[APG Public List] National Genealogical Meetings

[LBoswell]

Suzie,

Are presenters at other social science gatherings always paid (beyond the level of expenses)? I know the 'leading lights' are often given some sort of honorarium or set fees. I'm not referring to those who  do the lecture circuit professionally, but rather the researchers who gather to explain their findings and current work.  I don't think they're normally paid, as per a fee structure?

I would certainly be more interested in attending problem-solving or issue-oriented type conferences than I would the current offerings. The current structure doesn't offer enough advanced material. Problem solving, depending on the complexity of the problem and the set up, could be extremely interesting to those of us who have long years of experience and training and who work at a professional level.  I don't need to rehash GEN 101. I'd like to see how a range of dedicated researchers each approach a complex issue or problem, and throw in my own ideas on it in turn.

To be honest, time is a problem, and expenses too are a concern for me as they are for most working professionals who must balance the books, and that's why I'd also be interested in electronic versions (and would be willing to pay fees to participate in the latter too).  I might be able to write off a conference that contained material that could be categorized as professional-level advancement.

I think that kind of open forum is hugely important for the future of our profession. I don't think we can have any sacred cows in modern genealogy (that reluctance to discuss 'accepted' ways was part of the problem that 19th century genealogy suffered from), and a forum where everything could be debated or discussed would serve us all well.

I'm not putting down the "current offerings" in any sense at all, don't get me wrong, I'm just saying they're not my cuppa...
In the same way that I wouldn't find a beginner's level course challenging.

Larry
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Suzanne Johnston 
  To: Carolyn Earle Billingsley 
  Cc: Public APG 
  Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 6:30 AM
  Subject: Re: [APG Public List] National Genealogical Meetings


  However, I do disagree with your thoughts on problem-solving lectures. I 
  would attend the type of lecture you describe and I think there are 
  others who would do the same. New ideas should be tried at national 
  conferences. One or two of this type of presentation could be done for 
  one or two years; if they all fall flat, they would be discontinued. How 
  can anyone predict attendance for this type of lecture without trying it 
  at least once? Don't we read the NSG Quarterly, or TAG, or TG, or NEHGR, 
  even when the article doesn't discuss our geographic area of interest or 
  our family?


  >> jfonkert at aol.com wrote:
  >>   
  Personally, I would like to see more 
  >>> research-based talks that demonstrate problem-solving techniques.  I 
  >>> can read about census records or passenger records on my own, but I'd 
  >>> like to hear about how people solve interesting problems.
  >>>
  /
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