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    The Newsroom Blog
    19 February 2015 | POSTED BY Newsroom Staff

    Mormonism Online: In Your Own Words | 19 February 2015

    In Your Own Words is a regular sampling of online articles, blog posts and social media that represent some of the current conversations about Mormonism. The posts in this series do not necessarily represent the views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor are they meant to be a comprehensive summary of the online conversations about the Church. The intent is to highlight social media content from individuals that will help journalists and the public better understand Mormonism.

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    Family Discovery Center Opens on Temple Square

    Last week the Family Discovery Center officially opened on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. The discovery center, an innovative hub for those looking to bring history to life, uses iPads and other technology to digitally display family trees, show the origin of names and help visitors envision life from the past.

    Fisher: “I took a VIP tour of the Family Discovery Center at the nearby Joseph Smith Building. I thought it was just a research area... Was I wrong! The displays tie directly into your family lines and show you, for instance, a map of where your people came from and went to.” (Extreme Genes blog post)

    Ancestry Insider: "Another station tapped into FamilySearch Family Tree to get information about my ancestors. This station was phenomenal. It showed migration patterns, percentages of national origin, photos, and stories." (Ancestry Insider blog post)

    This map shows where all my ancestors come from! #RootsTech #RTAteam #cesdevo @asparkleofgenius

    Our tour of the new Family Discovery Center was amazing. This interactive feature allows users to discovery the history of their first and last name, what happened the year they were born, and much more! It is a must-see in Salt Lake City. #rootstech #familydiscoverycenter @myldsdaily

    This makes me so full of happy! It's fun to see my actual genetic breakdown. I'm honestly suprised I'm more English than Danish, though my Scandinavian is definitely dominant. What a fun discovery at #RootsTech! #familyhistory #FindTakeTeach#familysearch @herathene

    Lily is recording her first story! This is going to be a family tradition. #DiscoverMyStory #rootstech #rtateam#the5000daysproject @keepmovingforwardwithme

    Post by Mormon Neighbors.

    Church leaders also found some time to explore the center prior to the official opening.

    Post by Rosemary M. Wixom.

    It was also announced that other family history centers will be updated to better connect people with their ancestry.

     

    Visitors From Around the World Attend RootsTech Family History Conference

    The discovery center opening kicked off RootsTech, which is promoted as the largest family history conference in the world. Visitors gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah, to discuss technological innovations relating to finding families.

     

    The conference, sponsored by FamilySearch, specifically promotes technology that helps people document and discover their family, including websites, apps and other digital tools.

    Attendees noted the popularity of the event as the Salt Palace Convention Center swelled with over 21,000 visitors from around the United States and overseas.

    The conference, now in its fifth year, featured over 200 classes. Keynote speakers and attendees noted the interest in family memories and how technology can help in the search for connections.


    Speakers illustrated this principle through personal stories detailing the ways their family impacted their life stories.

    AJ Jacobs is pretty much the coolest, AND he's probably your cousin! Me too! #iamacousin #RTAteam#RootsTech #housewivesofriverton #ajjacobs @paula_housewivesofriverton

    One of the BEST parts of attending #RootsTech is hearing people we love & respect talk about their own family stories and connections ... which is in turn inspiring the rest of us find, record, and share OUR family stories even more. Noelle Pikus Pace (and EVERY keynote speaker) nailed it with her remarks. Seriously. ❤️@paceusa @beckyhigginsllc


    Saturday’s sessions included leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Neil L. Andersen, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, encouraged attendees to find their families as the concept of a united family is at the core of the Church’s teachings.

    Is anything too hard for the Lord? #familydiscoverydayBeing filled with faith and strength. So thankful for the knowledge and testimony I have the Lord and Savior. Adding to that faith: @22alfox and Elder Andersen.#Rootstech #RTAteam. (Live streaming available at lds.org) @kimball_allison

    What a great way to spend Valentine's Day! #RootsTech2015 #templechallenge @sharingbliss

    Those interested can learn more about family history work at local family history centers and on FamilySearch.org.

    Read Older Post Mormons Around the World: Country Newsroom Websites | Feb 11 Read Newer Post Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right | February 19, 2015

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