Yesterday was the first day of RootsTech 2020. Sessions were held as early as 8 a.m. and the keynote address was delivered in the afternoon. It was no surprise that we would reminisce about the first ten years. “The idea of a technologist getting together with a genealogist is the reason RootsTech is here today,” said Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International. “Family history is continuously being written. Your story matters. We don’t just study family history. We live family history.” If you missed the #RootsTech10 Years celebration and Steve Rockwood’s keynote address, it is now available at RootsTech.org.

It’s another day of live-streamed sessions. Just log on to RootsTech.org.Also, if you love Relative Race, and you are at the Salt Palace Convention Center, you’ll want to catch the Relative Race session at 1:30 p.m. TODAY in Ballroom B! You may also like the Relative Race challenge offered in the Expo Hall. There’s some great swag for those who complete this challenge.

Jenna Mills, a.k.a. Seeking Surnames, found me in the Media Hub. It’s time for #GenChat photos! There are new signs, so no #GenChat attendee will get away with an old photo. (Using an old photo is kind of like some women in the U.S. Federal Census—they get younger than ten each census year!)

It’s great to catch up with friends and make new ones. Jenna and I met at RootsTech in person a couple of years ago, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to meet Diana Richie. Connect. Belong. at RootsTech. Here they displayed their signed copies of Nathan Dylan Goodwin’s mystery novels. Have you read them?

Besides Nathan and many other vendors in the Expo Hall, you can record “The Story of You” just like the segments shown in the opening keynote address. Once your story is filmed, it is sent to you via email as a keepsake.

Finally, at the end of the day, interviews began in the Media Hub. First up was Thom Reed from FamilySearch. Thom has been active in promoting Black History Month. You can read more about it here.

 I do my best to follow what’s happening on social media during the conference and on Twitter it was mentioned that “#NotAtRootsTech FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) was “currently happening.” I could only reply that even if you are at RootsTech, there is so much going on that a person still might suffer FOMO! RootsTech: Truly amazing! Potentially overwhelming! Very rewarding! (Or, would “exhausting” be a more accurate term?)

With day one in the books, this post may be an example of the potpourri of activity going on at RootsTech. It’s onto Day 2!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am designated as an official ambassador to the RootsTech Conference and, as such, I am provided complimentary admission and other services to accomplish my duties. Nevertheless, I have been with RootsTech since its inception and with its predecessor for many years as a paid participant. As always, my coverage and opinions are my own and are not affected by my current status. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

© 2020 Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.