Roots Television | Og Blog

Og has had a very busy week! I spent it reviewing some of the outstanding videos that are available on our Books channel. Check out Hank Jones sharing information from his books, Psychic Roots and More Psychic Roots, as well as his Palatine series. If you've ever had one of those weird coincidences while digging for your roots -- say, you randomly pluck a book off a shelf in a library and open right to your own family -- you're going to want to hear this conversation. Hank tells some great stories! And he's a hero to anyone with Palatine roots.

You can find Hank's books in the non-fiction part of our book store, but if you want to find all of his books and CDs -- and learn about his music and his days on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show -- not to mention, Mork & Mindy, The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, and a gazillion other shows and movies -- check out www.hankjones.com. While you're there, be sure to stroll down his memory lane. I bet it sparks a few memories of your own!

Would it kill you to watch another great interview? Because on the Jewish Roots channel, we’re featuring an interview with Joyce Antler, author of “You Never Call, You Never Write.” This book reviews the history of the stereotypical Jewish Mother, who is usually portrayed as over possessive and manipulative, but also recounts the strong, positive characteristics of Jewish Mothers everywhere. Watch You Never Call, You Never Write, and if you want even more information, take a look at Amazon.com.

Og from Roots Television

As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks. This week, we're serving up a healthy dose of DIY Genealogy as we highlight programs from our very own How To Channel. We'll start the week with "Vital Records", an episode from the popular television series, Ancestors, and we'll spotlight different instructional programs each day. Whether you're ready for a refresher course on the 5-step research process, or looking for a tour of the latest techie tool, the RTV How To Channel has something for everybody.

Og from Roots Television

OK, normally Og has at least a small shred of humility, but I just can’t help but brag today! Family Tree Magazine has named Roots Television one of the 101 Best Web Sites!!! Check us out in the Web Tools Category, and look at the great company we’re keeping there. For the eighth annual 101 Best Web Sites, Family Tree Magazine “decided to revisit our “classic” compilation and present not the best new sites or the best undiscovered sites or what have you, but the best of the Web—period. The sites listed here represent our picks for the 101 most valuable spots to spend your genealogical time online.” Wow, Og feels like celebrating! Come check out all of our channels to see what you’ve been missing!

In a show we’re featuring today, Capturing the Past, learn how to prepare, conduct, and preserve oral histories. If you've got any older relatives, you already know that it's a good idea to interview them -- and as soon as possible. But if you're not quite sure how to get started, take a look! Some of the equipment may look a little dated, but all the principles still apply and it’s a terrific prep tool to make sure you’re ready to capture your past.

Og from Roots Television

Og is normally a pretty happy guy, but today I'm extra happy. Why, you ask? Well, I'm very pleased to announce some exciting new changes to Roots Television! Check out the updated look of our homepage, and while you're there, scroll on over to the channel selections to see the four new channels we've just added, including a British Channel, a Hispanic Channel, a Societies Channel, and a Libraries & Archives Channel. And to celebrate our new channel launches, Roots Television is holding a special contest just for you!

We're inviting all genealogical and historical societies, as well as any libraries and archives, to add our link to your website and asking you to encourage your members and patrons to visit Roots Television™ often. The organization that sends the most traffic to the Roots Television™ website by October 31st will win $1,000.

Look for the contest button at the top of Roots Television homepage for instructions on how to enter our contest by adding our link to your website. After October 31st, 2007, we’ll look into our crystal ball (actually, we’ll get a detailed report from our internet hosting company) to determine which society/library/archive has sent the most traffic our way during the contest. We’ll tally the scores, announce the winner, and send that winner a big fat check for $1000.00. It’s that easy! Enter your society or library today!!

Og from Roots Television

Oh baby! Is Og ever excited! I just returned from a few days at the FGS Conference in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and let me tell you – you could never hope to meet a nicer, more interesting group of folks. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’re all devoted to the same thing as Og – genealogy! Roots Television sponsored a surprising conference-opening guest, Chris Haley, who is both the nephew of Roots author, Alex Haley, and a professional archivist, as well as an incredibly entertaining performer! The Roots Television booths were just crazy all day, as we were lucky enough to have Chris Haley hang out and conduct on-the-spot guest interviews. Many conference attendees were captivated by the Haley charm!

What’s that you say? You didn’t get to attend the FGS Conference this year, but you wish you could have seen that great opener? No problem -- Og has got you covered!!! Just check out the FGS 2007 Conference Introduction on either our New and Featured Channel or our Conferences channel, to see the excitement you missed. Og guarantees you won't be disappointed!

Og from Roots Television

Og has something VERY special that he wants you to check out! We’ve just added some fantastic new shows about Annie Moore. For those of you who don’t know the story, Annie Moore was a 14-year-old girl who happened to be the first immigrant to pass through newly opened Ellis Island on January 1, 1892. Upon her arrival, she was swept away by dignitaries, given a $10 gold coin, and sent on her way. Years later, a statue was erected in her honor on Ellis Island, her descendents were sought out for recognition, and everything was well and good. OR WAS IT??? No, my friends, it wasn’t. You see, through no fault of her family, the wrong Annie Moore had been tracked down! A contest to discover the real Annie Moore was launched, and the true Annie Moore’s family was discovered!

Roots Television is proud to be able to offer TWO short programs covering this very topic – the first is coverage of a play, "Making Up History: The Search for Annie Moore” about this very topic that recently hit the stage in Washington, D.C.. Playwright Alia Faith Williams tells the compelling story of Annie Moore’s journey to America, paralleled with the efforts of Megan Smolenyak and other avid genealogists to uncover Annie's true identity.

