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Charleston SC - National Genealogical Society
Visiting Charleston SC was a great opportunity to renew old friendships, learn about new genealogical resources, and rediscover one of America's great cities. Thanks to the National Genealogical Society for scheduling their annual conference in the Holy City. The Convention Center is actually in North Charleston, but the entire region offers so many restaurants, shops and activities - that focusing on genealogy remained difficult.
The pre-Conference activities included the APG roundtable. The Association of Professional Genealogists hosted the event titled “Looking for Clients in all the Right Places.” The panel consisted of Maureen Taylor, known as the Photo Detective, and author of The Last Muster; Marie Varrelman Melchiori CG, CGL, a renowned Military Records Specialist, Kenyatta D. Berry, current Vice President of APG, also active with several high-profile television projects; and me. There is definitely a move in the genealogical community moving towards more technology and communication. I announced my intent to tweet live during my lectures during the conference.
We discussed how we built our respective businesses, marketing techniques, and how we dealt with new clients. The audience certainly brought many great questions to the table including marketing via Facebook, Groupon, and the web. Thanks to Liesa Healy-Miller for serving as Moderator of the Panel and Beverly Rice for Coordinating the Event.
Buzzy Jackson opened the Conference with her unique blend of humor and storytelling reminding all of us to keep the story alive. The Archivist of the US, David Ferriero discussed the 1940 census and the status of our National Archives.
One of the highlights of the week was the re-emergence of Helen F. M. Leary to the National Conference. Helen has inspired so many genealogists throughout the years. Many of her lectures are available from the North Carolina Genealogical Society. She also edited my favorite genealogical reference - North Carolina Research also available from NCGS.
So much happened throughout the week, that I must ponder and prioritize. More later.
