Society Saturday – The July 24 Reunion SIG Meeting

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

The Reunion SIG, a special interest group sponsored by the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society, addressed several topics at its most recent meeting on July 24. The first few minutes were spent on comparing the sourcing mechanisms of Reunion and RootsMagic. The overview diagram follows.

Diagram created by Richard Hanson.

RootsMagic's sourcing facility was profiled in detail at the prior (July 17) Root Cellar workshop meeting. Future workshop meetings will address Legacy (August 21), Family Tree Maker (September 18) and Reunion (October 16).
For more information on the workshop meetings:
http://www.rootcellarramblings.blogspot.com/2013/06/society-saturday-documentation-demo.html

During the remainder of the Reunion SiG meeting, topics and questions from attendees were addressed. One such question was how to sync Reunion data between an iMac (desktop computer) and an iPad (tablet computer). I ran my presentation on that topic. Basically, you connect both devices to the same wi-fi network and use built-in menu options to initiate data transfer.

The next Reunion SIG meeting is scheduled for August 28.

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Background: In 2011, a special interest group (SIG) was established by the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society for users of the genealogy database software package called Reunion. It meets 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every fourth Wednesday at the Sacramento FamilySearch Library. Group leader is Ron Setzer. Email Ron if you'd like to be added to the group's email distribution list. Reunion runs on the Macintosh, iPad and iPhone.

Left: exterior entrance to the meeting room. Right: Reunion software displayed.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
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Society Saturday - July Events at Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Denise Hibsch Richmond.

Mark your calendar for all the happenings in July 2013 at Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.  I hope you can take advantage of all these terrific educational opportunities.

Board Meeting
Date: Thursday, July 11 (2nd Thursday due to July 4th holiday)
Time:  10am to 12:00pm
Location: Sylvan Community Center, 7521 Community Drive, Citrus Heights, CA
Members welcome

Membership Meetings resume in September.

Workshop
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Location: Sylvan Community Center, 7521 Community Drive, Citrus Heights
Roundtable: Your successes or brickwalls
Mini-presentation: Documentation using the RootsMagic software program by Lynne Roberts.  This is the first of four monthly workshop presentations about documentation in a genealogy program.
Visitors welcome!

Special Interest Group (SIG): Reunion for the Mac
Date: Wednesday, July 24
Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Location: Family History Center, 2745 Eastern Avenue, Sacramento
Roundtable: Brainstorm solutions to users' problems, questions and explore ins/outs of the best Mac genealogy program. Contact Ron Setzer (PreservesEditor@rootcellar.org) to be added to the email list. Welcome to all!

NOTE: The membership meetings will be on hiatus during July and August, resuming in September.  The other meetings continue year-round.

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Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

Society Saturday – The May 22nd Reunion SIG Meeting

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

Left: exterior entrance to the meeting room. Right: Reunion software displayed.

Last month's May 22nd meeting of the Reunion SIG addressed the following topics:

• Reunion 10.0.6 release
• Julian to Gregorian calendar conversion – options for Reunion
• Storing family files on Cloud services (e.g., Dropbox)
• Deleting unused family files (Any side effects?)
• Handling multiple surnames and aliases
• Reunion "Match & Merge Sources" command.

We had a bit of trouble with the last one. It seems to work in a rather inconsistent way. Discussion and experimentation with it will continue as part of the June 26 meeting.

Background: In 2011, a special interest group (SIG) was established by the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society for users of the genealogy database software package called Reunion. It meets 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every fourth Wednesday at the Sacramento FamilySearch Library. Group leader is Ron Setzer. Email Ron if you'd like to be added to the group's email distribution list. Reunion runs on the Macintosh, iPad and iPhone.

The next meeting is scheduled for June 26.


Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

Society Saturday – April 24 Reunion SIG Meeting

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.

Last month's April 24 meeting of the Reunion SIG, consisting of two different presentations, addressed a variety of subjects pertaining to the Reunion software on the Macintosh. Unlike the more formal lecture format of the general meeting, this SIG meeting features a question and answer format that fosters a lot of discussion. Occasionally the discussion moves a bit further afield addressing general genealogical topics. For example, the second presentation at this meeting profiled the HistoryGeo.com website providing historical land ownership information.

April 24 meeting with Ron Setzer leading the discussion. Photo provided by Richard Hanson

Background: In 2011, a special interest group (SIG) was established by the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society for users of the genealogy database software package called Reunion. It meets 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every fourth Wednesday at the Sacramento FamilySearch Library. The next meeting is scheduled for May 22. Group leader is Ron Setzer. Email Ron if you'd like to be added to the group's email distribution list.

Shop and Support Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.
Click here for details.

Mobile Monday – Wireless Screen Mirroring using Reunion 2.0

[Editor's Note: Today's post was written by Richard Hanson.]

Whether visiting or researching, it is handy to have on-hand your complete genealogy database. Sometimes you need something more portable than a laptop. Thus I have the software app Reunion installed on my iPad (an Apple smart-tablet computer). But Reunion had a major limitation. It did not support the iPad's built-in screen mirroring capability. That means I could not display its screen image on a connected television or project it onto a screen.

