Writing Your Way to the Past Has a New Home

Writing Your Way to the Past now shares a home with my other two genealogy blogs (GenBlog and Who Will Tell Their Story?) over at Julie’s Genealogy & History Hub.  This change allows my readers the option to continue to follow one, two, or all three of the original blogs, while allowing me to manage just one space.  Think of Julie’s Genealogy & History Hub as three portals, each with a different target, where you get to choose what you want to follow. 

Because I use Feedburner, most subscribers will be automatically switched and no action is required. 

If for some reason you are seeing this post in a reader, you will need to update your reader subscription.  Again, since Writing Your Way to the Past has now been combined with GenBlog and Who Will Tell Their Story?, you have the option to subscribe to one, two, or all three blogs.  For more information on each blog, refer to the home page of the new blog; you can make your subscription selections from there. Note:  If you currently subscribe to either of the other blogs, those subscriptions may already be updated, so no action may be necessary with those blogs.  Basically, if you see a post in your reader similar to this one for either of the other blogs, you will need to update your reader, otherwise, it’s already been transferred.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and I do hope that you will continue to follow Writing Your Way to the Past at its new home.

Saving Memories Forever Announces New Partnerships

I received the following email from Saving Memories Forever.  Sounds like great partnerships, especially with Kim Weitkamp.

---

Saving Memories Forever Announces Strategic Partnerships with APPO and Kim Weitkamp

July 2, 2013 – St. Louis, Missouri. Saving Memories Forever, a dynamic online way to create and preserve family memories, is pleased to announce its new alliances with two new partners: the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO) and Kim Weitkamp. Both APPO and Kim are well known in their respective fields and are committed to providing their customers with new ways of preserving family stories.

Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO)

Saving Memories Forever is proud to announce that it has been selected as a partner by the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO). As stated on its Partnership page at its website, APPO “continually researches, identifies and partners with the best in the industry to ensure our customers and members have access to the most updated and highest quality service and tools available today.” We’re pleased to be working with individual APPO consultants in offering their clients a new way to record family stories that help bring photographs and other family mementos to life.  See http://www.appo.org/Strategic-Partners for more information.

Kim Weitkamp

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Kim Weitkamp, nationally-known storyteller and speaker. Kim has been brought on as the exclusive storyteller for Saving Memories Forever and will be providing articles, blog tips and audio storytelling tips for the Saving Memories Forever application. Click here to visit Kim’s content at the Saving Memories Forever website - see and hear Kim's quick tips for gathering your family stories. Also visit Kim’s website at http://www.kimweitkamp.com/ and just try to keep up with all her great projects and offerings!

Harvey Baker, co-founder of Saving Memories Forever states, “We’re excited to be working with the consultants at APPO as well as fantastic storyteller Kim Weitkamp. Saving Memories Forever recognizes that there is more than one approach to telling a good family story. Some use family photos to inspire while others try to capture the oral history they remember being shared during family reunions and events. With the help of our new partners, Saving Memories Forever will find the inspiration they need to get started in sharing family histories – one story at a time.”

About Saving Memories Forever

Saving Memories Forever™ provides a new online system to not only create and preserve family memories, but also build legacies through audio recordings. Each subscriber has a dedicated area on the site to upload and manage their recordings. Recordings on the SMF website are categorized, private, secure, and permission based. The basic package is free. Subscriptions with many additional features are offered at just $3.99 per month. A new zipfile feature gives users the option of backing-up their stories at home. A how-to-video provides step-by-step instructions. For additional information visit http://SavingMemoriesForever.com.

Writing-Related Sessions at FGS 2013

The Federation of Genealogical Societies 2013 Conference will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from August 21-24, 2013.  There are just a few days left to save $50 on the full-conference registration (early-bird rate ends July 1).

There are so many sessions available, covering a wide array of topics.  Following are some of the writing-related sessions, many of which I will be attending!  I’ve also thrown in a few preservation topics since many times, we incorporates photos, documents, and artifacts into our stories.

