me and have been spreading the word about the Hangouts. I was overjoyed when Hangout guru DearMYRTLE  from Salt Lake City publicised the events on her blog and committed to chatting with me online. I'm not going to name my Aussie mates who have shared their enthusiasm for the event online lest I leave someone out, just let it be said that I appreciate your support.

A a spreadsheet junkie I have prepared a runsheet/timetable for the event. While many folk have indicated that they will or may join the Hangouts I am hoping that they will commit to being online during a particular timeslot to talk about themselves, get on thier soapbox about a geneatopic or share details of a favourite resource.

Into my spreadsheet I have been entering names and topics for discussion throughout the day. So far Pauleen Cass, Alex Daw, Les Tobin, Brenda Wheeler, Jenny Joyce, Heather Clarey, Mary Roddy, Jennie Fairs and Hilary Gadsby have put their hands up to talk (at a particular timeslot) on topics ranging from WW1 to Beginning US Research to Blogging Family History to UK Gazettes.

Please don't be shy. If there is a topic you would like to discuss then please contact me by email jillballau@gmail.com and we will negotiate a time to focus on your topic.  If all else fails I will just pluck some topics out of the air and hope there is someone online to chat with me. I would prefer to be organised!

The hangouts will be available for all to watch live or later via my Youtube channel or live on Google+ but places on the live panel will not be available to the general public.  I will only issue invitations to join the online live discussion to those who have responded via the links below that they will or may join me online. This will enable me to restrict the hangouts to those in the geneacommunity.

I will follow chat comments made during the Hangouts from within the GeniAus Community on Google+ .If you wish to have your comments monitored you will need to be a member of the community so please apply to join up now.

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 1 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 09:00 - 12 :00

London, UK             30th August 12:01 - 03:00

New York                 29th August 19:00 - 22:00

Los Angeles             29th August 16:00 - 19:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 2 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 12:00 - 15:00

London, UK              30th August 03:00 - 06:00

New York                 29th August 22:00 - 01:00

Los Angeles             29th August 19:00 - 22:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 3 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 15:00 - 18:00

London, UK              30th August 03:00 - 06:0

New York                 30th August 01:00 - 04:00

Los Angeles             29th August 22:00 - 01:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Final Session - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 18:00 - 21:00

London, UK             30th August 09:00 - 12:00 

New York                30th August 04:00 - 07:00

Los Angeles            30th August 01:00 - 04:0

GeneaGala - Dates and Times

My genimate DearMYRTLE asked me for the local time in another city eg New York of the sessions for the hangouts I am hosting on 30th August (Sydney Time) for National Family History Month.

I've had a look at http://www.timeanddate.com/ and have drawn up this list of times for a few world cities (I accept no responsibilities for miscalculations). Hopefully this should enable intending viewers and panelists to plan their participation. (Please sign up using the Hangout links below)

The hangouts will not start right on the hour as advertised on Google+ except for Session 1- I will aim to start the 3 later ones by five minutes past the hour (technology willing).

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 1 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 09:00 - 12 :00

London, UK             30th August 12:01 - 03:00

New York                 29th August 19:00 - 22:00

Los Angeles             29th August 16:00 - 19:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 2 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 12:00 - 15:00

London, UK              30th August 03:00 - 06:00

New York                 29th August 22:00 - 01:00

Los Angeles             29th August 19:00 - 22:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Session 3 - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 15:00 - 18:00

London, UK              30th August 03:00 - 06:0

New York                 30th August 01:00 - 04:00

Los Angeles             29th August 22:00 - 01:00

GeneaGala Hangout on Air - Final Session - Google+

Sydney, Australia     30th August 18:00 - 21:00

London, UK             30th August 09:00 - 12:00 

New York                30th August 04:00 - 07:00

Los Angeles            30th August 01:00 - 04:00

Reflections Hangout

Although I have hung up my Official Congress Blogger hat I couldn't resist asking some of my genimates to share their thoughts on Congress 2015 in a Google Hangout on Air last night.

As well as hearing about their favourite speakers and what inspired them the panelists last night shared some ideas to make Congress 2018 even better than 2015 and then put forward some compelling reasons as to why a genie shoould attend a Congress.

