So I’ve hesitated to share this tip in an official post because I thought it was just a bug in the RootsTech system.
But I tweeted about it last year and the RootsTech Twitter account “liked” my tweet and now we’re at year two, and the more I explore I see multiple options for this same amazing freebie, and I’m thinking, they must know it’s available and they’re just not marketing it as a freebie. So I’m going to go ahead and share the tip.
[su_heading size=”18″] The One Tip You Need [/su_heading]
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
Drumroll…
Whether you’re registered to attend RootsTech or not, you can download all the handouts for free.
I hope you think that’s as big a deal as I do. I haven’t seen this with any other genealogical convention–and I’ve tried.
[su_heading size=”18″] Bonus Tip [/su_heading]
You don’t have to have a smartphone to access the handouts.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android
OR
You can use this URL to access a version of the RootsTech 2018 app on your computer
[su_heading size=”18″] One more crazy BONUS [/su_heading]
You can access RootsTech 2017 handouts as well. You can access 2017 by URL OR with the RootsTech 2018 app you have the option to install both the 2018 and 2017 Conferences and access the handouts from your phone/device.
I know. Crazy! These are so valuable I have no idea why they’re free…to everyone. But they are, so if you missed RootsTech 2017 or can’t attend RootsTech 2018, you can still grab the handouts and glean a lot of knowledge.
[su_heading size=”18″] No Way! There’s still more for FREE! [/su_heading]
Can you tell I’ve spent many sleepless nights watching infomercials?
But this is another bonafide freebie.
I still have the RootsTech 2016 app on my phone, but alas, it doesn’t work and there are no free handouts accessible. The URL also doesn’t work for 2016. But…
RootsTech 2015 is online!!! 2015 is the only other year I’ve found with handouts still accessible.
[su_heading size=”18″] How to Download RootsTech Handouts from the URL [/su_heading]
First, it’s a tedious process and there are multiple ways to do it. Here are the URLs I’ve been able to download from:
For each year, I would:
- Go to the Conference Schedule
- Select “Browse by Category”
- Select a Category
- Select “Browse by Day”
- Select a Class, scroll down to “Resources” and “Handouts”
- Select “Handouts”
- Select the specific handout. It will open in a PDF on your computer. You can download it to your computer or print it to your home printer.
- Do this process for any other handouts for that class.
- Do the entire process for any handouts you want from that RootsTech Conference.
[su_heading size=”18″] How to Download RootsTech Handouts from the 2018 RootsTech App [/su_heading]
For 2018 ONLY (and again, there are multiple ways to do it), I would:
- Go to the Conference Schedule
- Select “Browse by Category”
- Select “Browse by Day”
- Star every class that interests you on that day’s Conference Schedule – it will warn you you’re already booked for that time slot, ignore the warning and heedlessly star more classes for the same time slot
-
- Select the icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app that looks like a phone with an arrow through it; This will take you to the Main Menu page
- Select the “Downloads” icon in Row 2 Column 4. This will show you a list of every class you bookmarked (with the Star feature)
- Select one handout, You ‘ll have the option to:
- Take Notes on the Handout (I’ve never used this option)
- Email Handout (to any email address)
- Open In-App (opens so you can view it within the RootsTech 2018 app)
- Open In… (options will vary by phone)
- Cancel
This year, if I use the iPhone to get the handouts, I’ll select “Open In” and then my phone gives me the option to AirDrop to my home computer, add to my iPhone Notes app, Copy to Evernote, Copy to Slack, Copy to iBooks, Save to Files, etc.
Your options will be different based on the apps on your phone and whether you use an iPhone or Android device.
If I use my phone to get the handouts I’ll AirDrop them to my computer, where it shows up in an Adobe Acrobat reader and then I’ll save the file to a RootsTech 2018 handouts file.
I don’t know what the process is for Android phones, but hopefully, it will be similar enough these directions will be useful for Android owners.
[su_heading size=”18″] How to Download RootsTech Handouts from the 2017 RootsTech App [/su_heading]
For 2017, you can no longer use the “star” method above to bookmark classes and handouts, so I think your only option is to go class by class (using the Conference Schedule) or speaker by speaker (using the Speaker list) and download each handout one by one. I emailed them to myself last year while at RootsTech.
On an iPhone, looking at the 2017 RootsTech Conference Schedule, when I find a class I like, I scroll down to “Resources,” select the handout, and am given these options:
- Take Notes on Handout
- Download Handout
- Email Handout
- Cancel
- When I hit Download Handout I have options similar to 2018, and I can opt to AirDrop the handout from my phone, to my computer, and it works. It shows up as a PDF on my computer in Adobe Acrobat and I can save it or print it.
Best with your research, whether you’ll be at #RootsTech or #NotatRootsTech, download the app and handouts! (And for fun you can follow those two hashtags on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and see what others are up to.)