RootsMagic App for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Michael Booth 33 Comments

One of the most common questions we’re asked is, “When can I get RootsMagic on my phone or tablet?”  The answer is, “Today!”  We’re pleased to announce the official release of RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch; a free companion app to our RootsMagic desktop genealogy software.

Your family tree at your fingertips!

Your Family Tree at Your Fingertips

Now you can easily take and show off your family history with you wherever you go.  RootsMagic lets you carry your genealogy on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch!  It’s fast, easy, and free!

We’re very excited to bring RootsMagic right to your iPhone and iPad.  Not only is this one of the most-requested features from our users, but it is the perfect next step in our mission to simplify family history.  The app provides many useful features including:

  • Access your actual RootsMagic files via iTunes or Dropbox – RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch uses your actual RootsMagic files- no conversion needed. You can copy as many files as you want right on your device via iTunes or Dropbox. Users of other genealogy software such as PAF, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, and others can convert their files into viewable RootsMagic files using our free desktop software.
  • Easily search and explore your family tree – Familiar Pedigree, Family, Descendant, and Individual Views help you quickly explore your family tree. You can also search for specific people by name or record number.
  • View pictures, notes, and sources – All of your RootsMagic data is available inside the app. Touch any name to see more information about that person as well as family members. All of a person’s information is there including notes, sources, and pictures.
  • Lists – Browse lists of your information and view more information about sources, to-do items, research logs, media, addresses, repositories, correspondences, and places.
  • Tools and Calculators – useful tools to assist you in your research including a perpetual calendar, date calculator, relationship calculator, and soundex calculator.

Watch a Live Demonstration

Don’t miss a chance to see a live demonstration of the app and how easy it is to copy your data to your device!  We’ve scheduled a special online webinar for Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 4:00 PM MST.  To register, click here.  Be sure to arrive early as only the first 1000 attendees will be able to participate!

New Features and Platforms to Come

We see this as our first step into the mobile world and we’re interested in seeing how people use this app and evolving it to meet their needs.

Android Coming Soon

And before we get swamped with e-mails accusing us of neglecting owners of Android devices, rest assured that a version of the app for Android devices will be available in the near future.

Available Now

Download on the App Store

RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is free and now available in the Apple App Store. It does require the RootsMagic desktop family tree software or the free RootsMagic Essentials software to create, edit, or add to your genealogy files. More information is available at http://www.rootsmagic.com/ios.

Special Holiday Offer Ends December 20th

Bruce Buzbee 1 Comment

Our special holiday offer continues through December 20th.  With the holidays coming up, we often get requests from our users about buying copies of RootsMagic to give as gifts to their family or friends.  In what has become an annual tradition, RootsMagic owners can buy discounted copies of our software to give as gifts.

Brand New Version 6!

Once again our Holiday Special hits at the exact same time as the release of a new version.  During this special holiday sale, you can order gift copies of RootsMagic 6 for just $19.95 (plus shipping).  Even better, you can order our other products at that same $19.95 price.  There is even a special bundle of our 3 best selling programs (and the RM book) for just $59.95.

There is no limit on the number of discounted gift copies you can buy during this limited time offer which will expire December 20, 2012. You will receive the full program for each copy you order.

To take advantage of this offer, just visit:

http://www.rootsmagic.com/holidayoffer

or order by phone at 1-800-ROOTSMAGIC (1-800-766-8762).

Here are a few resources if you would like more information about the new RootsMagic 6.

RootsMagic 6 – Free Online Publishing at My.RootsMagic.com

Bruce Buzbee 5 Comments

My RootsMagic

We released our new RootsMagic 6 software last week with an impressive list of new features.  One of our goals with this new release was to make it easier for you to share your information online with your family.

With that goal in mind, we’re pleased to offer our new My RootsMagic free hosting service for users of RootsMagic 6.  With it, you can easily publish and share your family tree, notes, sources, and media with others.

Publish Online

To publish your information to My RootsMagic, just run RootsMagic 6, then select “Internet > Publish online” from the main menu.  RootsMagic will step you through choosing which people you want to include, privacy options, and customizing your home page.  Then, with the click of a button, it publishes it online for you.  Your site will be located at my.rootsmagic.com/yourusername and will include a home page, a searchable name index, and pedigree view, family views, and individual view for every person you choose to include.  You can also include the notes, sources, and pictures on your site as well.

Your My RootsMagic site will have a very clean appearance, and is very easy for visitors to navigate.  Here’s a sample of what the pedigree view looks like (click the image to embiggen it).

Publish Online

See it in Action

If you want to see a sample of what RootsMagic 6 can create, we’ve put up a sample site for you to experience.  This sample site is purely fictional information, but will let you navigate the various views and see how notes, sources, and media are included.

