Counting down to convention!

 The SGGEE convention and Zoom teams, as well as the board of directors, are wrapping up last-minute tasks for the weekend programs. As the saying goes, it takes a village ... 

Registration closes at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, Sept. 15. If you are still deciding whether to join us, don't wait too long! Links are here in this blog or on our website.

On Thursday, we plan to send an email to all registrants with notes AND the Zoom information for the entire weekend. You will want to keep this email handy because we won't be posting this information. Check your spam filter if you don't see anything by late Thursday.

Questions can be sent via this blog; the form is at right. Or you can email convention-sggee@googlegroups.com.

We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

Demonstrating Zoom features

A number of people planning to attend the SGGEE convention have asked for a demo of Zoom, the platform we'll be using.

To get you started, we've prepared a short (less than 10 minutes) video to highlight the important features in Zoom, including how to connect, how to use the buttons, chat, break-out rooms and general tips. You can watch that recording here.

If you have questions after viewing the recording, scroll down this page and look at the right side, where you will see a question form to use.

Once you've watched the demo, it's also a good time to make sure you know how to turn on your device's camera  and microphone, and how to adjust the volume. And, of course, to connect your device to the Internet wherever you are.

Are you 'Zoom-ing' for the first time?

We've heard from people who want to participate in the virtual convention but are novices to Zoom, the platform we're using to present the program. SGGEE will be giving a demonstration for people who select this option when registering for the convention. Look for that question on the form.

But in the meantime, here's some advice and tips gathered from Zoom and others who've been doing this for the last 18 months.

Our first tip: Keep breathing! It's not as difficult as you might assume. :)

It is not required to have a FREE Zoom account to simply join a meeting. Nor is it required to download the Zoom software to your device to join a meeting. However, having both will make things easier for you as a novice. Our suggestions and guidance will be based on you having both. And certainly you can uninstall the software and delete your account after the convention if you no longer need Zoom.

To sign up for an account (the FREE one is sufficient!), go to the signup page and provide the requested information. Then download the Zoom Client for Meetings and install it on your device. Now you're ready for the convention!

Some advice on your device(s)

• A computer -- desktop or laptop -- will make it easier to see the presentations. A bigger screen means less squinting.
• If you use a mobile device like a cell phone or a tablet, turning it in the landscape (horizontal) mode will give you more screen display area.
• Our guidance is geared to computers. If you’re using an iPad, you might want to view this video on YouTube. Just skip the ads.
  

If you're someone who likes video tutorials, Zoom has a help page you can explore.

And if you want to see how this works without an account or installed software, join a test meeting provided by Zoom and see how it goes. 

Friendly reminder: We can't troubleshoot your devices or Internet connection. Nor can we help with Zoom beyond general tips. To participate fully in the convention, you will need a stable and fast Internet connection, a camera and a microphone (built-in or attached externally). But if none are available, you will receive telephone numbers you can use to listen to audio-only. 

Have a question? Use the "Send us your questions" form at the right side of the blog and we'll get you an answer.

Handouts

 Several of our speakers have prepared handouts. Download as desired. Additional handouts will be posted if they become available.

Final schedule and speakers

  

For your planning purposes, programs are timed in the Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) zone. We will start Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. PDT and run into the early afternoon in that time zone.

You'll need to calculate the program timing in your zone. For example, 9 a.m. PDT is noon Eastern Daylight Time, so the convention programs will run into the early evening for participants there.

Here's a time zone converter.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 2021

9 a.m. PDT Opening and welcome

9:10  - 10:10 a.m. PDT Karl Krueger | EWZ records (about the speaker)

10:20 - 11 a.m. PDT Annual General Meeting (members only)

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. PDT Uwe Krickhahn | Kartenmeister (about the speaker)

12:25 - 1:25 p.m. PDT Bill Remus | German migrations (about the speaker)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 19, 2021

 9 a.m. PDT Welcome

9:10 - 10:10 a.m. PDT André Hammann | German Immigration in Brazil: Historical and Cultural Aspects (about the speaker)

10:20 - 11:20 a.m. PDT Dave Obee | Destruction, Departure and Deportation:  The Zhitomir District under Nazi Rule (about the speaker)

11:30 a.m. PDT - ? "Zoom rooms" | small group chats

Registration is open!

