Gatherings » March 2025 » “RootsTech” Debriefings, Plus — Changes Afoot

If there's one thing we have proof of, it's change. This month we made one change in how we handle gatherings. Now we've convinced ourselves to add a few more. Take note and join us in the discussion.

It was a delight to see so many of you join us for our Gatherings this month. We moved them to the same day to accommodate the scheduling complexity of the annual RootsTech conference that first week of March.

Although the conference is over, most of us are still catching up on our recording playlists. We used much of today’s sessions to share the programs we enjoyed, the products we explored, and the connections we made.

We also discussed how new insights will inform changes coming to Gatherings in future months.

RootsTech Insights

During both sessions today, we went around the Zoom boxes to share reflections on some of the show's most compelling elements. I think it’s fair to say that most of us were still reeling from what we’d learned—and still had playlists of recordings to watch.

Here are some excellent topic recommendations based on comments:

• Topics: AI came up over and over again, and among the most frequently mentioned:

  • “AI Genealogy: Year Two: The 2025 Outlook: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re At, Where We’re Headed” — Steve Little (includes his other talks)

  • “Using ChatGPT as Your Personal Writing Coach” — this one was not recorded on site, but you can see related topics in

    Denyse Allen
    ’s terrific RootsTech playlist for her
    Chronicle Makers
    channel on YouTube.com/@denyse_allen.

  • “Mondays with Myrt” that

    DearMYRTLE
    broadcasted live from the FamilySearch Center in Salt Lake City. Don’t miss her YouTube.com/@DearMyrtleArchive either.

• Tips:

  • Full-Text Search a wonderous system with new innovations

  • The topic of FamilySearch tips and tricks

  • Research logging & organizational strategies (again, a huge category)

  • Scan to Desktop, a feature we didn’t even know we had using MacOS, iPhones and Apple’s Preview!

• DNA Topics

  • Nearly 300 presentations on DNA alone

• Well known experts

  • Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist

  • Claire Bradley with Irish Genealogy

• Ancestry Innovations and specifically Ancestry Networks

  • Crista Cowan’s introduction

  • More detailed presentation about the feature

• Our RootsTech Ride Along Live sessions earned a few mentions.

  • As you’ll see below in item #2 for Changes for these gatherings, we’re looking to build on what we learned to do “office hours” in a new form.

On the topic of RootsTech, I’d be remiss not to mention the many fabulous summary posts dropped here in Substack. Robin’s fantastic GenStack newsletter on Saturdays does a great job catching each of those.

Changes to MissionGenealogy Gatherings

This month,

Robin Stewart

and I decided to mix it up a little by changing our formula for these meetings in three ways:

1. Meetings on the Second Week Each Month

First, running the Atlantic and Pacific region-centric meetings on the same day has worked well. So, in the future, instead of separating them by a week, we’ll host both “Gatherings” on one day: the second Tuesday (or Wednesday in Asia/Pacific) of the month. Our next dates:

• April 8th for the Atlantic time

• April 8th and 9th across the date line in Pacific time.¹

Seasonal calendar jumps occur between now and then, so kindly double-check times with my WorldTimeBuddy links ☝️ above. I’ve updated the calendar at MissionGenealogy.org/events .

MissionGenealogy Gatherings now held on the second Tuesday/Wednesday of each month. Visit MissionGenealogy.org/events for details.

Robin and I realized that we wanted a more interactive format to encourage more family historians and genealogists on Substack. To make it both fun and easy to get help, we’re making two changes to the way we’ve been handling “Office Hours.”

2. Office Hours Move to Substack Live

The RootsTech Ride Along was such a hit that we realized the live format’s interactivity is both fun and helpful. So, we’ve planned one (and, if there is enough interest, two) Substack Live sessions each month to answer live questions. 

The answers may be provided live, but all sessions will be recorded. The shared video posts may include additional background, screenshots, screen recordings, and similar content.

⮕ Here’s where your thoughts in the comments can directly impact how we do this. Thoughts?

3. A List of FAQs Here on MissionGenealogy

We’ve realized that family historians and genealogists tend to take a different approach than most Substack users. Our expectations are different, so we wanted to create a reference base of questions and answers that our members could use to help them meet their platform goals.

This list of FAQs will be rolled out gradually as Robin and I can manage it. To get us started, Robin has created a form for submitting questions. The idea is to ensure that the questions reflect your frame of mind. Please help us out with a handful or more. These questions will also form the foundation for the Substack live Office Hours.

To submit questions, please visit tinyurl.com/mission-genealogy-survey. Please note that your name will only be used for tracking and follow-up clarifications. It will not be associated with questions as they appear in the FAQ. All questions are valid; basic ones may be especially valuable.

Finally, Welcome the New Folks!

Thank you for your active participation and warm welcome to the new members of our growing community on Substack. Our RootsTech Ride Along resulted in a big burst of subscribers new to Substack. As you come across posts shared by new writers, kindly take a moment to leave them thoughtful comments or restack the post. This will give new folks more visibility and a taste of our generous ethos.

Tip: If you’re impressed with someone else’s work, one of the most helpful things you can do is give them a recommendation. To get to your own recommendations page,² tap this button:

Sweet! Thank you for all you do.

1. Note: If you’ve registered for the “Pacific” edition in Zoom from April forward and added the events to your calendar, please take a moment to move them forward for a week. The links will remain the same. You should receive a notification from Zoom. If you’re unsure, go ahead and re-register. These are all free, and there’s no harm in registering twice.

2. This only works if you have a publication of your own, but if you do, it’s a fabulous thing to do. With a few words, you can make someone’s day AND boost their exposure to new subscribers.