The theme for this year’s RootsTech, the largest Family History conference in the world, is #ChooseConnection. I’m excited that I am giving three presentations. I chose to do these as live discussions instead of pre-recorded classes. Please add these dates to your calendar and join me live to add your voice and #ChooseConnection!
Thursday, March 3rd, 6 pm – 6:30 pm MST, DNA Interest Groups that Keep ’em Coming Back.
Friday, March 4th, 6 pm – 7 pm MST, Searching for Close Relatives with Your DNA Results.
Saturday, March 5th, 12 pm – 1 pm MST, Bring Your Community Family History Project to Life, panel with Dr. Joe Price of the BYU Record Linking Lab, Taneya Koonce, Taralynn Parker, Miles Meyer, Mary Anderson, Alisha Chang, Rachel Trotter and Heather Jacobs. We will have a full hour together and take audience questions, and then have breakout rooms for anyone who wants more details about any of our projects! My project: Connected Tempe (150th Birthday of our city in Arizona).
Each of these sessions has an associated syllabus/handout already visible for you view online or print.
I recommend you tune in to RootsTech Thursday, March 3rd at 9:55 am MST for the full reveal of the theme, the new theme song for #ChooseConnection, and social media challenges!
Exciting announcements will be made at RootsTech about a 1950 Census community project and how to help make the census searchable by name and address for the general public.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Do you get paid to speak at RootsTech?
A: Yes! This is my third year speaking at RootsTech. In early March 2020 I gave two presentations in Salt Lake City. It was right before the Covid shutdown, our last hurrah, so to speak. In February 2021 for RootsTech I led two live discussions online on DNA with the help of several friends, and monitored the related chat rooms and Let’s Do Good Together virtual booth for three days (my choice on the chat room monitoring).
Q: I registered last year for the free RootsTech Connect online conference. Do I need to register again?
A: Yes, you need to register each year! Do it now and choose the free “All Access Pass” and check “Enable relative matching” so you are can check a few days before the conference starts to find your relatives (close/distant cousins) from around the world who are also attending RootsTech and other bonuses. See my latest blog post for details on how to make the most of Relatives at RootsTech (finding all your cousins who are also attending RootsTech. Here’s the registration link: https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/next/
Q: When will we be able to see this year’s presenters and class list?
A: This year’s speakers and class sessions are visible now, since Thursday, February 24th. I recommend you filter the Sessions by Year (choose 2022) and by language (Choose English or your preferred language. Also, go to the Calendar under the Menu and check out Sessions there—these are the 60 live sessions that are not prerecorded. You can start to add these to your Playlist now. Here is a photo of most of this year’s presenters (I’m on the right hand side, second row from the edge. Alyson Johnson in our Phoenix East Valley DNA Interest Group is about a third of the way in from the left side, second row from the top). Bonnie Bossert in our group is on the top row in the middle (blue shirt; brown hair). The session options are amazing!
Q: How long will this year’s classes be available to watch online?
A: This year’s classes will be available to watch for at least a year and possibly up to three years. If you’re like me, it’s rare to actually watch many of these virtual conference sessions post-conference. Our intentions are good, but life gets in the way. Because of that, I’m planning a watch party in the FamilySearch classrooms at the Mesa Temple Visitors’ Center Saturday afternoon/evening, March 5th from about 4 pm until about 8:45 pm. Join me to watch some of the DNA sessions (or plan your own watch party with a few friends or family members)! Message me if you’re interested.
Q: When does the Exhibit Hall open?
A: The Exhibit Hall will open Thursdary, March 3rd at 8 am. There is no Wednesday night preview this year.
Q: Is the content the same each day?
A: Once the conference begins Thursday morning, March 3, 2022, you may view any of the prerecorded classes, in any order (starting at 11 am MST, right after the 10 am opening session by Steve Rockwood). However, the main stage content with Keynote Speakers and entertainment is different each day. I enjoyed watching the main stage entertainment and keynote speakers last year, even though I wasn’t that familiar with the keynote speakers prior to the conference. They were very inspiring!
Plus, there are about 60 live discussions in real time sprinkled throughout, such as my sessions I listed above, so watch for those. They will be recorded and available on YouTube afterward (unlike last year), but it’s still fun to watch and participate in real time.
Saturday, March 5th is “Family Discovery Day.” This is open for everyone to watch. Last year, millions of people worldwide registered and tuned in to RootsTech!
This is great information and I love the visuals! Thank you so much for taking the time to gather this information and put it one easy to read place for all who come to your site.