If you’ve like to see a live demonstration where I created and published a family tree online, watch the last half of our free webinar “What’s New in RootsMagic 6” (it starts at 40:00 minutes into the webinar).

And be sure to read Randy Seaver’s blog articles about his experiences trying RootsMagic 6 and it’s online publishing here and here.  Randy sums up the My RootsMagic online publishing nicely:

“I really like the ease of creation of the website – it’s so idiot-proof that even I can do it.  I really like the tree content, the visual product, and the ease of navigation within the tree.  Plus, it’s FREE as part of buying a superb genealogy software program.”

So if you’ve been wanting to share your family history online but haven’t had the time or tech-knowledge to do it, get or upgrade to RootsMagic 6 today!

New RootsMagic 6 Software Released

Bruce Buzbee 10 Comments

RootsMagic 6

Latest Version of Genealogy and Family Tree Software Now Available to the Public

SPRINGVILLE, Utah. — November 19, 2012 — RootsMagic, Inc. today announced the official release of RootsMagic 6, the latest version of the award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history easy and enjoyable.  With this release comes an update to the popular “RootsMagic Essentials” free genealogy software.

Family History Made Easy

Family Tree Magazine said RootsMagic is “probably the best all-around genealogy program” and “offers a winning combination of features for both casual and serious genealogists.”

Throughout its 11-year history, RootsMagic has helped people research and share their family trees with innovative features such as moving people from one file to another with your mouse, a SourceWizard to help you document your work, creating a Shareable CD to give to family and friends, and running RootsMagic off of a USB flash drive when you are away from home.  RootsMagic has also received numerous awards, including the award for “Easiest to Sync” from FamilySearch for their work in interfacing with that system.

New Features

RootsMagic 6 adds many new features while making existing features even easier to use.  “This release includes something for everybody,” said Bruce Buzbee, president.  “Whether you want an easier way to share your family history with family or are looking for better tools to help you organize your work, RootsMagic 6 has something new for you.”  New features include:

Publish Online

  • Online Publishing – Create beautiful, dynamic websites with pedigree, family and individual views as well as supporting notes, sources, and media.  And with our free My.RootsMagic.com hosting service, your genealogy has an online home with the click of a mouse.

Timeline View

  • Live Timeline View – A live-edit panel on RootsMagic’s timeline view makes this one of the most powerful editing features ever!  Make corrections to your data while viewing it in context with other family members life events.

Find Everywhere

  • Find Everywhere – With a single search you can now find every  record in your file containing the text you want.  Quickly find people, families, notes, sources, places, to-do items, research logs, and more.  Then edit those found records directly from the search results.

WebTags

  • WebTags – Link people, sources, places, and more to websites using RootsMagic 6’s new WebTags.

CountyCheck Explorer

  • CountyCheck Explorer – Look up a county, state, or country from a multi-national database.  It can even show you online maps of county boundaries for that date.
  • Plus dozens of other enhancements and features

Free “RootsMagic Essentials”

RootsMagic 6 is also available in an updated, free edition named, “RootsMagic 6 Essentials”.  RootsMagic Essentials contains many core features from the RootsMagic software and the two products are fully-compatible with one another.  “Many people are curious about their family history and don’t know where to begin,” said Michael Booth, vice president.  “RootsMagic Essentials is the perfect way for someone to get started, risk-free.”  RootsMagic Essentials is available for download at http://www.rootsmagic.com.

Available Now

RootsMagic 6 is now available online at http://www.rootsmagic.com or by calling 1-800-766-8762.  New users may purchase RootsMagic 6 for only $29.95.  Users of previous versions of RootsMagic and it’s predecessor, Family Origins may purchase RootsMagic 6 for the upgrade price of only $19.95.

About RootsMagic, Inc.

For over 20 years, RootsMagic, Inc. has been creating computer software with a special purpose- to unite families. One of our earliest products- the popular “Family Origins” software, introduced thousands of people to the joy and excitement of family history.

That tradition continues today with “RootsMagic”, our award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history fun and easy. “Personal Historian” will help you easily write and preserve your life stories. “Family Reunion Organizer” takes the headaches out of planning those important get-togethers. And “Family Atlas” creates beautiful and educational geographic maps of your family history.

For more information, visit www.rootsmagic.com.
Source: RootsMagic, Inc.

Most Interesting Family History Picture and Story

Michael Booth 1 Comment

Some of you have been patiently awaiting the results of our “Most Interesting Family History Picture and Story” contest.  We apologize for the delay.  We had to contact each of the winners and then, frankly, we got so caught-up in other things that we forgot to tell you, our blog readers, who won.

