RootsTech 2022: Don't Forget to Check the Chats! (Limited Time)

My favorite sessions during the kickoff weekend of all-virtual RootsTech 2022 were the live talks and panel discussions. 

Why? Because these encouraged interactivity and offered a sense of connection even though we were home in our bunny slippers rather than being together in person at the Salt Palace.

Above, the four panelists who spoke on Saturday with enthusiasm and candor about their experiences with YouTube. More than 400 people attended the Zoom. The session is on YouTube here. I'm a fan of these folks and I enjoyed hearing them discuss their experiences, successes, frustrations, and ideas for the future. The audience chat was a mix of questions, comments, and "hi from Connecticut" greetings that added to the community feeling.

Another group discussion I really liked was the Ethical Dilemmas panel, on YouTube here.

Check the chats! Available until about March 13

With prerecorded sessions, the chat box was a great way to interact with other audience members and, crucially, with content experts. During the first day's session about the 1950 US Census (featuring Crista Cowan of Ancestry and Stephen Valentine of Family Search), I actually learned key, updated details from the experts in the chat. My least favorite parts of this session were the interviews with people in New York's Time Square--entertaining but not informative. You can watch the entire recorded session here.

As I watched the main sponsors' keynotes, I joined the chat and was pleased to see links to some of the new features being introduced. A running Q&A in chat (still available after the sessions) was of interest, as well. More than 500 people commented in the MyHeritage keynote chat...more than 230 in the Ancestry keynote chat...more than 550 in the FamilyTreeDNA keynote chat. Not all chat comments were of broad interest, but there were many good suggestions and links.

As of today, "join the chat" is still available for all sessions on my playlist. BUT chats will be unavailable after another week or so (by March 13 approximately). Do take a moment to check the chat for any session on your RootsTech playlist. 

Mark your calendar: The next RootsTech will begin March 2-4, 2023, less than a year away ;)