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Win an iPad in the RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt!

Michael Booth 12 Comments

It’s been a tremendous last few months here at RootsMagic. We’ve been busy with the new releases of Personal Historian 2 and RootsMagic 5. We’re also excited to participate in one of the largest genealogy events in North America- RootsTech!

We want to celebrate these momentous events with you, our loyal users! And what better way to celebrate than with a treasure hunt where you could win one of many prizes including an iPad 2!

Online Treasure Hunt

We’ve partnered with 15 of the best and brightest genealogy bloggers who will be reporting at the RootsTech conference. Each blogger will place one of 15 clue words on their website. The clue word will look something like this:

From Thursday, February 2 through Wednesday, February 8, 2012, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure for a complete list of the blogs where the 15 clue words can be found. Visit each blog, collect all 15 clue words, and you could win software, prizes, or an iPad 2!

Enter at RootsTech or at Home

Once you’ve collected the clues there are two ways to enter.  The first is at the RootsTech conference itself.  Pick up an entry card at the RootsMagic booth (#224) in the Exhibit Hall.  Write the clue words on the back of the card and return it to the RootsMagic booth in the Exhibit Hall by Saturday, February 4 at 1:20 pm.  At that time, we will hold the prize drawings.  You must be present to win.

We didn’t want those who aren’t able to attend RootsTech in person to feel left out so we’re holding a second drawing and giving away more prizes including a second iPad 2.  To enter this drawing, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure anytime between Thursday, February 2 and midnight MST on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.  Fill out the online form to be entered into the second drawing.  You may enter both drawings but one entry per person, per drawing.  Winners will be picked at random and notified via e-mail by Friday, February 10, 2012.

Remember, the treasure hunt doesn’t begin until this Thursday. Good luck!

Coming soon: You could win an iPad from RootsMagic!

Michael Booth 57 Comments

It’s been a tremendous last few months here at RootsMagic.  We’ve been busy with the new releases of Personal Historian 2 and RootsMagic 5 and now that we have a chance to breathe, we feel like celebrating with you, our loyal users!  And what better way to celebrate than with a treasure hunt where you could win one of many prizes including an iPad 2?

Excited yet?  Well, you won’t have to wait too much longer.  Watch this blog early next week for all the details!

New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

Bruce Buzbee 22 Comments

2012 Resolutions

Welcome to 2012!  With 2011 in the rear-view mirror, let’s look ahead to 2012 and some of our goals and resolutions for the coming year.

New Platforms

New Platforms

The technology world is changing, and we are working hard to keep up with those changes.  For the past several years, we’ve been laying the groundwork to bring RootsMagic (and our other products) to new platforms and even new devices.  Like you, we know how important it is to have your information where and when you want it.  So we’ve been busy in our secret underground laboratories working on some very exciting new tools.  Be sure to watch this blog and our newsletter for official future announcements.

New Products

Glowing Box

In addition to new platforms and new devices, our secret underground laboratories are hard at work developing new ideas and products to support our mission to create “software to unite families”.  Again, the best way to learn about these new products and when they are released is by watching this blog and our newsletter for official announcements.

New Webinars

RootsMagic Webinars

Thousands of you have told us how much you love our free webinars, and we’re thrilled to continue bringing them to you.  Watch for new webinars on the great new features in RootsMagic 5 and Personal Historian 2.  A number of you have told us you would like to see some shorter webinars on just a single feature, so we will be offering some mini-webinars to do just that.  And don’t forget, whether you attend live or watch an archived recording, our webinars are always free.  They’re our gift to you, our users, to help you get the most out of our software.

New Genealogists

Kids

We are pleased to announce that we will be the sponsor of the Genealogy Youth Kamp at this years NGS Conference in Cincinnati.  Youth Kamp is designed to assist children between the ages of 8 and 16 with gaining an appreciation of and connection to their ancestry.  To aid in this, parents, grandparents, or other adults are encouraged to attend and participate in Youth Kamp along with the children. There will be a special program for the adults who attend.

New Updates

And last but certainly not least, watch for regular updates to all of your software with improvements, fixes, and new features.  Updates can be found by clicking Help > Check for Updates on the main menu of most of our software.

Thank You!

