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How “The Genealogy Guys” went from no Facebook Group to an online community of 13,000-plus in one month

How “The Genealogy Guys” went from no Facebook Group to an online community of 13,000-plus in one month

The Facebook group called “The Genealogy Squad” was launched on May 6, 2019, or, after 361 episodes of “The Genealogy Guys” podcast and 54 episodes of “Genealogy Connection.” With Episode 1 of “The Genealogy Guys” having been published on September 4, 2005, they waited a while, huh? “We knew that managing a Facebook group would be a lot of work, and our time was already busy with the podcast, The Genealogy Guys blog, and some planning for a subscription website that eventually launched in October 2019,” show co-host Drew Smith explains. “I had been a Facebook administrator for a very popular group dedicated to discussing using DNA testing for genealogy,” Smith continues. “I and the person who founded that group had a problem with people wanting to use the DNA group to talk about genealogical things that weren't about DNA, but we didn't feel that the existing non-DNA genealogy groups were run by experts and so we didn't want to refer people to those. Instead, we chose to create our own group, and we brought in another long-time genealogy expert to help.” From No Facebook Group to 13000 Plus Make no mistake, though, the decision to launch a Facebook group wasn’t solely because of ‘people wanting to use the DNA group to talk about genealogical things that weren’t about DNA.’ Smith, who does “The Genealogy Guys” with George Morgan, says that they did have a vision for what they hoped to accomplish by launching their own online community. “First, we wanted to have a good place to refer people to from the DNA group. Second, we knew that we...
Using Podcasting for Humanitarian Efforts

Using Podcasting for Humanitarian Efforts

With live podcasting events becoming more and more common these days, when you hear about something called the Podcast World Tour, that’s where your mind goes. So, its co-founder, Rich Casanova, wants to help clarify because he and his associates are using podcasting for humanitarian efforts and not to go somewhere for a couple hours one night to do a podcast and leave. They are road warriors who are helping create awareness for the Auditory Verbal Center, a 40-year old nonprofit that they adopted as the mission for their tour. Casanova talks about the three I’s for the tour. “‘Inform,’ be informed about what’s happening in that town, that city, the movers and shakers, from startups to icons to nonprofits, and just continue the conversation and inform them about what we’re doing. The second piece is ‘inspire.’ So, we’re looking for inspiring stories, inspiring people. Then we hope to inspire people to help us make an ‘impact.’ And the impact is… the Auditory Verbal Center.” Explaining that organization’s work, he says, “They literally take a kid that’s born deaf, or, severe hearing loss, and through two steps; implants, the surgery procedure, but it can’t end there because there’s actually been medical nonprofit organizations that ship these devices to third world countries, the surgery has been done, and the kid still lives in a silent world. There’s a most important second piece of it, is about two to three years of high-level speech therapy… During their weekly sessions for that entire two years or more, they have the parent, the child, and the therapist in the same space – up...
Podfest 2020 was Big in Size, Huge in Memories

Podfest 2020 was Big in Size, Huge in Memories

As attendees return home locally, nationally, and internationally from Orlando, it’s clear that Podfest 2020 was big in size and huge in memories. With nearly 2,000 on-hand at the world’s largest Marriott, the sixth edition of the annual conference was bursting with knowledge-sharing and relationship building. From the opening of VidFest last Thursday to the closing of Podfest Multimedia Expo with the emotional gratitude ceremony, there were takeaways both in the practical sense and the friendships-made sense. “I will be a better podcaster and a better person because of y’all,” attendee Amy Pacheco Jordan wrote in the event’s Facebook group as she prepared to leave central Florida. “And I can’t wait for next year!” Something for Everyone She and others will be better podcasters thanks to jam-packed workshops, keynotes from speakers who were generous with their information and resources, and vendors who filled the exhibitor hall to show hardware, software, and other cutting edge resources to equip creators with tools to start or enhance their shows. One of the many packed breakout sessions during Podfest (Photo by Rick Tauceda) As for being a better person? For all the offerings such as those mentioned above there was just as extensive a menu of opportunities to connect. From the event that Buzzsprout hosted in Disney Springs on Thursday to the massive Influencer Meet and Greet on Friday night to the podcaster band that performed Saturday night in conjunction with karaoke and, of course, lunch breaks and those chance discussions in the hallways, it was all about community. Attendee Darla Powell wrote on Facebook, “I had the best time and learned a...