Category: Uncategorized

Well, 2010 has been yet another busy year for us.  As has become tradition here at RootsMagic, we’d like to review the last 12 months with you, our users.  If you’re not one to dwell on the past, check back tomorrow as we present our 2011 New Years’ Resolutions with a peek at our plans for the coming year.  But until then, fire up the flux capacitor and set time circuits to January 1, 2010!

Genealogy Goes Mainstream

In this time of great uncertainty, more and more people are becoming interested in learning about and preserving their family history.  As one new RootsMagic user pointed out to us, “people are looking for more meaningful hobbies”.

One of the most exciting developments of 2010 was the introduction of not one, but three U.S. television series devoted to family history- Who Do You Think You Are?, Faces of America, and The Generations Project.  And we’ve definitely felt the effects as millions of people have watched these programs and been inspired to trace their own roots.

At RootsMagic, we’re pleased to have contributed in a small way to this proliferation of pedigrees by sponsoring the inaugural season of The Generations Project.  If you missed any of these programs, you can still watch previous episodes online and new seasons of Who Do You Think You Are? and The Generations Project will begin in the next few weeks.

Watch Us Grow

2010 has been a year of tremendous growth for RootsMagic.  We feel very fortunate that in these days of economic uncertainty, not only have we been able to stay in business, but we’ve been able to grow as a company.  Just as we did in 2009, to keep up with this growth, we’ve hired additional sales and support staff.  We’ve also released several free updates to our software which address bugs and add new features suggested by our users.  We’ve also beefed-up our knowledge base with many new helpful articles and walk-throughs.  We recognize that this growth is only possible because of your support and eagerness to tell your friends and family members about us.  Thank you!

We Get Around

In 2010, we traveled more miles, taught more classes, and attended more conferences than we ever have before.  In fact, there were many weekends where we were attending multiple conferences at the same time- all to reach out and connect with you, our users.  Thank you to all the societies, user groups, family history centers, and companies that organized these events.  And thank you to all of you who came to see us!  By far, the most rewarding aspect of these events is the chance to meet our users face-to-face, answer your questions, and receive your suggestions.

Awards

We’ve been honored with several awards this year including:

2010 FamilySearch Software Award
“Trailblazer”

In a follow-up to our 2009 FamilySearch awards for Best Dashboard and Easiest to Sync, we were honored with the Trailblazer award in 2010 for our work in staying at the forefront of FamilySearch technology.

GeneAwards 2010
Best Genealogy Product of 2010

For the second year in a row, RootsMagic 4 has received the GeneAward for Best Genealogy Product of the Year.

Thank You!

We know this always sounds clichéd, but none of this would have been possible without you and your support.  2010 has been a big year for us and, rest assured, we’re working hard to make 2011 even better!

We are pleased to sponsor the Atlanta Family History Expo on November 12-13, 2010 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.   Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our door prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is open to the public the following hours:

• Friday, November 12: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday, November 13: 9 am – 4:00 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes

Come learn about our software in 9 free classes.  These classes are open to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).

• RootsMagic: Pruning, Cleaning and Extending Your Family Tree – Friday 10:00 am, Main Hall
• RootsMagic: Sharing & Publishing Your Family History – Friday 11:30 am, Main Hall
• Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories – Friday 1:30 pm, Main Hall
• Genealogy on the Go – Friday 3:00 pm, Main Hall
• Writing Your Personal History (and Living to Tell About It) – Saturday 8:00 am, Salon 6
• RootsMagic: Sharing & Publishing Your Family History (Repeat) – Saturday 9:30 am, Room 6ABC
• RootsMagic: Pruning, Cleaning and Extending Your Family Tree (Repeat) – Saturday 11:00 am, Room 6ABC
• GPS & the Genealogist – Saturday 1:00 pm, Salon 7
• FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:30 pm, Room 6ABC

We’ll also be giving away prizes in each class including copies of RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas software plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, and more!

Other Classes

Over 100 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, registration is just $65.00 for both days or $40.00 for a single day.  Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at www.FHExpos.com or call 1-801-829-3295.

We are pleased to sponsor the Salt Lake Family History Expo on August 27-28, 2010 at the South Towne Exposition Center, 9575 S. State Street, Sandy, Utah.   Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $1,000 worth of prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall!

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is free to the public and is open:

• Friday, August 27: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday, August 28: 9 am – 4:00 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the features in RootsMagic 4 in 3 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).

• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part I – Friday 11:30 am, Room 220B
• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part II – Saturday, 11:00 am, Room 200A
• New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday, 2:30 pm, Room 200A

Free Exhibit Hall Mini-Classes!

In addition to our full-length classes, we’re also be teaching free RootsMagic mini-classes in the exhibit hall.  These mini-classes will be about 15 minutes long and will be held at our booth during the break between the regular classes.

• Writing Life Stories with Personal Historian, Friday 11:05am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Mapping Your Ancestors with Family Atlas, Friday 12:35pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• New FamilySearch Overview, Friday 1:05pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Data Clean-Up in RootsMagic 4, Friday 2:35pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Entering Sources into RootsMagic 4, Friday 4:05pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Publishing a Book with RootsMagic 4, Friday 5:35pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Running RootsMagic from a Flash Drive, Saturday 9:05am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Mapping Your Ancestors with Family Atlas, Saturday 10:35am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Writing Life Stories with Personal Historian, Saturday 12:05pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Using RootsMagic’s Research Tools, Saturday 12:35pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Creating a Shareable CD with RootsMagic 4, Saturday 2:05pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth

Fun Prizes!

And to help show off some of the great features in RootsMagic 4, we’re going to give away these great prizes in each of our free RootsMagic classes.

• Two 4GB RootsMagic flash drives with RootsMagic 4.  That’s right, RootsMagic 4 will run directly off a flash drive.  And with the included RootsMagic To-Go program you can easily transfer your data back and forth between your desktop computer and your flash drive as well.
• Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
• Plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, genealogy ties, and more!

Other Classes!

Over 100 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, registration is just $75.00 for both days or $40.00 for a single day.  Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at: www.FHExpos.com.

The Summer season of conferences continues and we’ve had a great time meeting many of our users face-to-face.  While we’ve been able to meet with many of you, we know that there are many more that we haven’t yet passed through your neck of the woods.  This week will hopefully rectify that for some of you.  Through the miracle of human cloning, we will be attending three separate conferences in three separate states this coming week!  (Well, not exactly cloning- just a lot of creative scheduling and travel.)  So if you live near Utah, Missouri, or Oregon, we’d love to meet you, answer your questions, and hear your suggestions.

Provo, Utah

First up is the 42nd annual BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy held from Tuesday, July 26 through Friday, July 30, 2010 in the BYU Conference Center in Provo, Utah.  This has always been a great event and this year will be no exception.  While you’re attending the over 100 classes during the day, be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibitor area.  And in the evenings, be sure to attend one of our free classes:

• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Tuesday, 5:15 pm, Room 2258
• New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4, Wednesday, 5:15 pm, Room 2258

Kansas City, Missouri

We are pleased to sponsor the Midwest Family History Expo on July 30-31, 2010 at the KCI Expo Center, 11730 N Ambassador Dr, Kansas City, Missouri.  Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $1,000 worth of prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall!

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is free to the public and is open:

• Friday, July 30: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday, July 31: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the new features in RootsMagic 4 in 2 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).  We’ll even do some prize drawings to keep things interesting.

• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part I – Friday 3:00 pm
• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part II – Saturday, 9:30 am

Free Exhibit Hall Mini-Classes!

We’ll be teaching free RootsMagic mini-classes in the exhibit hall.  These mini-classes will be about 15 minutes long and will be held at our booth during the break between the regular classes.

• Data Clean-Up in RootsMagic 4 – Friday 11:05 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• New FamilySearch Overview – Friday 12:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Writing Life Stories with Personal Historian – Friday 1:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Entering  Sources into RootsMagic 4 – Friday 5:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Mapping Your Ancestors with Family Atlas – Saturday 12:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Running RootsMagic from a Flash Drive – Saturday 12:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Publishing a Books and CD’s with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Writing Life Stories with Personal Historian – Saturday 3:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth

Other Classes

Over 100 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, registration is just $75.00 for both days or $40.00 for a single day.  Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at: www.FHExpos.com.

Eugene, Oregon

Those of you in the Pacific Northwest will want to come to the Genealogical Council of Oregon State Conference held Saturday, July 31, 2010 at the Lane Community College, 4000 East 30th Ave, Eugene, Oregon.  This conference features Elizabeth Shown Mills, author of the popular book Evidence Explained from which RootsMagic’s SourceWizard and source templates are based.  Choose from several dozen classes by talented presenters and attend the popular “Ask the Experts” sessions.  And be sure to come meet Bruce Buzbee, the creator of RootsMagic at our exhibit booth and attend a class by the RootsMagician himself:

• What’s New in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:00 pm, Room S-16

More Events to Come

If you’re not fortunate enough to attend any of these events, don’t worry, there are plenty more to come!  Within the next few months, we’ll be coming to Tennessee, California, New Mexico, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.  Be sure to check our calendar and newsletter to learn about where we are coming next.