Of course, these resolutions are not a comprehensive list of our plans and goals for 2012. There are many other projects which are in development which we’ll talk about when the time is right.  Keep watching this blog or our e-mail newsletter for announcements.

In the meantime, thank you again for your support. We try very hard to listen to your problems, questions, and suggestions. If there is something that you’d like to see us do, please contact us and let us know.  Happy New Year and may you have a prosperous 2012 (both genealogically and otherwise)!

2011 Year in Review

Bruce Buzbee 6 Comments

2011 Year in Review

Is it December 31 already?  As has become an annual tradition here at RootsMagic, we’d like to take a few of the last remaining minutes of the year 2011 to review some of our accomplishments from the last 12 months with you, our users.  If you’re not one to dwell on the past, check back Monday as we present our 2012 New Years’ Resolutions with a peek at our plans for the coming year.  But until then, crowd on into the time machine (don’t worry, there’s plenty of room) as we journey back to January 2011.

Free Online Classes (Webinars)

RootsMagic Webinars

Beginning in January 2011, we pioneered the use of “webinars“, or free online classes, to help our users get the most out of our software.  Over the last 12 months, we’ve offered nearly 30 classes spanning over 30 hours of instruction to answer your questions and to teach you all the ins-and-outs of our software.  And the response has been phenomenal!  Our webinars have been viewed and downloaded hundreds of thousands of times from users in nearly every country on the globe.

And best of all?  All of our webinars are archived and still available, free of charge.  If you haven’t already taken advantage of this resource, don’t wait, pick a webinar on a topic that you’ve been curious about and watch it today!  No other genealogy software comes close to providing the level of support and training that we do.

Sponsorships

This year brought the usual conference travel, but this time we wanted to give back a little to the genealogy community that has given us so much.

At the Southern California Jamboree in June we brought the experience of the Jamboree directly to you.  We sponsored free live streaming of some of the best known speakers in the industry right into your home, including Lisa Louise Cooke, Curt Witcher, David Lambert, Kory Meyerink, and Kerry Bartels.

RootsMagic Cyber Cafe at FGS 2011

And at the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Springfield, Illinois we sponsored the RootsMagic Cyber Cafe, the place to hang out, go online, charge a device, or print those syllabus pages you needed.

Personal Historian 2 and Personal Historian Essentials

This year saw not one, not two, but 3 new releases.  September brought the long-awaited release of Personal Historian 2, the latest version of our ground-breaking computer software which helps you write the story of your life and of other individuals.  Personal Historian 2 built upon its predecessor and added easier filtering and searching, an even better word processor, improved book publishing, and much more.  We also released a free “Essentials” version of the software to help people start recording their life stories.

RootsMagic 5

RootsMagic 5

We released regular free updates to our RootsMagic 4 software throughout the year.  And in November we released RootsMagic 5, the latest version of our award winning genealogy software.  RootsMagic 5 added a Timeline View, CountyCheck, Research Manager, “On This Day” List, Media Tagging, and much more.  In the short time since it’s release, RootsMagic 5 has already proven itself to be our best, most popular version of RootsMagic yet.  And the best is yet to come!

Awards

And for the 3rd straight year, we received the GeneAwards Best Genealogy Product of the Year.  “Several competing products saw major upgrades this year, but there is no better all-round desktop genealogy application“.

Thank You!

We say this every year, and we know this always sounds clichéd, but none of this would have been possible without you and your support.  2011 has been a huge year for us and, rest assured, we’re working hard to make 2012 even better!

Personal Historian 2 Software Released

Bruce Buzbee 7 Comments

Latest Version of Personal and Family History Writing Software Now Available to the Public

SPRINGVILLE, Utah. — September 28, 2011 — RootsMagic, Inc. today announced the official release of Personal Historian 2, the latest version of the ground-breaking computer software which helps you write the story of your life and of other individuals.  Personal Historian breaks this seemingly monumental task into small, manageable pieces and then reconstructs it into a complete, publishable document.  With the release comes a free “Essentials” version of the software as well as a discount offer for new users and previous owners of the software.

Bring Life to Your Life Stories

“Many people want to write a personal history about themselves or family members but get lost or overwhelmed,” said Michael Booth, vice-president and lead developer of the software.  “It’s very gratifying to hear people tell us that they are finally able to write their life stories thanks to Personal Historian.”

