Technology Tuesday - There's an App for That - NGS 2012

Good Morning everyone! Ready for NGS2012? Have a few last minute things to pack?

I've been running like a madwoman since I got into Cincinnati on Sunday. I managed to start processing two boxes of family photos and correspondence my cousin has, went to two cemeteries and got to the Cincinnati Library for about three hours yesterday to look at microfilm. I forgot to mention in my post yesterday (it's here) that I met another first time conference goer, named John, while we were looking at microfilm. He'd come in on Friday to do family research also, and though a bit shy about having his name in my little blog, he's definitely the typical (as I see it for myself) first time conference attendee: we want to cram as much into, and get as much out of, this week as we possibly can.

So as we were standing there fawning over the new microfilm machines, I mentioned that I was going to spend a bit more time going over the Conference schedule on the great app that they have for smartphones. He hadn't heard about it, and while I know I've seen it on my Twitter feed, I suspect it might not be as well publicized as it could be. I use an Android phone, but I believe the app is the same for an iPhone. So, without further ado:

Locate the place to find apps. You have to download an app called 'Guidebook'. Once you've downloaded and installed that, there's a page to 'Select a Guide to Download'. There are four options here, and by selecting the 'Trade Shows & Events' tab, it opens up everything that is available. You'll need to scroll through the list of available guides under the 'Soon' tab, but you can't miss the #NGS2012 logo! Select the tab for that, and the guide will begin to download. Be patient, it might take a minute.

There will now be a tab called 'My Guides'. In the future, there will be an icon on your phone called 'Guidebook' and when you select that, it immediately takes you to the 'My Guides' page. Select the 'NGS 2012 Family History Conference' tab and...Voila! You, my friend, have just opened up a world of great tools!

My favorite, right now, is the Exhibitors page. Not only can you see an alphabetical list of vendors, but by selecting a vendor, you go to a page that describes what they have AND the very best part? At the bottom, there is an 'Add to To-Do' selection. That's right! By selecting that link, it will add to your 'To-Do' list an item that says, 'Visit (insert vendor here)'. There are also pages for News Flash, Speakers, Maps, Photos, Twitter (#NGS2012...how awesome!), and the part I love the most, Schedules by Day, Level, and Tracks. Once you've added the sessions that you want, you can select 'My Schedule' to see a daily breakdown of everything you have planned.

THIS is going to be my number 1 tool while I'm at the Conference. A bit of a hint: there's another app called 'Juice Defender' that I recommend for anyone who worries about their battery running out of, well, juice. Especially for those of us who will be relying on our phones for blogging, tweeting, and all varieties of other social media during the conference, ensuring your battery is working at its most efficient is very important. I carry an additional battery and a credit card sized charger also.

So, are you ready? This is my first NGS conference. I'm nervous as...I'm really nervous. It's a good nervous. I'm hoping to meet lots and lots of people who share my passion for genealogy. I'm also excited to share my passion for preserving the work we do. If you're going...find me! I want to meet you. It's going to be a wonderful conference!