During the Hangout Fran talked about connecting with young people. At the moment I have a 14 year old granddaughter staying with me. She saw me preparing for the hangout and asked what it was, I tried to explain. This morning as we were having breakfast in bed she asked how the hangout went. As I had my phone beside me I connected to Youtube and played some of the hangout for her. Her reaction "That's cool". Made me think about the way we share family stories, perhaps geneavlogging is the way to go.

Those who joined me and shared their opinions made this Hangout rather beaut. Thanks for your generosity. Please watch the Hangout right here.

The Gods were smiling on me

After a few connectivity dramas in the hour prior to last night's GeniAus' Hangout on Air the event went off without a hitch.

Thanks to those Generous Genies who joined me on the panel to discuss Congress 2015. Alex, Carmel, Fran, Jenny, Les and Pauleen you were fantastic panelists, I am sorry that I put you on the spot on a few occasions. Your contributions will be most useful to Congress attendees and those who cannot join us.

There were some excellent comments made in the video comments thread last night some of which I will add below in case you can't access the comments thread for the Hangout. These comments add value to the video content.

Carmel said "Meant to comment on air - if there is a time slot where there is not a session that is of particular interest to you, give yourself permission to take a break. Time may be better spent following up something learned or indeed going for a walk. :"

Fran said: "And here is the link to my post on the conference with some of the basics for first timers like me. http://travelgenee.com/affho-congress-briefing/"

Sherie said "I think we need to do a blog post on what talks / speakers we are going to - it will be interesting to see what other people are attending & who is going to be at the talks I'm attending." Any takers?

I said: "People in the Hangout mentioned Carol Baxter - you may be interested in this interview I recorded with her last year https://youtu.be/wSDmgPq63zQ"


Carmel said: "National Capital Exhibition at Regatta Point is worth visiting https://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/index.php/attractions-managed-by-the-nca/national-capital-exhibition"

Alex said: "National Film and Sound Archives were absolutely wonderful when I requested material from them last year. Of course you had to pay for it but it was very reasonable and a very quick service."

Please remember that the hashtag for Congress is #AFFHO

And finally here's the Hangout video:

A Hangout this Week

You are invited to join me for a GeniAus' Hangout on Air, Congress Bound?, this Thursday 8:00 pm Sydney time. (that's 12 March - 9:00 am UTC). Details can be found here on Google+

While we will be discussing AFFHO Congress 2015 that will be held in Canberra in just two weeks time everyone is welcome to view the live Hangout or watch it later here on my Youtube Channel.

To take part in the chat that is associated with the Hangout you wll need to be a member of the GeniAus' Community on Google+.

If you have questions about Congress contact me and I will try to respond to them in the Hangout. 

Rough around the Edges

My GeniAus' Hangouts on Air are, like me, a bit rough around the edges.

Each time I start a Hangout I seem to have some sort of technology glitch. In this week's Hangout the invitations I sent out for people to join the panel did not work so with three minutes to go before the Hangout was due to start I cancelled it and scheduled another which allowed some panelists to join me. Apologies to those who couldn't join, time was of the essence and I just had to get on with the show.

During the Hangouts sometimes there is an echo because someone (I'm guilty here) doesn't mute themselves while others are speaking, sometimes panelists forget to unmte themselves and  are just talking heads when responding to questions so I have to remind them to unmute themselves. Sharing computer screens creates issues as we wait for them to appear, sometimes my screen freezes and conversation halts so we have periods of silence. I do get stressed at these times but  I don't worry because it is all part of a learning experience.

What is gratifying is that those who are viewing have become quite competent at contributing to the conversation by comments during the live sessions. To do this you must be a member of the GeniAus Community on Google+. I do it this way so that we have a private forum in which to converse, only those whom I approve for membership of the community make and view comments but anyone can watch the sessons via my Youtube Channel.

What the panelists and I are doing is having an enlightening conversation on a genealogy topic and a practical learning session (on mastering the Hangout software) concurrently. I am so proud of those brave souls who put their hands up to join me as panelists and share my learning journey. If you haven't tried a Hangout yet please get yourself a headset and give it a go.

This prattling is by way of an apology for the quality of some of the hangouts I present but I will keep plugging on as they appear to fill a need (96 peple have watched the last recording on Youtube already). Apologies done here is this week's Hangout - Let's get Organised.

A Quick Geneavlog Post from Salt Lake City

Hanging out in 2015

After quite a break I have scheduled the first GeniAus  Hangout on Air for 2015. You are invited to join me on Monday evening, 8:00pm Sydney time, to discuss the topic "To do or not to do (over) - that is the question"

Hangout details and RSVP can be found here on Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c4ormfop18fmnobgp5ght2a5cbg.

