The Genealogist

Weekly News and Ponderings

Hope that you are having a great weekend? If you are in the UK I hope that you also remembered to put your clocks back an hour!

I downloaded a programme called Picasa the other day which is excellent. I have trouble organising all of the photos I have so I decided to check it. It’s definitely the best photo organiser I have come across and it’s 100% free for life!

I am now using Picasa to organize my photos! Take a look at it by going to this article I have added about Google’s Photo Software.

The other free programme that I love is Google Earth with which you can zoom in on both your ancestors towns and villages as well as current locations. You can read about that at Google Earth and download it.

This week has been a little different than normal as we have had to adjust to my partner recovering from last week’s knee operation - however we are getting there! We have also been kept busy with the continuing development of sites that we have identified as meeting the needs of our visitors. There has been a tremendous reaction to the launch of our Hobbies and Home eBook Store and if you want to take a look then just click on the link.

Alongside that we have also launched The Hobbies Blog again which you can take a look at by clicking on the link. You will find it packed with information on a whole range of Home and Hobby subjects and I am sure you will enjoy it!

GenMates continues to grow and grow and we are continuing to get tremendous publicity for it. if you haven’t visited recently then you can do so just by clicking on GenMates! If you haven’t joined yet then click on GenMates and sign up today!

We are also currently investigating establishing another Genealogy Membership site which will have some additional resources and information available. More news on that as it becomes available.

Have a great week!

Home and Hobbies eBooks

I am pleased to be able to announce that we have relaunched PK eBooks - Your eBook Store during the last 10 days with a completely new look and a fresh stock of reasonably priced Information Products.

Our aim at Pk eBooks is to provide you with information which will help you at home and with your family and hobbies. We provide quality information on a range of subjects but always at affordable prices.

One of the reasons I first started to look at providing information over the internet was because I found it so frustrating trying to find the information I needed. Since then we have developed a wide range of sites and PK eBooks is one the latest to be updated. I hope that you will find information there to help you at home and with your family and hobby or indeed hobbies. Here’s a few samples of what you can find:

Home Improvement Tips & Money Savers!
Interior Design on a Budget – How to Tips and Tricks
How to become a Scrapbooker
The Beginner’s Guide to Stamp Collecting!
Help Your Child Reach their Maximum Potential
The Beginner’s Guide to Coin Collecting!
The Beginner’s Guide to Woodworking!
The Dog Owner’s Handbook
The Ultimate How to Photography Guide!
How to Learn Magic and Become a Successful Magician for Fun or Profit!

Hope you enjoy them! Oh and don’t forget to collect a copy of Identity Theft Prevention for Free - just scroll down to the bottom of the first page of Pk eBooks

Sharing Family Memories: How to Successfully Organize a Family Reunion

By Marie Christianson

Don\’t you miss the good old days? Don\’t you think it\’s time to see those old faces once more? If so, it\’s time to get your organizing skills together and prepare for a grand family union.

How Many Branches Are We Talking About?
A family tree, especially if your surname is Smith or Chan, can be pretty large. It\’s better to decide up to how many degrees you\’d wish to include in your family reunion. If you\’re a big family, having only up to the first degree relations would be sufficient. If you want to share the love, you can invite members up to the third degree.

Decide on the Event Specifications
Where - Location, location, location! Firstly, think of a place that\’s most convenient and accessible for the whole family. Secondly, the place must be large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably.
When - Always hold important occasions like family reunions during the weekend to ensure that most of the guests, if not all, would be available.
What - Is it a simple afternoon get-together, a one-day event, or an overnight stay? Is there a theme for the reunion? Should the guests bring anything?
Budget - The person doing the inviting is also usually the one who does the paying. If you\’re not ready to dent your pockets, however, you should consider asking for a small contribution from each guest; you could request them to pay a certain fee or simply divide responsibilities of the event among yourselves.

Before the Event
Form an organization committee then divide responsibilities among yourselves to get things done quickly.

Invitations may be sent over the Internet or by mail. The important thing is to have these invitations sent at least a month in advance then have someone call all the people in the guest list to confirm their attendance. This is necessary because only a few people nowadays respond to RSVPs. If you are not offering free accommodation, have a list of nearby bed and breakfast inns and hotels prepared and offer to reserve a room in their behalf.

During the Event
Create a welcoming committee and have them positioned in the reception area; they should ensure that everyone are given a warm welcome, a written itinerary of the events scheduled for the reunion, and their assigned rooms if any. A questionnaire should be given to each guest so that everyone\’s contact numbers will be updated.

Give people time to chat and catch up with old times during cocktails; schedule this thirty minutes prior to the main event. Mingle and make sure that none of your family members are given the Bridget-Jones-treatment: you know, being interrogated about a nonexistent love life and so on.

The seating arrangement should be pre-arranged already to ensure that nobody gets left out.

Take lots of photos. This will ensure that your family reunion is an affair to remember for all time.

After a time, it\’s time for a family reunion ice-breaker. There are a number of ways to encourage people to loosen up. Games like charades are already passe; rather than go for ordinary games, why not have the whole clan play a family scavenger hunt? It may be more complicated to organize but the effort will be definitely worth it.

Make sure that foods and drinks are replenished constantly; hungry and thirsty guests make one very irritable lot.

Give special attention to the oldest and the youngest in the clan. Encourage people to share stories from the past.

Finishing the Event and Post-Event Communication:
Always have giveaways ready. These gifts must be chosen carefully; they should be objects that will symbolize the event poignantly and serve as a keepsake of good times.

Make sure that you personally say goodbye to each and every guest. Thank them for their time and participation then invite them to come back the next year or whenever the next family reunion will be held.

Post all the photos in a website. Make sure that the design is simple but beautiful. Use a genealogy software program to create a family tree. Each member must have a photo as well as contact details and the latest updates of their lives. Invite all the guests to become members of the website. Create a virtual scrapbook for everyone to enjoy.

We hope you enjoy your family reunion. May it be filled with love and laughter!

About The Author

Marie Christianson is a senior business analyst at FamliyDetails.com. Visit FamilyDetails.com to create a family reunion website or for more articles and resources!