Risk and Hope: The Program Planner’s Headache

Inspiration from an old barn.
On the highway north from home enroute to a speaking engagement I passed a farm so close to the road I could read easily the farm name on the barn: Risk and Hope. I smiled, because it sums up farming on the northern great plains so concisely. Later that night, homeward bound from a rather unhappy event where numbers failed to meet the program planner’s dreams, I passed the farm again and pondered anew the message in the name for people like that program planner, How do we reduce Risk and increase Hope for the program planner?

Teaching Standards for Instructors

One of my favorite genealogy instructors was Dr. Thomas Warren who taught an extra-sessional course at the University of British Columbia called “Library Research for Genealogists and Family Historians” or something like that. Tom was a great teacher. Here’s why:

On-line Program Registration

Wouldn’t it be nice if your local or state genealogical society could handle registration for its major events on-line just like major genealogy conferences? The technology is out there. We just need a host. Here’s how it works.

Can’t Afford the Speaker Fee?

Here’s a common problem for genealogical societies. They want a popular speaker for an event, but cannot afford the expensive fee. What can you offer the speaker to reduce the fee?