If you are not a member of the GeniAus Community at Google+ then you might also consider joining.

I  have plans in train for two further Hangouts this month, I will share details as soon as they are firmed up. 

Congress Presenter - Pauleen Cass

Together with my fellow 2015 Congress Official Bloggers Pauleen Cass and Shauna Hicks I will be sharing interviews with Congress presenters, attendees and organisers on this blog from time to time. These may be in the form of written responses to questions we pose or they may be videos we record using Google Hangouts on Air.

I thank Congress presenter and official blogger Pauleen Cass for being first cab off the rank, Pauleen and I hooked up earlier this week for a Google Hangout on Air where we discussed family history and Congress matters. You can watch Pauleen's interview below in this post or via this link at my Youtube channel.

A Hangout High

It always takes me a while to come down after a GeniAus Hangout on Air and last Tuesday's was no exception. I was joined by an exceptional group of panelists who had so much to say and share about the topic, CGD (Continuing Genealogical Development). I do enjoy chatting with these folk in the informal atmosphere of a Google hangout on Air.

Unfortunately due to the stormy conditions in and around Sydney several panelists were not able to stay the distance. I'm sorry we missed your contributions but appreciate the effort you made to connect.

I detected several themes coming through in the conversations. These included the importance of organisation, citing one's sources and the value of blogging. Panelists took part in a range of traditional and online learning activities and appreciated podcasts, hangouts and webinars. It was interesting to note that many of the panelists work or have worked in IT related jobs and that most of them are geneabloggers.

When I put the panelists on the spot and asked them to nominate a presenter they would recommend these names were mentioned Lisa-Louise Cooke, Chris Paton, Thomas MacEntee, Dick Eastman, Richard Reid, Kerry Farmer, Maria Northcote, Helen Smith, Kim Phillips, Cyndi Ingle and GeniAus. Watch out for them at an event near you or online.

Among the events panelists plan to attend are Rootstech 2015, Congress 2015, The Unlock the Past Baltic Cruise and the NSWACT State Conference.

Best Hangout Ever

I realised a dream tonight. I had more people for the GeniAus Hangout on Air to mark the end of National Family History Month then the ten spaces on the panel.

Having so many panelists contributing to the conversation during the broadcast makes the hangout such a wonderful experience for the Hangout host. Thank you to the twelve peole who joined me to talk about their experiences in National Family Month especially Shauna Hicks, voluntary national co-ordinator for the event.  I had an incredible 60 minutes thanks to the collaboration of these generous genies.

If you missed the Hangout you can watch it right here or catch it later here.

#NFHM2014 - Party time at your house today

It's party time at your house at 5:00pm this afternoon (Sydney time). Yes, if you care to join in, you can celebrate what has been a fantastic National Family History Month.

I'm hoping for a full panel in the GeniAus Hangout on Air this afternoon. If you can tell us about a #NFHM2014 event you've attended, hosted or presented, your success with Shauna's 31 activities for researchers or societies, blog posts you may have written or new blogs you have started or brickwalls that have come tumbling down please join the live panel and share your stories.

Around 4:45pm I will send out links to join the panel to those who have responded "Yes" to my prior invitation to the Hangout. Those people who have messaged me and indicated they will be on the panel will get an even earlier link sent to them from 4:30pm. Watch the notifications bell in the top right hand corner of your Chrome browser or your email for these. We need to check your settings, video and sound before we go live.

If want to watch and comment on the dicussion you will need to be a member of the GeniAus Community on Google+, I will be around to approve more memberships between now and Hangout time.  I will be turning comments off on Youtube (if I cn work out how) so that we keep the conversation all in the one place within our community.

If you prefer to watch quietly from the sidelines you can watch the video on Youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxYLcvkZja4. 

Questions??? I'll be back online after I have a spot of lunch.

See you at the party, please feel free to dress for the occasion and have your favourite refreshment handy.

Caught in the Act

I have debated with myself as to whether I should share this photo or not mainly because I had forgotten to put my iron and ironing board away before it was taken.  But that is the way with candid photos.

GeniAus Haanging out

Last week when I was halfway through my #NFHM2014 hangout my son and Mr GeniAus arrived back from an outing and tiptoed into the room. As the broadcast was in session I couldn't stop to have a chat with them so I just kept going. My son thought it amusing that he "caught me in the act" so he whipped out his phone and took a picture of me which he emailed the next day.