We had a great time in southern California at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree last weekend.  Next stop?  Colorado!

We are pleased to sponsor the Colorado Family History Expo on June 25-26, 2010 at the Embassy Suites Conference Center, 4705 Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland, Colorado.   Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $1,000 worth of prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall!

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is free to the public and is open:

• Friday, June 25: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday, June 26: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the new features in RootsMagic 4 in 2 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).

• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part I – Friday 1:30 pm
• What’s New in RootsMagic 4, Part II – Saturday, 1:00 pm

We’re also teaching some additional classes for registered expo attendees:

• Genealogy on the Go! – Friday 3:00 pm
• Writing a Personal History (and Living to Tell About It) – Saturday 8:00 am

Free Exhibit Hall Mini-Classes!

We had terrific feedback on our mini-classes in Arizona so we’re trying it again.  We’ll be teaching free RootsMagic mini-classes in the exhibit hall.  These mini-classes will be about 15 minutes long and will be held at our booth during the break between the regular classes.

• Getting Started with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 11:05 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• New FamilySearch Overview – Friday 12:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Creating a Shareable CD – Friday 1:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Mapping and Geocoding in RootsMagic 4 – Friday 4:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Entering Evidence Explained Sources – Friday 5:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Reports, Reports, Reports – Saturday 9:05 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Data Clean-Up in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 10:35 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Creating Wall Charts in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 12:05 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Running RootsMagic from a Flash Drive – Saturday 12:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Publishing a Book with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:30 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Using RootsMagic’s Research Tools – Saturday 3:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth

Fun Prizes!

And to help show off some of the great features in RootsMagic 4, we’re going to give away these great prizes in each of our free RootsMagic classes.

1. Two 4GB flash drives pre-installed with RootsMagic 4.  That’s right, RootsMagic 4 will run directly off a flash drive.  And with the included RootsMagic To-Go program you can easily transfer your data back and forth between your desktop computer and your flash drive as well.
2. Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
3. Plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, genealogy ties, and more!

Other Classes!

Over 75 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, registration is just $75.00 for both days or $40.00 for a single day.  Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at: www.FHExpos.com

The summer conference season is upon us and our first stop is sunny southern California!  We are pleased to sponsor the 41st Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, to be held this coming weekend (June 11-13, 2010) in Burbank, California.  If you live in the area, be sure to come by and see us in the exhibit hall or attend one of our classes taught by the RootsMagician himself, Bruce Buzbee:

Friday 1:30 p.m. Room FR-007: What’s New in RootsMagic4. Learn about new features like web search, place and person mapping, “Evidence Explained” based Source Wizard, plus running RootsMagic directly from a flash drive.

Saturday 8:30 a.m. Room SU-076. Advanced RootsMagic 4 Features.  Learn about advanced features like shared events (witnesses), named groups, custom reports, customizing sentence and source templates, and more.

Saturday 2:00 p.m. Room SA-052.  Publishing and Sharing Your Family History with RootsMagic 4.  Learn how to create complete books, shareable CDs, websites and more with RootsMagic 4, the newest version of the award-winning genealogy software that makes family history easy.

For more information, or to register, visit http://scgsgenealogy.com/2010jam-home.htm.  Hope to see you there!

Spring is slowly coming to RootsMagic headquarters. Snow is melting, plants are peeking out of the ground, and on a good day, we can shed our winter coats as we venture outside.  To celebrate, we are starting “March Mapping Mania”. From now through March 31, 2010, you can buy our Family Atlas software for only $19.95 (plus shipping). That’s a savings of 33%!

If you’ve never seen Family Atlas, then you’re really missing out. George Morgan of the Genealogy Guys Podcast said, “Family Atlas is a truly stunning new software product. A real winner!”

Family Atlas makes creating custom family maps fun and easy!  You start with an interactive world globe that you can explore.  Family Atlas lets you import your family data directly from RootsMagic or other genealogy software, and then create markers based on relationships, names, event types, and more.  You can even hand-enter set of markers such as “Civil War Battles”, “Places Where John Smith Lived”, or “Family Vacations”.

