APG & Second Life - 10 Feb 2010

A while back, Ol'Myrt here wrote about APG & Second Life as the initial idea about forming a chapter of the Association of
Professional Genealogists in Second Life was circulating in "RL" (real
life).

Initial hesitation revolved around the Second Life premise of protecting the true identify of avatars (the graphic
character a member creates to participate in Second Life activities.)

However, APG members currently participating in Second Life genealogy activities
see no problem with informing APG officers of our true identities. In
my view, my avatar's name is no different, and no more cryptic than
sharing my email address. Remember when we were known as mere numbers
on CompuServe? THAT was cryptic!

Now, plans are underway to hold an organizatonal meeting NEXT WEEK for a new APG Second Life chapter (APG-SL), and a notecard explaining the process in being circulated among genealogists in Second Life. It reads as follows:

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CONTENTS
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I. What is APG?
II. Join APG in Real Life
III. Join APG-Second Life Chapter (APG-SL)
IV. Meetings
V. Encouraging others to join this chapter
VI. Contact

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I. WHAT IS APG?
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Association of Professional Genealogists

"The APG umbrella is more than just a brand. It's a powerful resource for networking, education, and arbitration. Our Code of Ethics sets the
standard for professional conduct in genealogy.

Under the umbrella, our members blend their diverse backgrounds to create a
strong, competent genealogy industry. Our clients trust APG members to
adhere to professional standards, and rely on the APG Directory to find
the right professional."

Source: http://www.apgen.org

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II. JOIN APG
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One joins by visiting the APG website. The fee is currently $65 annually.
Once membership is processed, you will be added to the directory of
members, and given access to the "members only" area of the APG
website. See: http://www.apgen.org

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III. JOIN APG-SL
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Second Life terms of service require the protection of your identity as an
avatar owner. You are free to keep that info private or share it with
others as you see fit.

However, if you wish to attend meetings and participate as a voting member of the APG-SL chapter, you'll need
to choose an avatar and be willing to share that identity with APG's
Executive Director, Kathleen Hinckley, admin@apgen.org. Existing APG members who wish to change their chapter affiliation may notify Kathy of the change.

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IV. MEETINGS
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CHAPTER MEETINGS
The APG-SL chapter will hold regular meetings, initially on the second
Wednesday each month at 5pm SL time (same as Pacific US, daylight when
applicable) at the Just Genealogy Fire Pit. If you need a teleport, see our contact list below. We will be happy to assist.

REAL LIFE MEETINGS
From the APG members-only website, we read "An APG Roundtable is an informal
discussion sponsored by the Association of Professional Genealogists
and held during national conferences. A roundtable is one of the best
places to network with other APG members, to learn how other
professionals market themselves, and to share ideas and methods."

The roundtables for 2010 are:

NGS Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah: Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

FGS Conference, Knoxville, Tennessee: Tuesday, August 17, 2009, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

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V. ENCOURAGING OTHERS
TO JOIN THE SL CHAPTER
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The APG-SL Chapter provides a unique opportunity for members to gather
regardless of their residence -- and the commute is nothing more than a
mouse click away.

For specific directions for joining SL, and getting in sync with other SL genealogists, see DearMYRTLE's blog entry Interested in actually joining Second Life for step-by-step directions.

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VI. CONTACT
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In-world:

Krag Mariner
Clarise Beaumont
Genie Weezles
Leonard Greybeard

Founding Members, APG-SL Chapter.

So if you are interested in joining a chapter, our organizational meeting
will be held NEXT WEEK 10 February 2010 at 5pm SL time, in Second Life
around the Just Genealogy Fire Pit. We have much to do, including voting on by-laws, and turning in our formal organizational papers.

You'll see me there as Clarise Beaumont.

Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy.
Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com