I thought it interesting because the photo shows the things I surround myself with before I start a hangout.  I hangout in the kitchen because the lighting there is good and I am able to connect to my modem by an ethernet cable which I feels gives me a better connection.

Working vaguely from the left of the kitchen table you can see my other gear:

* an handsfree phone that I can dive on and disconnect if someone calls through the hangout
* a vvidoe camera on a mini tripod sitting on a pile of recipe books to get it to a good height
* a botttle of water for when I get parched
* a spiral notebook in case I need to write something down (note the blue pencil in my hands)
* ta big laptop from which I connect to the hangout and monitor my running sheet
* a USB headset
* a portable hard drive on wich is loaded all of my genealogy files
* a pretty pink mouse connected to
* a second laptop on which I watch comments that may be made in the Geniaus Community during the course of the hangout

I am always nervous prior to a hangout commencing. I think this photos shows that once I am connected with my gear around me I am quite relaxed; my demeanour demonstrates that hangouts are not daunting activities.

As you can see from this picture you do not need any sophisticated gear to run or join a hangout, if you haven't tried it yet you should have a go.

Hanging Out in National Family History Month

The first #NFHM2014 event I attended was an online one hosted by myself. It was wonderful to have four Australian and two British family historians join me for a Google Hangout on Air.

As I am presently semi-housebound I realised what a boon online events are for those who are isolated by distance, disability or for some other reason. My stay at home is only temporary as I should be able to drive about next week (I hope) but many others around Australia don't have that luxury.

Here is what newbie panelist Travelgenee had to say about the hangout: http://travelgenee.com/family-history-month-challenge-16/

I won't prattle on about the event instead I will just post the video for you to view.

My Mate Marie

On my first trip to Salt Lake City for the inaugural Rootstech Conference in 2011 I palled up with another foreigner, a bonnie wee lassie from Scotland, Marie Dougan.

We were in the minority at this huge event that was overrun with North Americans and they thought we talked funny but we know that our accents were quite normal.

Marie Dougan, GeniAus and Joan Miller at Rootstech 2011

 I had great fun with Marie in 2011 so I was pleased when she announced that she would be returning to Rootstech in 2013. As I had been selected to host a panel session at the 2013 conference I invited Marie to join the panel, her contributions to the panel were fantastic.

GeniAus with panelists at Rootstech 2013, Marie Dougan, Heather Rojo and A C Ivory.

When Alan Phillips of Unlock the Past told me that he had secured Marie's services for his 5th Genealogy Cruise I was thrilled as I knew that Marie would be a great asset to the team of presenters on the cruise. Last night I had the pleasure of interviewing Marie for Unlock the Past in a Google Hangout on Air.

In case you missed the Hangout with the delightful Marie I am embedding it her for your viewing pleasure.

#UTPCruise - It's already Day 7

As soon as we arrived in port I phoned Mr Geniaus and said that I couldn't decide if I should get off the cruise ship to see Hobart. He suggested that if I didn't have cabin fever I may as well stay on board.

As I have lots of genealogy work to do and I have visited Hobart on a number of occasions I took his advice and have remained closeted in my cabin since we docked. I don't feel confined as I have my balcony door open. I have a fresh breeze wafting in and I am able to see the city and Mount Wellington.

I just spent twenty minutes recording a Hangout on Air that relates my experiences of the last two days. Unfortunately although it appeared that the video in the hangout was recording it does not appear on the recording. Don't you just love technology?

If you would like to hear my recording you can do so from here.

#UTPcruise - Day 2

Instead of typing up a report on yesterday's cruise activities I scheduled a Google Hangout on Air. I was thrilled that Tessa Keough from The US joined me.

Accentuate the Positive 2013 - An experiment

I decided to try something different in response the Accentuate the Positive Geneameme I published last week.

Firstly I realised that my response was going to be loooong and I wasn't looking forward to typing it up, secondly I needed to respond before I posted the list of links to others' contributions and most importantly I wanted to try something new.

So here is my response recorded this afternoon as a Google Hangout on Air to which I invited no other participants..



Apologies for the dodgy sound and the patchy pictures. I looked and sounded fine as I did the recording so will blame the heavy traffic through my ISP or Google on this New Year's Eve.