Date/Time (Eastern)	Session	Speaker
Wednesday, August 21 11 AM	Printed vs. Online Publishing for Societies [although this is targeted at societies, I have seen this lecture and Donna presents wonderful information you can use related to your own work]	Donna M. Moughty
Thursday, August 22 5 PM	Research Reports for Ourselves: More Than Just a Research Log	Paula Stuart-Warren
Friday, August 23 11 AM	Image Organization Made Easy	Eric C. M. Basir
Friday, August 23 3:30 PM	Workshop – Scanning+Image+ Editing+Placement [currently full]	Eric C. M. Basir
Saturday, August 24 9:30 AM	Creating Family Histories for Future Generations	Thomas W. Jones
Saturday, August 24 11 AM	Scanning 101	Eric C. M. Basir
Saturday, August 24 11 AM	It Takes a Human: Genealogists and Writing	Jeanne Larzalere Bloom
Saturday, August 24 2 PM	Speak, Write and Publish Safely: Staying Out of Copyright Trouble	Judy G. Russell
Saturday, August 24 3:30 PM	The Rest of the Story: Using Manuscripts to Create a Family History	Laura G. Prescott
Saturday, August 24 5 PM	Family History Writing Made Easier: Cloud-based Tools Every Genealogist Can Use	Lisa A. Alzo

The entire schedule can be found on the FGS Conference website.

Don’t forget, the early-bird rate ends July 1, so hurry on over and register today!

Reminder – Entries Due 6/15 for 2013 ISFHWE Writing Competition

Don’t forget to submit your entries for the 2013 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence in Writing Competition.  Submissions are due by June 15, 2013.  Both ISFHWE members and non-members are allowed to enter the competition.

Here are the categories for this year (note, there are some changes from previous years):

• Category I - Columns. This is for columns of original content published on a regular basis, in any medium, published in 2012. Entries should consist of two columns, each submitted as a single file, and must be shorter than 2,000 words. These are entries from the author’s regular column, not features.
• Category II – Articles. These one-time articles (not part of the author’s column) must have been published in 2012 in a journal, magazine, newsletter, blog, or website. Entries cannot exceed 5,000 words.
• Category III – Genealogy Newsletters. This category is for society or family association newsletters published in 2012. Entries should consist of two issues, each submitted as a single file in PDF format. The judging will be based on originality, content, visual appeal, writing and editing quality, and accuracy. The award is to the editor of the publication.
• Category IV – Unpublished Authors. Entrants in this category aspire to be published writers or columnists in the field of genealogy, family or local history. The submissions in this category are original and unpublished, between 500 and 2,000 words.
• Category V – Unpublished material by Published Authors. This category is for original unpublished genealogically-related articles by previously published authors. Entries should be between 500 and 3,000 words.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of each category.  Winners will be announced at 2013 FGS Conference in August.

Complete details, including rules, judging criteria, entry fees, and the entry form, can be found here (will open a PDF file).

Need some convincing to write about your genealogy research?  See my post 4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing.

Entries Are Being Accepted for the 2013 Dallas Genealogical Society Writing Contest

Submissions for the Dallas Genealogical Society 2013 Writing Competition are due by August 31, 2013.  You do not have to be a DGS member to enter and the articles do not necessarily have to be about Dallas genealogy.

Articles are to be 1,500-5,000 words in length, unpublished, and should fall into one of the following categories:

• basic and advanced methodologies and case studies (not limited by geography)
• family histories and genealogies, particularly those linked to North Texas, including those who came from or left to settle elsewhere
• historical events in North Texas with a local family connection
• ethnic, house, or military histories related to North Texas

Monetary prizes will be awarded as follows:

• First Place – $500
• Second Place – $300
• Third Place - 150

Winners will be announce at the Annual DGS luncheon in December.

Complete details, including rules and submission guidelines, can be found at the DGS website.

Need some convincing to write about your genealogy research?  See my post 4 Reasons to Convert Your Genealogy Research Into Writing.