We started out with hundreds of pictures and stories submitted by you.  Then our panel of judges narrowed the list down to 8 pictures and stories.  If you’d like to see the finalists and read their stories, click on any of the pictures below:

We then allowed you to vote on which picture and story you felt was the most interesting. We’re pleased to announce that the entry with the most votes was “Christmas Tires” by Rick D. Harms!  Congratulations to Rick as he is now the owner of a brand-new Flip-Pal mobile scanner.  Rick and all the other finalists have also won a copy of our Personal Historian 2 writing software.

Again, a big thank you to all of you took the time to share your precious family pictures and stories with us.  We were overwhelmed with the love and pride that people felt for their family histories.  They provided us with hours of entertainment and encouragement and made us thankful that we are able to help, in some small part, to the preservation and sharing of these priceless histories.

Vote Now for the Most Interesting Family History Picture and Story

Michael Booth 3 Comments

We had a tremendous response to our “Most Interesting Family History Picture and Story” contest.  We were overwhelmed with the love and pride that people felt for their family histories.  It was a very hard job, but our panel of judges narrowed the list down to 8 pictures and stories.  Yes, originally we were going to pick only 5 but it was so hard to choose, we decided to add 3 more to the final list.

Congratulations to Will Langer, Eugene Wiese, Rick D. Harms, Helen Rigby, Sylvia Hott Sonneborn, Linda Coleman Hunt, Carole Allen, and Eleanor Erber.  They’ve all won a copy of our Personal Historian writing software and have advanced to the final round!

Now it’s your chance to decide which is the most interesting family history picture and story and to pick who will win the Flip-Pal mobile scanner and case!

To view the winning pictures and stories and to vote for the most interesting, visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/InterestingPictures.

Voting will continue through Tuesday, October 30, 2012.  The entry with the most votes and the winner of the Flip-Pal mobile scanner will be announced on Wednesday, October 31.

A big thank you to all of you took the time to share your precious family pictures and stories with us.  They provided us with hours of entertainment and encouragement.  Congratulations and good luck to the finalists and be sure to visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/InterestingPictures by Tuesday, October 30 to vote for your favorite!

Have an interesting family history picture? Win a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner!

Michael Booth 5 Comments

Do you have photos, drawings, quilts, or even coins and jewelry that you would like to digitally preserve for your family history?  If so, are you familiar with the Flip-Pal mobile scanner?  The Flip-Pal is a compact, cordless, battery-powered scanner that uses patented flip-and-scan technology to scan photos safely while they are still in the album or frame.

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

We’ve teamed-up with our friends at Flip-Pal to offer one of their mobile scanners, a scanner cover, and our Personal Historian software  to one lucky RootsMagic user!  How can you be that lucky user?  Easy.  We’re looking for the most-interesting family history picture and an accompanying story.

To enter, e-mail your most-interesting family history picture with an accompanying story to flip@rootsmagic.com by Sunday, October 21, 2012.

The five (5) most interesting pictures, as judged by RootsMagic staff, will be placed online from Monday, October 22 through Tuesday, October 30, 2012 where the public will be able to vote for their pick of the most-interesting family history picture and story.

Results will be announced on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.  The person who submitted the picture and story with the most votes will receive a Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Deluxe Carry Case with Pocket, and a copy of Personal Historian personal and family history writing software (retail value $209.93).  The four (4) runner-ups will all receive a copy of Personal Historian personal and family history writing software (retail value $29.95).

Don’t forget, you have until Sunday, October 21 to e-mail your entries to flip@rootsmagic.com.  Good luck!

Visit the RootsMagic Cyber Cafe at FGS

Michael Booth 3 Comments

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is holding their annual conference this week, August 29-September 1, 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama.  Of course, we will be there in the exhibit hall to meet customers, answer questions, and show-off our latest new features.

RootsMagic Cyber Cafe at FGS 2011

Just as we did last year, we are pleased to sponsor the RootsMagic Cyber Cafe & Lounge!  The RootsMagic Cyber Cafe is the place to hang out, go online, charge a device, print those syllabus pages you need, or just sit down and relax and meet new friends.  It’s completely free as a service to the genealogical community that has given us so much support.

To get to the RootsMagic Cyber Cafe, just go to the FGS Exhibit Hall.  It’s prominently located near the center-back of the hall.  We hope to see you there!

What Are Research Logs and Why Should I Use Them?

Bruce Buzbee 5 Comments

What is the Difference Between To-Do Lists and Research Logs?

A to-do list is just that… a simple list of things you need to do. It might be writing a letter, making a phone call, looking up a date, or any number of other things.

A research log on the other hand is a list of all the sources you have looked at towards a single research goal. Your research log lets you easily trace back through the documents you have looked at, and if done properly, your research log can even lay out your research plan for that goal.

