Family History Month challenge 16 is to “attend/listen to a webinar or Google + hangout – why not join Google + and see what other Aussie genealogists are doing? ” When you do not know too many genealogists or family history experts this might appear to be a little overwhelming especially when you are more of a beginner, like me. I was fortunate that I selected the Google+ Hangout run by Jill Ball and she made me feel very welcome.
The hangout was primarily about what we were doing for Family History Month here in Australia and Jill led the discussion with a mixture of questions and information on Family History Month. She competently brought into the discussion the attendees who wished to participate in the audio/video side of the hangout. Plus some of the persons listening in left comments on the discussion.
Why a Google+ Hangout is easier than you think
No need to worry about your hairdo or makeup during the hangout. You can replace your video stream with your avatar at any time during the hangout or for the whole time.
Google+ Hangout with Jill Ball
If you wish to be even more anonymous you can just listen in to the hangout or even check it out later on YouTube. However, you do not get the chance to participate and ask questions in person. You can write comments to ask questions.
You can mute and unmute as required. It is better to mute while you are not talking as this avoids any background noise being added to the recording. With mute, there are no fears of others around you making noise that interrupts the hangout.
With mute you can listen to Monday Night Football – this week my team Melbourne Storm won and there were some great tries so I did not have to miss the game.
I found using my iPhone earbuds with the iPad ideal and I did not miss the conversation when the sports TV announcers seemed to get excited, making more noise.
If you think that you might have trouble joining, locate the join page early and Jill opens the hangout early so you can get connected. You need a Google+ account to join. As I said I used my iPad so figured out if you are out and about, with an Internet connection, you could easily connect and follow the audio live with an iPhone. No need to miss a live Hangout!
What did we talk about?
The Australian contingent of the group talked about the presentations they are doing for Family History Month. We also found out that they have a family history week in England/ UK however with the “Who do you think you are?” event it is becoming popular to have more family history-associated events being run around the same time as WDYTYA.
I said I was doing the Family History Month Challenge created by Shauna Hicks.
Jill thanked Shauna Hicks for all the work she has done on the challenge and so much more on the rest of the month’s activities.
Mention was given to how some local libraries are easy to work with creating Family History events and how others are less responsive. In one case the event was organised with about 2 weeks lead time and another with plenty of lead time was not able to be organised.
This led to some discussion on the advantages of online societies and how you can be located in different places and still be able to participate.
There is a hashtag for the month. I have #NFHM2014 on the challenge sheet which Jill has used and #NFHM14 was mentioned.
Family History Month 2014 Website
One comment mentioned the cost of joining societies can be a problem. (An interesting point when one of the other challenges is to join up. I will have to see what I can get for my “buck”.)
Beyond the FH month, we discussed the software some participants use. For those beyond the beginner stage, some elected to use Family Historian. Users agreed that it really suited their needs and as it has GEDCOM file-transferring capability the issue of not having a direct online tree is not critical. I have not seen this software so will investigate it later in between work, sport, travel, blogging, and my own research. Did I say I was busy?
Someone mentioned One-Place studies so it is another thing I need to check out. I regularly check out the KITTO one-name study so it will be interesting to see what places are in the One-Place study and if these can help my research.
Online Suggestion for Family History Month
On Monday 18 August 2014, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM AEST (That is: Australian EST) there is a MyHeritage online event with Shauna Hicks titled Golden Genealogy Rules: Tips to uncover your family heritage.* The topic is about golden genealogy rules, tips and tricks to uncover more about your ancestors and family heritage. You can register here: (Event over)
If you are plan to use an iPad download the “go to meeting” app first so you are prepared.
* Source: Family History Month Details
What did I think of my first hangout – where I actually spoke?
Challenge 16 was much easier than I thought. It does help being more tech-inclined but this should not stop you from trying a webinar or Google+ hangout soon.
Read about my other Family History Month Challenges.
Please feel free to leave a comment on your experiences with Webinars or Hangouts.
Hi Fran! I’ve just watched the hangout and enjoyed it very much. It was great to find out about your interests and – oh, good, another genealogy blog to read!
Hi Frances, Nice name! Glad to read you enjoyed the hangout. I check out your blog too and added it to my Feedly. Somehow I had already followed you on Google + so I will be looking out for new posts. Fran
Nice to meet you in the hangout, just taking a wander in your blog, it’s always great to meet another travel addict..
Jane, Nice to meet you too. Yes travel can be addictive – in a good way. Fran
So pleased you joined in Fran, so nice to have a fresh face in the Hangout. Thanks for the positive comments and for your contributions, it makes the session so much easier for me when I am joined by fellow enthusiasts.
I did enjoy myself. I have marked the calender for the one on the 31 August. Here is hoping work does not get in the way of my leisure, Fran