Journalists, please run this as a news item and/or in your calendar
of events. Ward newsletter editors, please include in your newsletters parts of the first paragraph and mention that there are classes for everyone.
Email me, if you need further information. Thanks.
Elder Snow
UTAH VALLEY PAF USERS GROUP
The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley PAF (Personal Ancestral File) Users Group will be on Saturday, 8 Nov 2008, from 9 am until noon in the LDS "Red" Chapel at 4000 North Timpview Drive (650 East), in Provo. The main presentation will be by Gerhad Ruf on USING WORLDCONNECT AT ROOTSWEB FOR PUBLISHING AND BACKUP. The presentation will describe the advantages in using the WorldConnect database to publish your genealogical data online and to use it as a backup for that data. There are many options for controlling your data and these will be detailed in the presentation. Gerhard Ruf has worked with various aspects of computers and technology over the past 25 years and since 1995 he has served in the leadership of the Utah Valley PAF Users Group. He has been its President for many years. Gerhard has been presenting classes on genealogical software for at least 10 years and his topics have included many aspects of using computers and the Internet to enhance your family history research. He has spoken at local, regional, and national genealogical conferences and workshops, and is currently employed at MyFamily.com as a Community Operations Specialist at The Generations Network, the parent company of Ancestry, RootsWeb and other genealogical web sites. He develops and teaches classes to the staff on the application of genealogical principles. Gerhard was born in West Germany, grew up in Utah, and graduated from BYU with a degree in Physics. He and his wife, Deon, reside in Orem, Utah.
Following the main presentation there will be several classes taught concerning technology and family history. As usual, there will be something for everyone at all levels of expertise. The classes currently scheduled for this meeting are the following: (1) Using Google in Genealogy, by Lila Sowards; (2) Free Look-Ups and Free Web Sites, by Laurie Castillo; (3) Q&A on Using WorldConnect by Gerhard Ruf; (4) Individual Mentoring, including a mini-class on using HeritageQuest Online, by Rae Lee Steinacker; (5) Video: (Last month's main presentation) A Practical Guide for Family History Consultants, by DearMYRTLE; (6) Legacy 7, by Joel Graham; (7) An Introduction to RootsMagic 4, by Sue Maxwell; and (8) Ancestral Quest 12, by Gaylon Findlay.
All meetings of the Users Group are open to the public whether members of the Group or not. The Users Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 100-125 attending the monthly meetings on the second Saturdays. Several of the officers, including Gerhard Ruf, President; Brian Cooper, 2nd VP; Eileen Phelps, PAFology Editor; Kay Baker and Gerry Eliason working with finances and membership; and Bruce Merrill, Lynne Shumway, and Marie Andersen, working with the DVD & Video Library, will all be there. They will help with membership, answer questions, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter PAFology, and check out DVD's and videos of past presentations and classes to members of the group. Information about the Users Group, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on the Group's website http://uvpafug.org and the past press releases are at http://blog.uvpafug.org/. For further information contact President Gerhard Ruf at pres@uvpafug.org (801-225-6106), VP1 Elder Don Snow at snowd@math.byu.edu, or VP2 Brian Cooper at vp2@uvpafug.org.
Elder Donald R. Snow, 1st Vice President of Utah Valley PAF Users Group
Elder Donald R. Snow, England London Mission London Family History Centre (formerly Hyde Park Family History Centre), http://www.hydeparkfhc.orgRetired Professor of Mathematics, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; snowd@math.byu.edu
