How are each of you helping your ward members to do their family History work, with most Family Hist
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Use Zoom (or similar) to have face-to-face discussions, or the phone while you are on the computer and in a "helper" mode and looking at their screen. You can even have Zoom and computer simultaneously.
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Hello Pamela,
I wish I did more.
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I fully agree with @WilbergClarkN WilbergClarkN . While our FHC is closed (again), we are offering telephone consults of up to one hour with some of our FHC staff members that are comfortable using the Planner tool (the "helper mode"), while also talking with the person being assisted by phone, Zoom, Facetime, etc. (whatever works for the patron). We figured that if that was acceptable for the main Family History Library to use during these times, it was something we wanted to try offering as well so we're still assisting "patrons" even though they haven't actually come into the FHC. If a staff member holds one of those virtual meetings with someone, we will count that as a FHC patron for the month, and keep track of the hours as well. We've already been assured that we can use those visits on our monthly FHC report.
As a note, our staff members will only do such meetings with youth IF at least one parent is also present during the consultation, since an extended private adult/child conversation should be avoided so there is no question about what's being discussed in long conversations between an unrelated adult and a younger child.
--Chris
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Chris--I appreciate your expansion for the concept and particularly your emphasis on how to work with our youth.
Clark
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I am loving working with ward members (only three now, but will start with another this week, hopefully), on the phone and computer. I'm not sure that zoom would help us. I would like to hear feedback on that.
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@Pamela G Allen Zoom can be nicer than a phone call if for no other reason than you're actually looking at each other face to face rather than the more impersonal audio-only effect with the phone. But Zoom also offers the opportunity to screen share (either way), so they can show you what they're doing, and you can also show them some things directly by sharing your screen during a meeting. I'm fairly new to using Zoom as a host (free private account). Previously I just logged into someone else's Zoom meeting. But I'm becoming very appreciative of screen sharing. There are other features such as white boarding that may be useful at times tpp, though probably not so much with just one other person.
One important caution to note: if doing a Zoom meeting from the FHC, do NOT screen share with any of the Premium web sites available through the FHC Portal, or any of the restricted images (microfilm images only viewable in a FHC or FamilySearch Affiliate Library). Those cannot be sent out to anyone else even if a FHC is closed due to COVID since they are only legally able to be viewed from within a FHC by the user themselves.
Be aware that the free Zoom account does not have the 40 minute limit if it's just a 2-way connection (you and only one other person), unlike a meeting with three or more people involved (the host plus at least two other people logging into the meeting). And it can be nice using Zoom if you have a cluttered background by having the option of using either one of the few Zoom-supplied backgrounds (a tropical beach complete with waves, hah hah), or one you supply. I use a background black and white photo of a large family group photo taken around 1915 perhaps. Then my messy office doesn't show up. 😀
--Chris
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Oh Chris . . . so thankful you mentioned the messy office aspect of all this! - b
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I put an "ad" in the ward bulletin offering to help members one-on-one online. I tried to do it with zoom, but it was hard for members who only had one screen to do that and look at their information. I could show them, but it wasn't like they were doing more than observing. What I started doing, and it has worked well, is we do it over facetime on their phone. They have their screen open, and I am looking at the same screen on my computer. I can then have them do the work. Occasionally, I have turned the phone on my screen to point at things that they cannot find. This has been the best thing that we have been able to do, baring a face-to-face meeting, which I hope will come again soon! I am so grateful for the technology
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The "Help Others" feature in FS is useful rather than worrying about screen sharing. Of course, only works for FS not if you are using Ancestry or other sites as well. Just another tool besides the others mentioned.
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@Jill Wonnacott Dunford VERY nice work! I'm hoping more and more of that not only catches on in our stake, but across the world. I'd like to work with the folks at our local library system that are very enthused about family history/genealogy, and became a FamilySearch Affiliate well over a year ago. This could (and should) become something that becomes the norm in the future (or things like it as technology advances) both among Church members, as well as across communities. We've become too disconnected from each other individually, and can use this to reconnect with people despite COVID, while also connecting to the very real people that are our ancestors.
Much thanks for the ideas in your post and the fact that you're DOING something! Now you've provided an example for others to follow as well. There is another Community group you might want to take a look at if you're not already aware of it - "Family & Community - Connect & Inspire!" That's the whole purpose of that group, sharing ideas that people are doing and spreading those ideas so they spread and everyone wins.
https://community.familysearch.org/s/group/0F93A0000009c2aSAA/family-communityconnect-inspire
--Chris
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Thank you - and I will check out the other site. Everyone needs extra inspiration!
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We are trying a new idea at our Family History Center through our Facebook Group. We set up a virtual Family History Center. Facebook came out with a new feature called "Rooms. which is like Zoom but it is really easy, and you don't have to send a link. We have our consultants create a Room right on the Facebook Group, and then when anyone needs help, they can join the room and ask a question. We started last week and all in all, it went pretty well. You can also share your screen with each other. I created a couple of videos to show how to create the room and how participants get in.
Create a room - https://www.screencast.com/t/7OQdqxSNm1k
Join a Room - https://www.screencast.com/t/E6MuqTeJ
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That sounds so creative. I will pass this along to our center director!
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If you don’t have a Facebook group, you can also do zoom with breakout rooms. I like the rooms on Facebook though because you can create and join a room at anytime and don’t have to send a link to anyone
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