The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, Judy Russell and Stephanie Nielsen at RootsTech 2014

I find it very interesting that the "big name" keynote speakers at the huge RootsTech 2014 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 6 - 8, 2014, are well-known bloggers. There are 3 of the 6 speakers that are bloggers; Ree Drummand with The Pioneer Woman blog, Judy Russell of The Legal Genealogist blog and Stephanie Nielsen of the NieNIe Dialogues blog.

Ree Drummond is one of the opening keynote speakers for RootsTech 2014. Through her popular blog, cookbooks, and Food Network show, she shares glimpses into her life as a ranch wife and a mother, with photos, memories, stories, and food. In February 2010, she was listed as 22 on the Forbes' list of top 25 web celebrities.

Drummond said, "I love sharing stories about my family and our experiences on the ranch, so I'm really excited to be part of RootsTech this year. It's all about finding ways to share family stories and strengthen family connections. And of course, not all stories have to be about life on a cattle ranch or buttery adventures in the kitchen-every family has its own unique history! I'm looking forward to sharing a little of mine at RootsTech."

Also speaking at RootsTech, on Saturday, February 8, is Stephanie Nielsen, author of the popular blog, NieNie Dialogues. In 2008, Stephanie and her husband were in a serious plane crash. Over 80 percent of her body was burned. Her story of survival and recovery are documented on her blog and has been recounted in interviews with Oprah Winfrey and on the TODAY show. In 2012, Nielsen published her book Heaven is Here.

One interesting comment, in my own Ward and in talking to members in other Wards, I find very few who have heard of RootsTech 2014 or any other RootsTech Conference. I was talking to a patron at the Mesa FamilySearch Library yesterday who is taking a Genealogy class at BYU Idaho and she had never heard of RootsTech at all. It might be a good idea to have the BYU folks make their students aware of the Conference. If you read this, it also might be a good idea to talk about this in your Ward.