What If You Can't Go?: RootsTech 2012 Edition

Last year for the FGS conference I posted an article on how to "attend" the conference from home.  What If You Can't Go To FGS 2011 was a look at ways you could still participate in the conference from home and even look towards attending in 2012.  I thought it fitting to post an update for those unable to go to RootsTech this year. All is not lost, there are still ways you can participate.

Download the RootsTech Syllabus. I love that RootsTech has provided the syllabus for the conference for free on their website. This allows everyone to share in what is happening  and for those of us not able to attend, we can still benefit from the presentations. To download the syllabus, see  the RootsTech Downloads page.

Follow RootsTech on Twitter. By using the RootsTech hashtag #rootstech you can follow the latest news from  the conference including information about vendors, presentations and events.

Check out the RootsTech Bloggers. Whether you follow them on Facebook, Twitter,  or their blogs, you are sure to learn about what is happening both during and after the conference. Click here for a list of RootsTech Bloggers.

Attend RootsTech from Home. RootsTech is live streaming 14 presentations starting on Thursday. You can find the list of presentations and times by going to their homepage and scrolling down.

Be a Winner. RootsMagic is holding an online scavenger hunt where you can win an iPad 2. Winners will include both RootsTech attendees and non-attendees. Look for the announcement tomorrow about which blogs will have clues. To learn more about this giveaway, see the RootsMagic  blog.

What About Next Year? In my original posting for FGS 2011, I wrote "The FGS conference (or RootsTech) is yearly,  start planning now to attend next year. With 12 months until the next conference you can work on finances, clearing your calendar and arranging for someone to take care of family members or even bring them with you. (Those who know me often see my kids trailing behind me.) I have written before on this blog and also in an article for Internet Genealogy about saving money so you can do more genealogy.  And I mean it. Yes, I use coupons, specials and discounts so that I can save money and go to conferences. Save money now to store away but also consider ways to save during the conference like finding a roommate, shopping for travel deals, etc. Start now, it's always great to have something to look forward to."

It's impossible to go to every genealogy conference. Fortunately, conference organizers are finding ways for those unable to attend to still participate. Take advantage of these opportunities and let conference organizers know how much you appreciate attending from home.