Today was a big day at RootsTech with the Innovator Summit, the Innovator Showdown Semi-Final and the first
RootsTech sessions. Here's the quick summary.
Innovator
Summit General Session with Liz Wiseman
Liz talked about "rookie
moments." Hers was being tasked with starting Oracle University at 24,
just one year out of university. As Liz put it, her only qualification was that
she had been at a university.
The gist of her presentation, which
included quite a bit of audience participation, was that when you are out of
your comfort zone - having a "rookie moment" you are open to asking
questions, networking and trying new things. You don't know any better so you
are more willing to think outside the box.
Cheryl Hudson Passey, of Carolina Genealogy Girl, was sitting with me during the presentation. She summed it up perfectly by
saying in essence that life is one rookie moment after another.
What's one of your rookie moments?
Embrace them and see how they help you soar!
Innovator
Showdown
Attendees picked up their box lunch to
enjoy during the innovator showdown again this year. It's a great way to spend
the lunch hour. The ten finalists pitched their innovations to the panel of
judges and fielded questions. There were some great apps presented. I'm sure
the judges had a challenging time whittling down the field. I was pleased to
see that Double Match Triangulator and OldNews USA made the finals.
The
Glue that Holds Families Together - Diahan Southard
Diahan's presentation was about her
family's genetic genealogy journey. She
used it as an educational illustration of what we can accomplish by including
DNA as a research tool. It was educational and incredibly moving. There weren't
many dry eyes in the room at the end of the hour! If you ever have the
opportunity to hear this talk. Go!
Using
Identity Characteristics to Locate Ancestors - Angela McGhie
I'm so glad to see more advanced
topics like this one at RootsTech this year.
Angela talked about going beyond
looking at names and locations to identify same name individuals. Some examples
are considering things like occupation, religion and signatures to
differentiate one same named individual from another. I especially liked her
practical use of tables to compare and contrast information on similarly named
individuals.
Unfortunately, the room was too small
to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend this session. Angela will be giving
this presentation at other events this year. If you have the opportunity to
attend, I'm sure you'll pick up some great tips.
Tomorrow the famous RootsTech Expo
Hall opens. I can't wait!
Disclaimer: I (Michelle Goodrum)
am a RootsTech 2017 Ambassador and received complimentary registration to
RootsTech along with other perks.
Any opinions expressed are my own.
© 2017, copyright Michelle Goodrum
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