The second short clip is also amazingly compelling – 5th Year students at Scoil Oilibhéir in Cork, Ireland wrote, produced, directed, and starred in their own motion picture, "From Cork to New York: The Annie Moore Story”, which documents Annie’s life in Cork and her journey to America. These kids really did their homework, discovering Annie’s birth records and locating several sites important to Annie’s life, including St. Patrick’s Church where she was baptized. Check out this show on our New and Featured channel.

Og knows you’ll be just as dazzled by these accounts of this re-writing of history. Enjoy!!!

Og from Roots Television

Are you a member of a Genealogical or Historical Society or Library/Archive? Has your society got a hankering to buy some extra equipment for your members to use? Need some software updates that seem too expensive? Want to sponsor some research? Then has Og got great news for you!!! Roots Television™ is sponsoring an exciting new contest only for Societies and Libraries – and here’s the really GREAT news – the winners will take away $1000 for their group! All you have to do is go to the homepage for Roots Television and look at the top of the page for the entry button, add our link to your website, and direct your members to visit Roots Television. The organization that sends the most traffic to the Roots Television™ website by October 31st will win $1,000. (It’s so simple, even a caveman could do it!) Good luck!!!

Og from Roots Television

Og is just soooo happy that so many new people are watching Roots Television™! It’s a great way to get your “genealogy fix” anytime you want to. Some people have had some questions about the use of the site, so Og wants to give you the scoop, the whole scoop, and nothing but the scoop

First, when you first open up the Roots Television website, you’ll notice that there are three main columns. The column on the far left displays current programming from the New and Featured channel. The center column gives a brief synopsis of the latest programs and shows we’ve uploaded, and the column to the far right offer icons representing all the genealogically based channels that we currently offer.

Answers to some simple questions:

Are there certain times that I can watch these cool shows?
Nope. Anytime is a good time to watch Roots Television™! All the shows we offer are available 24 hours a day, totally at YOUR convenience!

Do I have to watch the show that’s playing when I open the website?
No, no, no. The choice is always yours!!! Just scroll on over to the channels and choose what you like, when you like.

How can I choose a program that I want to see?
Well, all of the shows are great, but there are a few ways that you can easily choose exactly what you want to see: perform a search based on a topic you’re interested in; or scroll over the channels to see which topic interests you, then select a show within that channel (or as Og likes to say, “Choose a channel, choose a show, and away you go!”; or you can even go through the Progam Guide, which is in alpha order, to help you select a show.

If you have any other questions, just let Og know!

Og from Roots Television

Twenty-four hours a day, 24 exciting channels -- THAT'S genealogy your way! Og knows that there are a lot of newbies out there who have just discvovered Roots Television™, and he'd like to welcome you to our amazing site, and encourage you to explore a little. Don't be shy -- jump right in and watch a little bit of everything! It's all genealogy, all the time: from British Roots to Reunions; from Dearly Departed to Immigration; and from Storytelling to DNA -- it's all there in our channel guide, with a wide variety of shows just waiting to be watched. All it takes is a few minutes -- but you can stay as long as you like -- ENJOY!!!

Og from Roots Television

If you missed Og and Roots Television™ at the recent FGS Conference in Ft. Wayne, you also missed a great opportunity to become a WINNER!! That's because everyone visiting our booths at the exhibition hall could enter a drawing to win a copy of the book "Roots" signed by author Alex Haley. It was certainly an attention-grabber, and many folks signed on with their fingers crossed, but the winner is...Gay Criscio!!!

And the good news didn't stop there -- on no! There were other prizes that were up for grabs, and the following fortunate individuals have lucked into a free webcam: Hailey, Maddy, and Emily. Congrats to these winners.

Last but certainly not least, we had some winners of our fantastic Roots Television™ t-shirts. If you'd attended the conference, you'd know that these generated a WHOLE LOT of interest, and so Og is happy to announce that the winners of these vibrant t-shirts are: Laura Carter, Bob Metcalf, and Thomas Record. Og hopes that these winners wear their new shirts in good health!

What's that? You weren't there, but still want a chance to become a winner? If you're a member of a society, library, or archive, you can enter our newest contest. Just see the top of Roots Television website for instructions on how to link Roots Television to your society's/library's webpage for your chance to win $1000.. Take it from Og -- it's simple!!!

Og from Roots Television

Well, if you haven't been there before, you really must take a few minutes to watch a new video we're featuring -- Og's talking about the Allen County Library, that features over 340,000 printed volumes, but more importantly, a huge, impressive genealogy research center. Featuring 5 rooms with unique genealogical holdings, librarians with over 150 collective years of experience conducting genealogical and historical research, and bank after bank of computers available for use, this library is really quite an amazing place!

Og wants to thank all the societies/archives/libraries that have linked us up to their webpages. We're very excited about your response -- but don't stop there. The more the merrier! If your society or library/archive would like to link us up, just go to the Roots Television™ homepage and look for the icon at the top of the page. The group that directs the most traffic to Roots Television before October 31 will win $1000, so it's an easy way to make some easy money for your group.

And Og would also like to encourage all our new visitors to share THEIR genealogical videos with us. Simply click on the Rootstube icon to see just how easy it is to upload your video for all to see. You can watch examples that have already been submitted by selecting the Rootstube channel -- we have some wonderful, interesting shows there.

As always, Og thinks one of the best ways to see Roots Television is to browse your way through it -- so just take your time and enjoy!

Og from Roots Television.