Creating a Research Log

Set a Goal

The first step in creating a research log is to define your research goal. That research goal might be very general, like “All sources I have looked at regarding James Brown.” But it might also be quite specific, like “All sources I have looked at to try and determine where James Brown was born.” Research logs are particularly useful for trying to knock down those brick walls, so be as specific about the particular problem as you can.

Log Your Research

Once you have a goal defined, you simply keep track of every source you look at towards that goal. Every time you do a search, record the following information:

  • The date of the search
  • What you were looking for
  • What source you looked at
  • Where the source was located
  • The results of your search

When should you record a search in your log? Here are 3 situations:

  1. You searched and found something you were looking for
    This is what most people think of when you mention a research log… a list of all the sources you looked at and found useful information in.
  2. You searched and didn’t find what you were looking for
    Why bother keeping track of sources that didn’t have what you were looking for? How about to remind you that you don’t need to keep checking that same document every year when it hasn’t changed for the last hundred years?
  3. You want to search a document but haven’t had a chance yet
    By adding sources that you want to look at to your research log, you are creating a plan of attack for your goal (also known as a research plan). Write down what you want to find and where you plan to look. When you finally get the chance to view that document you can add the search date and the results of your search.

Be Specific

When recording a search in your log, try to be as specific as possible about what you are looking for, where you looked, and what you found. It’s easy to get lazy and just put something like:

Searching for information about James Brown in the 1880 census and didn’t find anything.

You will find that as your genealogical skills improve (from taking classes, attending conferences, and just plain old practice), you will discover that there is usually more than one way to analyze a particular record. If your research logs are too general, you may not remember what specific information you looked for, which particular form you viewed, or even what it was that you didn’t find 😉

If you are looking for a birth date, say that you were looking for a birth date.  If you are later looking for christening information you will be able to see that you weren’t specifically looking for that at the time, so you may want to check the source again.  Of course if you recorded that you didn’t find that birth date but did find a christening date, you won’t have to go back and recheck it later.

If you are looking in the 1880 US Census Population Schedule for Podunk, NY, make sure to record that specifically.  If you happen to find it online, also record the link to the original.  One note though… do not skip recording the information just because you have the link… links can disappear!

Using RootsMagic 5’s New Research Logs

RootsMagic 5 added a full feature Research Manager which lets you create unlimited research logs using the techniques I’ve described above.  You can create research logs for people, families, events, places, or just plain old general research logs.  To see RootsMagic’s research logs in action, visit:

http://www.rootsmagic.com/webinars

and watch the free webinar #32 “New Research Log and Manager in RootsMagic 5”.

More RootsMagic Classes now available on CD

Michael Booth 1 Comment



Hopefully, you’ve been able to attend one of our free online classes (webinars).  If not, don’t worry- we’ve recorded them and made them available to view or download online.  Still, we’ve had many requests to make the recordings available in a convenient CD format.  We’ve had a tremendous response to our RootsMagic Webinars on CD, Volumes 1 and 2.

So we’re pleased to present RootsMagic Webinars on CD, Volumes 3 and 4.  Watch them right from the convenience of your own computer where you can follow along and set your own pace.  No internet connection required!  Don’t worry, the downloadable recordings aren’t going anywhere.  The CD’s are just our way of making them available to you in a more convenient, more permanent format.

Each Volume contains:

  • Not 1, but 10 complete classes covering a variety of topics and products
  • Recordings in standard .mp4 format, watchable on most Windows and Mac computers and portable devices
  • A browseable menu of classes with printable notes of topics covered in each webinar

 

Webinar Menu Screen

Volume 3

Almost 10 hours of training on 1 computer CD!  Classes include:
  1. Search Techniques in RootsMagic
  2. Pictures and Media in RootsMagic
  3. Research Tools in RootsMagic
  4. Getting Help Using RootsMagic
  5. Running RootsMagic on a Mac
  6. What’s New in Personal Historian 2
  7. Creating a Shareable CD
  8. What’s New in RootsMagic 5
  9. Fun Family Gifts with RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas
  10. Installing and Updating RootsMagic 5

Volume 4

10 training courses on 1 computer CD!  Classes include:
  1. New Media Tagging in RootsMagic 5
  2. New Source and Citation Features in RootsMagic 5
  3. New “Who was There” Report in RootsMagic 5
  4. New Research Logs and Manager in RootsMagic 5
  5. New Timeline View in RootsMagic 5
  6. Installing and Upgrading to Personal Historian 2
  7. New CountyCheck in RootsMagic 5
  8. New Reports and Options in RootsMagic 5
  9. Creating a 1940 U.S. Census Citation in RootsMagic
  10. How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers with Lisa Louise Cooke

Orders Yours Today

The two volumes are priced at only $9.95 each (+s/h) and are now available to order at www.rootsmagic.com/webinars/cd or by calling 1-800-766-8762.  These Webinar CDs are only available while supplies last.