RootsTech Connect – February 25-27, 2021 – To Be Continued
By Suzan Younger
Imagine attending a genealogy conference with over one million participants from 242 countries.1 Think of being able to watch over 2,000 sessions on genealogical and family history topics, available for an entire year after the initial conference. Think of the logistics. How do organizers even begin to serve that many people and present that many classes, sessions, and demonstrations?
The World Health Organization announced a pandemic brought on by the Covid-19 virus on 11 March 2020, just 13 days after RootsTech 2020 ended on 29 February 2020. Anticipating problems for the 2021 conference, Jen Allen, director of RootsTech 2021, and her team spent the next year designing the all-virtual, FREE 2021 conference. Beginning February 25 and for the next three days, RootsTech Connect was virtual for 24 hours a day. Over one million people from approximately 242 countries accessed the presentations during those three days. This was a fantastic response from genealogists world-wide. It was a game-changer for future RootsTech conferences.
Even though the live conference ended on 27 February 2021, the presentations and sessions are still available for viewing at no cost. RootsTech will make the videos available for almost an entire year; they did not give an end date. You can access over 2,000 sessions at the RootsTech Connect 2021 website.
There is an added feature to the website if you sign in to your free FamilySearch account. When you sign in to your free account at FamilySearch.org, you can create a playlist of the sessions you want to watch or keep for additional viewing or reference for the year. A playlist is an efficient way to return to the website and pick up where you left off in your viewing plan.
The organizers divided the 2021 conference website into sections. The outline of available videos follows. Please be aware that a central theme of RootsTech Connect 2021 was to connect families, people, and places through family history. Not all of the sessions contain specific educational content. However, with over 2,000 sessions, you will find plenty of presentations with new information, methodology, and resources to improve your skills. Be sure to click the “See more” button at the bottom of each category. There are more treasures beyond the first screen.
So, when you have a few hours of free time, spend it exploring the RootsTech Connect 2021 website. It will be worth your time.
- RootsTech Connect 2021
- Learn How to Use the RootsTech site
- Website tutorial
- Guide Me (This is a duplication of the Sessions but sorted into helpful categories)
- Getting Started
- FamilySearch
- Ancestry
- MyHeritage
- DNA
- For Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Our Quest for Connection (Youth and Young Adults)
- Homeland Heritage
- Advanced Skills
- For Archivists
- African Heritage
- Jewish Heritage
- Native American Heritage
- Sessions
- By Language
- Keynotes
- Connecting with Family
- Finding Ancestors
- DNA
- Places, Records and Research
- Memories – Stories, Photos and Video
- Traditions and heritage
- Websites, Tools and Apps
- Latter-day Saints
- Expo Hall: 85 Exhibitors with the following resources
- Introductory video about the exhibitor
- Booth Demos
- Promotions
- Discover More
- Downloadable Resources
- Innovators Portal — Here you’ll find all the latest innovative technology in the family history and genealogy industry.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Learn How to Use the RootsTech site
**Note: be sure to click the “See More” button at the bottom of each category. The list goes on and on….
To create a free FamilySearch account, go to familysearch.org. Click on the blue button – “Create a FREE account” and follow the instructions.
1 News Release, “More than 1 Million Attend All-Virtual RootsTech Connect 2021.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 22 Feb 2021, online news release : accessed 16 Mar 2021. A second source is the RootsTech 2021 website: FamilySearch, RootsTech : accessed 16 Mar 2021), “home page.”
Image credits: RootsTech.org website
