Saturday, September 27, 2008

Join Us for Scanfest Tomorrow!



The September 2008 Scanfest will be held tomorrow, Sunday, September 28th from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. Thomas MacEntee and I have agreed to change things up a bit, but don't worry: whether you're a die-hard Scanfester OR new to Scanfest, we are offering several options for you to enjoy your scanning and connecting experience!

Here are the choices we are offering:

A. You can chat using Windows Live Messenger. I'll be coordinating this side of the event.

B. You can voice chat using Skype. Please see the post Thomas wrote entitled "Scanfest Speaks - Scanfest and Skype" at Destination: Austin Family.

C. You can conference call with your telephone. Again, see Thomas' post. Thomas will host the Skype/conference calling side of Scanfest.

D. You can choose to do both chatting and calling (using either Skype or your telephone).

Following are basic steps to prepare for the regular Scanfest, using Windows Live Messenger for chatting. Steps Four and Five are important, no matter which media you choose to use to connect.

Please follow these steps for a smooth start-up and an enjoyable time getting to know others. You will want to do this BEFORE tomorrow's session to make your experience go more smoothly, and so that I will not be spending the first hour or so getting everyone set up, and can do some scanning myself!

1. You need to have Windows Live Messenger downloaded to your computer. Mac users, use this link.

2. Windows Live Messenger works best with Hotmail or Gmail accounts. I don't know why, it just does. I recommend Gmail, because it has such good spam filters.

3. Send me an e-mail to let me know you've gotten all set up with Windows Live Messenger, so I can add you to my list of contacts. Check your e-mail account (the one that you will be using as a sign-in for Windows Live Messenger) to see if I have verified you and invited you to Scanfest. PLEASE NOTE: I'll be away from my computer a lot this coming week as my husband is taking some time off from work and we have a couple of houseguests. Please be patient if I do not respond to your e-mails for a few days.

4. Go to Sally Jacob's website here to sign up for her free newsletter. It will enable you to download her helpful information called 8 Blunders People Make When They Scan Photographs...and How You Can Avoid Them All. You do not want to be scanning photos as .jpg files or at 150 dpi (dots per inch)! Sally's pamphlet will explain all!

5. Take some time to figure out what you want to scan before Sunday. Otherwise, you'll spend all your time sorting and not scanning.

6. On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, or whenever you plan to join the chat (you don't have to be present the entire three hours), sign in to Windows Live Messenger, and if you've done Step 3, you'll see my icon lit up on your list of contacts. Click on my icon and send me a message. I'll add you to our group conversation.

No matter which option you choose, I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know other family historians and archivists, as well as getting your precious family photos and documents scanned and preserved for future generations!

1 comment:

Daphne said...

Thank you for the invitation... I'll definitely have to be there next month! This sounds like exactly the thing I need to get all my stuff scanned in.