Day Two - Rootstech from a foreigners perspective

From Rootstech home page:

Where Families Connect

RootsTech is an opportunity unlike any other to discover the latest family history tools and techniques, connect with experts to help you in your research, and be inspired in the pursuit of your ancestors. Learn how to find,organize, preserve and share your family's connections and history.


Again I have been sitting an watching some - not all - of Fridays streaming sessions.
Haven't seen any more Dear Myrtle-interviews from the second day.

The session I would like to address is the presentation of the new Family Search Family Tree.

It's about collaboration.

This Family Search product is supposed to be the mother (or rather child) of all online tree services. And there are quite a few to replace!

I try to list the ones I know of : Ancestry, MyHeritage, Geni, GeneaNet, Tribal Pages, WeRelate, WikiTree, RootsWeb.

Each has it's virtues but at least two imperfections.

1. Some people only input and store their data online. Not a very sound way to backup your data.
   Remedy: Always use a computer software with a good backup. Since the trees are commercial they may close down - not giving enough revenue.
   
2. If you just use one tree service there might be family members which use another service - and you may never meet your relative in the cloud. 

If you want more opinions - check #Caroline Pointer's HOA on the 2nd day focusing on the Family Search Family Tree. Great show with joiners #Marian Pierre-Louise, #Linda McCauley and 

#Tessa Keough!

In this HOA it was addressed that most if not all live streamed session were at the beginners level. They wanted content also for the intermediate and advanced family researchers. 

It's a tech conference and as non-attendents we can not freely pick from the smorgasbord (yes that is a Swedish expression!). 

I totally agree - and a more tech content would be appreciated by us outside the English speaking sphere of genealogy. Tech discussions are more universal.

Two "what abouts" 

• what about the unholy collaboration between the commercial Ancestry and the free Family Search. What's in it for the parties?
  
• what about GedcomX ? - what happens to the new "universal" standardised version??
  I see #Ryan Heaton has a presentation on Developers Day and would really like to attend.