<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type> <META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18813"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">Suzie,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">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?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">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.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">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.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">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.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">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...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">In the same way that I wouldn't find a beginner's level course challenging.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="Courier New">Larry</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=suemj@verizon.net href="mailto:suemj@verizon.net">Suzanne Johnston</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=cebillingsley@earthlink.net href="mailto:cebillingsley@earthlink.net">Carolyn Earle Billingsley</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=apgpubliclist@apgen.org href="mailto:apgpubliclist@apgen.org">Public APG</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, October 05, 2009 6:30 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [APG Public List] National Genealogical Meetings</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>However, I do disagree with your thoughts on problem-solving lectures. I <BR>would attend the type of lecture you describe and I think there are <BR>others who would do the same. New ideas should be tried at national <BR>conferences. One or two of this type of presentation could be done for <BR>one or two years; if they all fall flat, they would be discontinued. How <BR>can anyone predict attendance for this type of lecture without trying it <BR>at least once? Don't we read the NSG Quarterly, or TAG, or TG, or NEHGR, <BR>even when the article doesn't discuss our geographic area of interest or <BR>our family?<BR><BR><BR>>> <A href="mailto:jfonkert@aol.com">jfonkert@aol.com</A> wrote:<BR>>>   <BR>Personally, I would like to see more <BR>>>> research-based talks that demonstrate problem-solving techniques.  I <BR>>>> can read about census records or passenger records on my own, but I'd <BR>>>> like to hear about how people solve interesting problems.<BR>>>><BR><A href="http://apgen.org/publications/publiclist/">/</A></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>