Monday, 4 May 2020

Binge watch?

Laptop, tablet, headphones


The major commercial family history companies offer a dazzling array of online learning presentations, and not just to their subscribers, but free of charge to anyone interested in finding out more about historical records and how to use them.  You could easily spend hours going from one provider to the other, watching webinars and listening to expert speakers on a host of topics, ranging from DNA to suffragettes. There are several ways to discover content: via their social media channels, in blog posts, and by email newsletters.  

These presentations are slanted towards using the companies' paid-for websites, in a clear attempt to attract new subscribers; however, much can be applied to records that you can find elsewhere, such as census returns. And plenty of events cover the records of specific countries or groups. Of course, you may already be a subscriber to one of these providers, so learning how to make the most of your membership would be a valuable use of your time, especially when you have more of it at your disposal than usual.

The presentations come in a variety of formats: some live, some pre-recorded, and nowadays many of the live events are being archived for users to watch on demand.  These are often available on YouTube, and all of the organisations listed below have their own YouTube channel which is regularly updated.  Most (if not all) of the presentations include slides summarising the main points, and sometimes speakers will provide handouts for you to download.

Some of the organisations that offer free webinars, interactive events, and talks are
·         FindMyPast – YouTube channel; Facebook Q&A sessions and talks
·         MyHeritage – blogYouTube channel
·         Ancestry UK – YouTube channellive Facebook events; blog 
·        The Genealogist – YouTube channel 

And remember, all these learning opportunities are free, so don't pay for anything you don't really want!

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