 You can now register for the SGGEE virtual conference. Please follow these instructions.

[Note: If you click the "dates and times" link at right, it will bring up those posts related to the schedule, which provide information on the timing as well as a link to a time zone converter. Click the "registration" link to return to this post.]

SGGEE members

If you are a current member of SGGEE, you may register and participate in the convention at no cost. You'll open the member registration form, which will prompt you to log into the website with your username and password.

If you've forgotten your username and/or password, you can use the "initiate reset" button to get that information. Provide your email address and click the button. NOTE: You must use the email address you used in your membership application. If you are still having trouble, email to membership-sggee@googlegroups.com. Don't wait until the last minute to get assistance; our membership volunteers have limited time each week to address questions.

 

Once you're logged in, complete the form and submit. Your registration is recorded, and you'll get information about connecting on ZOOM closer to the event.

We draw your attention to the section on the form about the need for volunteers. Events such as this, all our projects and most of all, the running of the society itself do not happen on their own. Consider giving a few hours over the course of a year to help keep SGGEE successful.

Non-members

You are welcome to participate in the convention-only for $20 CAN. Or you can pay our standard $40 CAN membership fee and participate at no additional cost.

Complete the non-member registration form and submit. NOTE: When you are asked for payment through PayPal do not use your personal PayPal account; simply choose to pay with a credit or debit card. We cannot accept any other payment method. 

Your registration is recorded, and you'll get information about connecting on ZOOM closer to the event.

Links to both registration forms are on the SGGEE home page.

Questions about registration may be sent to convention-sggee@googlegroups.com.

SPEAKER: Uwe Krickhahn

About Uwe

Uwe Krickhahn born 1934 in Hamburg, Germany, where he learned the trade of metal fitter and locksmith.

He emigrated to Canada in 1959 and quickly began working in what became his life-long career in the automotive industry as a mechanic, repair shop owner and then dealership owner selling Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Audi and Hyundai.

Uwe retired in 1999 and went to serve on various community boards. He was elected twice as the president of the Medicine Hat Rotary Club. He joined the Medicine Hat Genealogical Society in 2001, serving as president for three years, and developed obituary software used by the society.

He started to develop Kartenmeister.com in 1995 and made it available to the public on March 31, 2001. In the process, Uwe acquired a sizable collection of German maps and gained familiarity with old German script, Polish and Russian.

Kartenmeister is used extensively by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. He is not associated with the church.

In his free time he is building Free Mini Libraries, which are sold by the local library as fundraiser. He also is building birdhouses for local distribution and initiated a Books on Buses system. It makes surplus books available to the patrons of the public transportation system. Uwe also distributes books to the local Women’s Shelter, Food Bank, Tourist Office and Camp Ground.

He was awarded the Environmental Award for the City of Medicine Hat twice.

Uwe does most of business on his bicycle, plays golf and walks his nine holes pulling his cart behind him. He has been married for almost 60 years to Anke, and has two daughters and 5 grandchildren.

About his presentation: Kartenmeister

Kartenmeister is the most comprehensive database of its kind in the world with 108,246 locations along with their name changes where relevant. 

All locations are east of the Oder and Neisse rivers and are based on the borders of the eastern German provinces in spring 1918. Covered are: East Prussia, including Memel; West Prussia; Brandenburg; Posen; Pomerania; and Silesia. It currently list most towns or points, points being: Mills, some bridges, battlefields, named trees, cenotaphs etc.

Uwe will give us a thorough  presentation of Kartenmeister.com. Afterward, you will be able to decipher, with the few letters on your paperwork of any kind, the location(s) your ancestors came from.