Genealogy Videos – Part 3 - Roots Television

This is the 3rd in an ongoing series about genealogical videos that are available free on the internet.

Previous posts include:
Part 1 - APG Videos
Part 2 – Legacy Family Tree Webinars

Roots Television

One of the early adopters of video for the internet was Roots Television. Roots Television wanted to make a permanent channel for genealogy 24/7 on the internet. It is the brain child of  internationally known genealogist Megan Smolenyak and Media Producer Marcy Brown. They went live in September 2006. Roots Television has the largest collection of free genealogy videos on the internet. They continue to add at least one new video every week.

What can you expect to find?

When you arrive at the homepage for Roots Television you will find a video loaded and waiting for you. You don’t have to watch that one but it just goes to show how simple accessing videos is. To the right of that video under a “Browse Videos” header are five tabs presenting other video content.

If you don’t find those of interest, scroll down to the bottom of the page where you have the option to choose a “channel.” Each channel (or topic) is represented by a different photograph. Some of the channels include: New & Featured, Conferences, DNA, How To, Military, British Roots, African Roots, Ancestors Series and much more.

Roots Television nearly “went off the air” earlier in the year due to costs. There was such an out cry that it now accepts advertising in order to keep it going. The videos, however, are still free for viewing.

Today I watched the “Getting Started” episode from the PBS Ancestors series. Other than the out of date clothing and at times overly expressive hosts, the program was professional, enjoyable and fun to watch. It's a good place to start for people who are new to family history research.

Some of my favorite Roots Television videos include:


Down Under Florida: The Ashley Family by the Genealogy Guys - George C. Morgan and Drew Smith


Elizabeth Shown Mills being interviewed on the Wholly Genes Cruise, 2008

The conference videos are a great way to learn more about some of the national speakers you haven’t met in person.

Need an afternoon coffee break?  Why not stop by Roots Television and get some new ideas for your genealogy research.

Genealogy Videos, Part 2 - Legacy Family Tree Webinars

If you like to learn visually then videos are a great tool for your genealogical education. Luckily, with advances in technology, there are many free, professional videos available. I wrote previously about the tremendous videos available from the APG website.  I will work my way through the other options available.

Legacy Family Tree

One of the newer video providers on the scene is Legacy Family Tree who are now providing free webinars. The webinars are first held live and then are available for viewing at your convenience on their website. Their first webinar was held September 2010.

 Overview

I've watched the recorded webinar by Dear Myrtle and I thought it was very good.  The sound, visuals and presentation were all very good quality and professionally done.  Most of the videos are around 1 hour long. The longest one is two hours.The video didn't require any special software installation and I really like that.

CURRENT ARCHIVES

The webinars to date have been:

Mapping Software for Genealogists by Geoff Rasmussen

Helping Unlock the World’s Records – An Insider’s Perspective on FamilySearch Indexing by Jim Ericson

Sharing Genealogy Electronically by Geoff Rasmussen

 Blogging for Beginners with DearMYRTLE by Dear Myrtle

Evidence Analysis by Karen Clifford 

New Family History Technology by Paul Larsen 

Organize, Share, and Publish Your Digital Photos with Heritage Collector Suite by Marlo Schuldt 

UPCOMING

There are 3 upcoming webinars that you can register for to view live.  The advantages of viewing them live are that you get to ask questions, respond to surveys and win prizes.

Share Your Family History with Legacy Charting by Geoff Rasmussen & Janet Hovorka on Dec. 1, 2010.

Helping Unlock the World's Records - FamilySearch Indexing for Power Users by Katie Gale on Dec. 8, 2010

Google for Genealogists by Thomas MacEntee on Jan. 5, 2010

If you have a little extra time this weekend, spend an hour watching a video on the Legacy Family Tree website.  You'll be amazed at what you'll learn.

New Videos Out by APG

Once again the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) has videotaped a number of the talks from their recent Professional Management Conference.

I'm really looking forward to watching the new videos from  APG. The inaugural videos from last year by Mary Penner, Heather Henderson and Elissa Scalise Powell were wonderful. I think we are being spoiled by having so many extra to view this year. Thank you APG for posting these online thus making them available publicly.

If you are a professional genealogist, or even just considering taking a step in that direction then you will get a tremendous benefit from watching the videos.  They cover topics that address core business skills which professional genealogists need to know.

This year's lineup includes Leslie Albrecht Huber ("Get Published in Magazines"), Elissa Scalise Powell ("Choosing the Best Continuing Education Opportunities"), Paula Stuart Warren ("Niche Planning and Marketing"), Donna Moughty ("Expand Your Revenue: Produce and Sell Your Lectures in Video Format"), and D. Joshua Taylor ("A Key to Success: Your Online Presence").

The toughest decision is going to be which one to watch first!