Virtual Appearances

Dear Society Program Chair,
THANK-YOU for considering DearMYRTLE as a virtual speaker for an upcoming genealogy society meeting or all-day seminar. You may elect to have your group attend a private DearMYRTLE Hangout on Air or open it to the public to watch virtually thereby building interest in joining your organization.

Click to view CONTACT form.

• Need more variety in society presentations?
• Limited budget?
• Why not consider having Ol' Myrt  appear "virtually" from her office, direct via the internet, to your meeting place?  
• Click to view DearMYRTLE's Sample Speaking Contract.

Virtual meetings open up a wider range of presenters and provide a great savings to your group. There is no need to pay travel expenses, and gives DearMYRTLE more time in her office to write. (Not to mention no more problems with lost luggage for Ol' Myrt here!) 

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL PRESENTATION?

Using Google Hangouts on air, your group's computer logs in via the internet to view Myrt, her computer screen and hear her presentation.

IMAGE: Your live audience view, as the speaker
is being introduced.

IMAGE: The computer set up including the webcam
pointed to the audience, so the speaker can view them.
For more info see: Why Host Virtual Presentations?

THE PROCESS
DearMYRTLE will send the unique meeting ID for your event via Google Hangouts Invitation and Facebook private messaging. Clicking on the link will direct the society's computer to download the Google Hangout interface for that session. The software is a free 15-second download for viewers using Windows, Mac or Linux computers.

Not to worry! DearMYRTLE or +Cousin Russ will practice with the local society contact person 7 to 14 days prior to the scheduled presentation, during a fifteen-minute technical training session.

IMAGE: Screen shot from a inside a recent
DearMYRTLE virtual presentation.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Here's the list of technical requirements for your society to host a DearMYRTLE "virtual" presentation.

• Computer projector and screen in your usual meeting room.
• Computer with high speed internet access.
• Computer speakers with microphone close by, or a telephone system wired into the meeting room's sound system. In a pinch, we've used a speakerphone placed near the mic at the podium, with remarkably good results.

MYRT'S SPEAKING TOPICS

Myrt delights in assisting beginners to get off to the right start with their family history research. 

DearMYRTLE's  New 21st  Century Genealogy Researchers' Strategy Series includes:

• Ancestry.com Trees Can Jumpstart Your Family History Research very popular!
• Blogging for Beginners
• More Blogging for Beginners
• new!  Dropbox for Genealogists: Syncing files rather than backing them up.
• new!  Facebook - Bigger than Google?
• new!  Google Alerts and setting up your Google Home Page
  
• new!  Google Books
• new!  Google Mail and Multiple Calendars
• new! Digital IDs for your photos and scanned images

Recent successful presentations appropriate for beginning to intermediate genealogy researchers include:

• 7 HABITS of Highly Effective Genealogists very popular!
• TALE OF TWO CITIES: Immigration and Naturalization Overview
• Accessing Lineage Society Apps  (Emphasis on DAR and DUV)
• Clothesline Approach to Document Evaluation
• Composing Effective Queries
• Determining what to search next very popular!
• Easy Digital Newsletters 
• FamilySearch Indexing
• Finally Get Organized!
• FROM HERE TO ETERNITY: Internet Research for Patient Genealogists very popular!
• GenSmarts: Artificial Intelligence for Family Historians
• Getting from a Book or CD to the Original Document 
• LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE: Land Records for Genealogists
• Major Migration Patterns of Germans to America
• Medical Practices of the US Revolutionary and Civil Wars very popular!
• MOB DICK: Our Ancestors on the High Seas
• MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON: Research strategies in the National Capital Area
• PODCASTS: Learn While Jogging
• PODCASTS: Creating & Listening
• Preparing for a trip to Salt Lake
• ROMEO & JULIET: Marriage Practices & Records
• The Clothesline Approach to Document Analysis very popular!
• THE TIME MACHINE: Offbeat Resources for Family Historians
• THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT: 3 Months to Better Organization very popular!
• Tracing American Revolutionary War Ancestors
• Union Civil War Pension Files
• WAR & PEACE: US Military Records 
• Where to Look Next very popular!
• WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS: Finding Female Ancestors revised 2015

Alternately, we could devise a customized presentation that better suits the needs of your society membership. Consider an expanded treatment of any of DearMYRTLE's recent blog entries. Also take a look at recent study group sessions at: http://hangouts.DearMYRTLE.com

SCHEDULE OF VIRTUAL MEETING 

Usually a society has an opening session including a few brief announcements prior to introducing the speaker.

• At Contract: DearMYRTLE will schedule the Hangout on Air event, and see that your contact person receives the email invitation.
• 1 month before: Your society provides DearMYRTLE with society logo for her blog announcement of the meeting and the opening screen of her PowerPoint.
• 1-2 weeks before: Practice at meeting place for a technical run-through. View these several videos for advice from Ol' Myrt and +Cousin Russ in this playlist titled Why Host Virtual Meetings?
• 1 hour before: Reboot society's computer. This ensures there will be no OS or Java update installations. Be sure to disable any extra programs like Dropbox and Outlook that may attempt to auto-update during the presentation.
• 1 hour before: Shut down auto-update of email and other services to avoid "pop-up notifications" during the meeting.
• 15 minutes before: Log in to the virtual meeting using the link private DearMYRTLE Hangout on Air invitation. I'll send it to your society's technician via Google Hangout invitation, and in a Facebook private message
• 13 minutes before: Have your group take a short break so we can test out the audio. At this point, your computer will project DearMYRTLE's video feed, PowerPoint slides and the audio between you and DearMYRTLE will be working.
• 5 minutes before: Call the group to order and instruct meeting attendees to shut down their computers, cell phones and other wireless devices that can cause interference with GoToMeeting.
• 3 minutes before: Introduce DearMYRTLE. 
• 45 minutes into the presentation: Questions and Answers

THANK-you for considering my work. Click to view DearMYRTLE's Sample Speaking Contract. I trust we'll be able to arrange a suitable date and time for the presentation. I'm looking forward to working with you to create a positive learning experience for your society members.

Happy family tree climbing!

Myrt     :)

DearMYRTLE,

Your friend in genealogy.