The Global Family Reunion
Second Life Branch Party
Saturday, June 6, 2015
8am-5:30pm SLT (Pacific Daylight Time)
in Just Genealogy
~~~What’s Just Genealogy?
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Just Genealogy is an enduring home for genealogy in Second Life. Founded by Krag Mariner, now Clarise Beaumont and Genie Weezles (Relatively Curious) own the property. Just Genealogy group is the largest in SL devoted to genealogy.
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Barbara Collazo joined Second Life to “do” genealogy, and has been at Just Genealogy since her first days in SL, though she does many other things too.
~~~What’s the Global Family Reunion?
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It’s a fundraiser for two organizations devoted to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease: the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and the Alzheimer’s Association New York Chapter.
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Goals of the festival are threefold: to find cousins through the new online crowdsourced family trees, raise money for Alzheimer’s Disease research, and have fun!
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Genealogy and family history have gotten a big boost in the arm in the last decade from inexpensive DNA testing and the growth of online source databases and user-built family trees. A J Jacobs, a writer and editor, plugged himself into several websites and got excited, as many of us do, at the history and connections it opened up.
In honor of his newfound cousins, he is sponsoring a day-long event in New York City with branch parties in other locations—SL is one of the official locations. NYC Events include education, famous speakers, many cousins near and far removed.
In SL we will have educational presentations, talks and discussions, games and prizes, we’ll be live-streaming the New York event, there will be music all day, all in a carnival atmosphere.
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Held on June 6, 2015, from 8am – 5:30pm SL time at Just Genealogy/Relatively Curious in Second Life,
https://maps.secondlife.com/
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Find more information about the global event at https://globalfamilyreunion.
com/global-at-a-glance/ . -
10-minute TED talk about the reunion at https://www.ted.com/talks/aj_
jacobs_the_world_s_largest_ family_reunion_we_re_all_ invited. -
This is the seminal article, from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/…/opin…
/sunday/are-you-my-cousin.html .
~~~Just Genealogy Service overview
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We have educational displays and scheduled discussions about genealogical topics. It’s a friendly community who understands when you start to talk about second cousins five times removed.
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It’s a great place for people who may be physically disabled or isolated—as for many, Second Life is a lifeline where you can meet people with similar interests.
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We host a bona fide chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, who strive for the highest scholarly and ethical standards in genealogy research, and who offer a continuing education program monthly.
~~~Just Genealogy and the Global Family Reunion
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A day of fun and music, live-streaming the NYC event, presentations discussions, prizes and games. There will be dancing all day, and people to help with your own family history if you wish. We invite newcomers to SL to join us and we’ll have newcomer-friendly destinations for you to visit. If you’re new to genealogy, stop by and listen to stories. Or come help!
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If you’re new to Second Life, begin at https://secondlife.com/ . It’s free. Download the Second Life software, follow the instructions to create an avatar, and enter the world. Search for Genie Weezles or Barbara Collazo in-world, or make your way to Just Genealogy, https://maps.secondlife.com/
secondlife/Wollah/76/43/72 . Note that you must be 18 to use Second Life.
~~~Frequently Asked Questions
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How do you “do” genealogy in SL?
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First of all, with discretion. We promise anonymity if people want it.
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Second, with speakers, discussions, webinars, and all the usual high-tech educational tools. Genealogists of all skill levels inhabit SL, and we are always learning.
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We do focused problem-solving: using group discussion and our varied backgrounds we help people open up new avenues for research.
- Don’t underestimate the social aspect: for someone physically or socially isolated, it can be a huge relief to talk to like-minded people.
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