At breakfast this morning Louise St Denis from NIGS told me to watch out for this press release in my mailbox. Here it is:
(Toronto, February 11, 2011) The National Institute has announced today that they will be offering a free course on Social Media in conjunction with their recent acquisition of GenealogyWise
www.genealogywise.com.
For those of you who are at the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, register directly at The National Institute’s booth (#111), and also receive a free T-Shirt!
The course entitled Social Media for the Wise Genealogist covers social media tools vital to today’s genealogical research including social networking sites, RSS, bookmarking, and more. This course written by Brenda Wheeler, utilizes Drew Smith’s book Social Networking for Genealogists. Social Media for the Wise Genealogist begins March 15th, 2011. To register, see the National Institute’s website at
www.genealogicalstudies.com.
Wheeler, a graduate of The National Institute’s English Certificate program, residing in Australia says "Social Media is vital in today’s world. We are often completely alone sitting behind our computers, but you are not alone when you use social media tools; you are interacting with so many other genealogists doing exactly what you are doing. Living in a remote area, social media enables you to see the bigger picture, to feel like you are not the only one hitting those brick walls. It’s the sharing of knowledge—someone else in our genealogical world has recommendations that will help in our quest. Social media not only makes you feel involved, but helps keep the excitement going."
The National Institute’s Acquisition of GenealogyWise
Gena Philibert Ortega, previous manager of GenealogyWise has officially joined The National Institute. Gena holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women’s Studies) and a Master’s degree in Religion. She has been involved in genealogy for over 20 years. Gena is the author of over 100 articles published in genealogy newsletters and magazines. She is also the author of the book Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra (Arcadia Publishing, 2007).
"Gena has been the driving force behind GenealogyWise since its beginning. For this reason, and because of her excellent communication and genealogical skills, The National Institute was quite pleased that she agreed to accept the position of Director, Genealogical Services. Her dedication to GenealogyWise will ensure terrific continuity in all the features GenealogyWise has to offer." said Louise St. Denis, Managing Director at The National Institute.
"Providing a social networking component to The National Institute’s program allows students to incorporate social networking with their genealogical pursuits. This mix will benefit both current students and GenealogyWise members. Web 2.0 features, including social networking are increasingly becoming a vital component of genealogical research. It’s only natural that a social network and an educational institute join forces" said Gena Philibert Ortega.
GenealogyWise
GenealogyWise is the social network for genealogists. Like other social networking sites, GenealogyWise provides members multiple ways to connect and collaborate with others. But unlike other sites, this social network is dedicated to genealogists and family history topics. GenealogyWise is an active community with over 23,500 members. Membership is free, new members can sign up at
www.genealogywise.com.
GenealogyWise has something for everyone whether they are a beginning genealogist or an advanced researcher. GenealogyWise provides a place to network with other researchers, post questions and comments and make discoveries about your family history.
GenealogyWise provides researchers various ways to learn more about your family history. You can join or create surname, locality, or topic groups. Some of the most active groups are the locality groups including Australian Genealogists, Germany and German Ancestry and Ireland and Irish Ancestry.
Members have access to the GenealogyWise Chat Room where they can, anytime of the day or night, ask a quick question about research, a chat with fellow genealogists, or attend one of our educational presentations. Every Saturday morning a chat hosted by professional genealogists Dae Powell and Jayne McCormick takes place that explores genealogical methodology and techniques.
One of The National Institute resources now available to GenealogyWise members is the Live Meetings program. Live Meetings, a virtual meeting room provides individuals the opportunity to participate in education and question and answer sessions with professional genealogists. GenealogyWise members will be able to access Live Meetings onsite, opening up more educational opportunities to members from The National Institute’s offerings.
Additional Resources
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/GenealogyWise
http://twitter.com/Geneastudies
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/GenealogyWise
About The National Institute for Genealogical Studies
The National Institute has been offering genealogy and history courses for over 11 years. They now offer over 200 courses in genealogical studies to help enhance the researcher’s skills.
For those looking to acquire more formal educational training, The National Institute offers—in affiliation with the Continuing Education Unit of the University of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto—Certificate Programs in the records of Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and the United States, as well as a Librarianship Certificate.
For more information please call us toll-free in North America at 1-800-580-0165 or send us a message at
admin@genealogicalstudies.com.
Louise St. Denis
Managing Director
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies
Toll-free in North America - 1.800.580.0165
Skype: louisestd
Having spent quite a deal of time in The Family History Library in Salt Lake City while at Rootstech over the past week I have reignited my love of libraries. 
