Web seminars, or “Webinars,” have quickly become one of the most popular ways for professionals and companies to share information with large groups of individuals from across the country, or even around the world, without the high cost of travel. Webinars are just like seminars and among genealogists, Geoff Rasmussen is quite popular. Geoff is the host and regular presenter at Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Topics he has covered shows his wide and experienced knowledge base in genealogical research as well as Internet and digital tools valuable to genealogists.
Webinars are popular because a large group of “attendees” can come and watch a presentation at a given time. Webinars are nice, since they are usually recorded and can be watched again at a later time. The only real downside to webinars is the video stream can be slow for some people. Depending in large part on the viewer’s own personal Internet connection speed, video may or may not play well. The age of a person’s computer may also contribute to slow playback. To counter these playback problems, some individuals and companies offer the option to buy their webinars on CD. CD’s offer the opportunity to play these webinars on almost any computer at anytime, without the worry of connection issues.
Mapping Software for Genealogist is a webinar present by Geoff, covering some of the best software tools for mapping your ancestors. Rasmussen’s class was originally presented as a live webinar. The session runs for 1 hour.
Core topics covered in this webinar include the following:
- AniMap software (U.S. & Canada): learn how to find the correct county for the time period, and perform radius searches (list all cemeteries/churches within 10 miles of a place). For 30 years a researcher looked in the records of Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut for their ancestor who was born there in 1720. AniMap easily shows that in 1720, Woodstock would have been in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Now we know the correct location to find the records for that time period. Brick wall problem solved.
- Centennia software (Europe and Middle East): Have you ever wondered about the changing country borders in Europe? Have ancestors in Germany, Poland, or Prussia? Which is it? The Centennia Historical Atlas software shows the changing country borders from the 11th century to the present in Europe and the Middle East.
- Map My Family Tree software (entire world): plot your ancestors on a map of the world, track family migrations, plot to Google Earth, use the time scroll bar to dynamically select which time period you want displayed on your map and more.
- Legacy Family Tree’s mapping tools
- And other tips and tricks along the way
About the Author
Geoffrey D. Rasmussen is the father of four budding genealogists. He graduated with a degree in Genealogy and Family History from Brigham Young University and has served as director and vice-president of the Utah Genealogical Association. He is a dynamic genealogy speaker on all forms of genealogy technology, and as host of the Legacy Family Tree webinar series, has spoken virtually to nearly 100 different countries. He recently received the Distinguished Presenter Award at the prestigious RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City (2011). He has authored books, videos, articles, and websites, and develops the Legacy Family Tree software program. On a personal note, Geoff enjoys playing the piano, organ, cello and basketball. His favorite places are cemeteries, the ocean, and hanging out with other genealogists. He met and proposed to his wife in a Family History Center.
He is also the author of the popular Digital Imaging Essentials.
Get your own copy of Mapping Software for Genealogists from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $12.69. Enjoy the presentation again and again on your own computer.