As places are imported or entered by hand, Family Atlas automatically matches them against its list of 3.5 million place names and locates them on the map.

Enhance your maps by adding lines, text, bubble pointers, title, legends and more.  You can even save your customized maps so that you can open and edit or print them later.

And when you are ready to make your map available for others, Family Atlas lets you print your maps, or save them to PDF or other popular graphics formats.

To see Family Atlas in action, be sure to watch our online video tutorial.

It’s never been easier to create completely custom family maps!  And for only $19.95, now is the perfect time to order your own copy of Family Atlas.  But hurry, our Mapping Mania only lasts until March 31, 2010!

RootsMagic is pleased to sponsor the Genealogy Gems Podcast, produced by the talented Lisa Louise Cook.  This week’s podcast features a telephone interview with actor Lisa Kudrow who is producing and participating in a new family history television series, Who Do You Think You Are? premiering March 5, 2010 at 8:00 pm (7:00 pm Central/Mountain) on NBC in the United States.

It’s very exciting to see the growing interest and attention which genealogy and family history are now receiving in national media. Who Do You Think You Are? joins The Generations Project (also sponsored by RootsMagic) and Faces of America as current television series that follow individuals as they discover and connect with their personal family histories.  Not only are these programs entertaining for those already tracing their roots, but they introduce and inspire others to explore their own family trees.

To listen to the podcast and interview, click here to visit the Genealogy Gems website.

Well, last month’s escape to Arizona wasn’t as sunny as we had hoped.  Still, it was great meeting with our users in the area and teaching so many classes.  Hopefully we’ll have better luck finding sun when we head to southern Utah for the 6th Annual St. George Family History Expo!

We are pleased to sponsor the St. George Family History Expo on February 26-27, 2010 at the Dixie Convention Center, 1835 Convention Center Drive, St. George, Utah.   Visit our booth, attend our classes, or take away one of our over $1,000 worth of prizes!

Free Exhibit Hall!

Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to answer questions about the RootsMagic software.  Don’t miss special conference discounts on various RootsMagic products. The Exhibit Hall also features family history vendors from across the world. The Exhibit Hall is free to the public and is open:

• Friday, February 26: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday, February 27: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Free RootsMagic Classes!

Come learn about the new features in RootsMagic 4 ( including our award-winning integration with New FamilySearch) in 2 free classes.  That’s right, these classes are FREE to anyone (but you do have to come pick up a ticket from our booth to attend).

• New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 11:30 am, Sunbrook B Room
• What’s New in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 8:00 am, Sunbrook B Room
• New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 1:00 pm, Sunbrook B Room

Free Exhibit Hall Mini-Classes!

We had terrific feedback on our mini-classes in Arizona so we’re trying it again.  We’ll be teaching free RootsMagic mini-classes in the exhibit hall.  These mini-classes will be about 15 minutes long and will be held at our booth during the break between the regular classes.

• Getting Started with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 9:10 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• New FamilySearch Overview – Friday 9:30 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Fun RootsMagic Tools – Friday 11:05 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Creating a Shareable CD – Friday 12:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Mapping and Geocoding in RootsMagic 4 – Friday 1:00 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Entering Evidence Explained Sources – Friday 2:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Reports, Reports, Reports – Friday 4:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Data Clean-Up in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 9:10 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Creating Wall Charts in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 10:35 am, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Running RootsMagic from a Flash Drive – Saturday 12:05 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Publishing a Book with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 12:30 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth
• Using RootsMagic’s Research Tools – Saturday 3:35 pm, RootsMagic Exhibitor Booth

Fun Prizes!

And to help show off some of the great features in RootsMagic 4, we’re going to give away these great prizes in each of our free RootsMagic classes.

1. Two 4GB flash drives pre-installed with RootsMagic 4.  That’s right, RootsMagic 4 will run directly off a flash drive.  And with the included RootsMagic To-Go program you can easily transfer your data back and forth between your desktop computer and your flash drive as well.
2. Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
3. Plus a bunch of stuff just for fun: RootsMagic tote bags, badge holders, genealogy ties, and more!

Other Classes!

Over 100 other classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community.  Products and services from genealogy companies will also be showcased in an exhibit hall where you can meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

If you wish to attend the other classes, registration is just $75.00 for both days or $40.00 for a single day.  Individuals who want to attend only one or two classes and visit the Exhibit Hall can register for single classes at $12.00 each.

Expo details and the class schedule are available online at: www.FHExpos.com.