In mid-March, that changed with the release of Reunion version 2. I tested that new release and it does indeed support screen mirroring. There are two ways to display the screen of an iPad (or iPhone) on suitable video device. The simple cheap way is a $40 audio/visual cable kit. But talking about that would make this Tethered Monday rather than Mobile Monday. The following diagram illustrates a more technologically impressive wireless method using an Apple-proprietary technology called AirPlay.

The television or digital projector must have either a HDMI or DVI port. To that you a little black box called and Apple TV (costs about $100). You cannot connect to a VGA port because VGA does not return a copy-protection signal to the Apple TV's HDMI port, thus causing that port to shut down. Then to get your iPad's screen image to the Apple TV, both must be connected to the same wi-fi server.

For you non-Apple users, there are other wireless screen mirroring technologies out there.
Android 4.2 users – Miracast. Display devices must support Miracast.
Samsung – AllShare (proprietary) on its Android devices. Display devices must support AllShare.

There also numerous video streaming apps and devices. Investigate well before buying since they all have limitations.

The Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society hosts monthly special interest group meetings for the Reunion software product on all platforms.

You're Invited! Genealogy Workshop and Reunion SIG

See you at the next Root Cellar Wednesdays and bring a friend!

Wednesday, September 21

• What: Root Cellar Workshop
• Program: Facilitator John Jay will present two brickwall challenges he received; Rick Hanson will give a review a periodical to which he subscribes; and more.
• Time: 1 pm - 3 pm
• Location: Clubhouse at Country Squire Estates, 5720 Oak Hill Drive, Sacramento

Wednesday, September 28

• What:  Root Cellar Reunion SIG, open to members and non-members
• Program: Brainstorming solutions to users’ problems and questions; other topics include splitting family trees within Reunion; important research books such as Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills; and discussion about Typinator vs. TextExpander
• Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
• Location:  Family History Center, 2745 Eastern Ave, Sacramento
• Contact: Ron Setzer, PreservesEditor@macnexus.org to be added to email list

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Datebook: Reunion Special Interest Group Meeting

Attention Mac users! 

The Reunion Special Interest Group (SIG) sponsered by Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society will meet on Wednesday, August 24th at 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.  The Reunion SIG, open to members and non-members, will meet at the Family History Center at 2745 Eastern Ave, Sacramento.

The program will include Rick Hanson's presentation on:

1. How to transfer Reunion database files via WiFi from your Mac to your iPad or iPhone.
2. How to transfer related photo and scanned-source files (in folders) using GoodReader to your iPad or iPhone.
3. Explain how Apple's WiFi, Apple TV and AirPlay technologies work together and the screen mirroring coming in iOS 5.

Contact: Ron Setzer, PreservesEditor@macnexus.org to be added to email list

Posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Datebook Reminder

This is a friendly reminder to check out the upcoming July events on the Calendar tab:

• Workshop, July 20th: How to use Facebook
• Reunion SIG, July 27th: Brainstorming issues

Also note the Calendar tab for August - and the HOMEWORK - yikes!  No cramming the night before the workshop - our host John Jay needs your responses in advance of the workshop. 

See everyone there and bring a friend.

June Calendar

Wednesday, June 1
Root Cellar Board Meeting, visitors always welcome
Time: 10am - noon
Location: Raley's Supermarket, 8870 Madison Ave at  Hazel, Fair Oaks; Community Room next to Pharmacy
Contact: Sandi Benward 916-412-3511

Wednesday, June 8
Root Cellar Membership Meeting, visitors always welcome
Program:  Simple Scanners - Mobile Scanning Solutions
Speaker: Dennis Halley
Time: 7pm - 8:30pm
Location: Citrus Heights Community Clubhouse 6921 Sylvan Way, Citrus Heights
Contact: Sandi Benward 916-412-3511

Wednesday, June 15
Root Cellar Workshop, visitors always welcome
Program: To be announced plus Genealogy Brickwalls Help and bring your favorite book or website to share
Host: John Jay
Time: 1pm - 3pm
Location: Clubhouse at Country Squire Estates, 5720 Oak Hill Drive, Sacramento, CA
Contact:  John Jay (916) 331-0963

Wednesday, June 22

Root Cellar Reunion SIG, open to members and non-members

Program: Brainstorming solutions to users’ problems and questions

Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location:  Family History Center, 2745 Eastern Ave, Sacramento, CA

Contact: Ron Setzer, PreservesEditor@macnexus.org to be added to email list

Reunion SIG

 A Special Interest Group (SIG) has been established by Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society members who use Reunion genealogy software for the Mac.  This SIG is open to members and non-members, although membership in Root Cellar is as low as $21 a year.

Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Sacramento Regional Family History Center.  If you would like to be added to the email list, please contact Ron Setzer.

The next Reunion SIG meeting will be:

Date: Wednesday, May 25
Root Cellar Reunion SIG, open to members and non-members
Program: How to adjust your Reunion source citation fields for U.S. censuses to reflect Elizabeth Shown Mills citation model, among other topics.
Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Location:  Family History Center, 2745 Eastern Ave, Sacramento, CA
Contact: Ron Setzer, PreservesEditor@macnexus.org to be added to email list.

Root Cellar would like to express its appreciation to the Sacramento Regional Family History Center for the use of its classroom space.