Personal Historian creates an interactive timeline of a person’s life to keep the stories organized, give context to life events, and to allow users to write stories in any order they wish. When ready, Personal Historian will compile the stories into a finished book complete with table of contents, chapters, pictures, indexes, and more.  The book may then be printed at home, edited in a word processor, published professionally, or shared with friends and family.

New Features

“The new features in Personal Historian 2 have been worth the wait,” said Bruce Buzbee, president. “While we’ve added many new and powerful features, we’ve worked hard to make the software even easier to use than before.”

Personal Historian 2 boasts an impressive list of over 40 features including streamlined step-by-step wizards; expanded timelines and memory trigger questions; easy filtering and searching of stories; management of categories, people, and places; improved outlining and writing analysis; wrapping of text around pictures; fonts and text styles; and more-powerful publishing and output options.

Free “Personal Historian Essentials”

RootsMagic is also releasing a new, free edition of Personal Historian named, “Personal Historian Essentials”.  Personal Historian Essentials contains many core features from the Personal Historian software and the two products are fully-compatible with one another.  “We wanted to give everyone a risk-free option,” said Booth.  “Personal Historian Essentials is perfect for someone who wants to start writing a personal history but doesn’t know where to begin.”  Personal Historian Essentials is available for download at http://www.personalhistorian.com.

Discount Offer

To celebrate it’s release, RootsMagic, Inc. is pleased to offer a special introductory offer for Personal Historian 2. Through October 31, 2011, Personal Historian 2 is available for a special introductory price of only $19.95, saving $10 off of the regular price.  The discount is available only on the Personal Historian website at http://www.personalhistorian.com or by calling 1-800-766-8762.

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.

Enjoy the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree from Home!

Michael Booth 12 Comments

RootsMagic is pleased to be a sponsor of the 42nd Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree to be held June 10-12, 2011 in the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, 2500 Hollywood Way, 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.

But if you don’t live near by, we wanted to bring the experience of the Jamboree to you!  Through a special sponsorship provided by RootsMagic, several Jamboree sessions will be available at no cost to genealogists and family historians around the globe.  We’ve had a tremendous response to our own free online classes (webinars) and saw the opportunity to use similar technology to bring the Jamboree experience to people around the world.  This means that you can enjoy presentations from some of the top speakers in the genealogical community for free, right from the comfort of your own home!

Watch Online for Free

All live-streaming sessions will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2011.  They include the following: (Click on the link to read more and to register for the session)

Registration

To register for an online streaming session, click on a class title from the above list.

If you do happen to live in the Los Angeles area and would like to attend the jamboree in person, more information is available at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/2011jam-home.htm.

We hope to see you there or online!

RootsMagic Classes now available on CD

Michael Booth 7 Comments


RootsMagic Webinars on CD

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.  Your wish is our command and we’re pleased to present RootsMagic Webinars on CD, Volumes 1 and 2.  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 1

    Over 13 hours of training on 1 computer CD!  Classes include:
    1. Getting Started with RootsMagic
    2. Publishing a Family History with RootsMagic
    3. RootsMagic and FamilySearch for Family History Centers
    4. FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic
    5. RootsMagic To-Go: Running RootsMagic on a Flash Drive
    6. Sources, Citations, and Documentation with RootsMagic
    7. Working with Files and Folders in RootsMagic
    8. Cleaning Your Family Tree in RootsMagic
    9. Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories
    10. Creating Custom Reports with RootsMagic

    Volume 2

    Over 11 hours of training on 1 computer CD!  Classes include:
    1. Mapping Your Family Tree with Family Atlas
    2. Adding and Editing Information in RootsMagic
    3. Lists and Reports in RootsMagic
    4. Writing Your Personal History (and Living to Tell About It)
    5. Places and Mapping in RootsMagic
    6. Ask the RootsMagician
    7. Google Search Tips and Tricks with Lisa Louise Cooke
    8. Creating and Printing Wallcharts with RootsMagic
    9. Creating a Website with RootsMagic
    10. Google Earth for Genealogy 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.  They are expected to ship on or around June 14, 2011 and are only available while supplies last.

    Why Do I Need a Backup of my RootMagic Database?

    renee 9 Comments

    One of the biggest heartaches we have in tech support is when we receive an email or phone call from a user whose computer has crashed, and they are without a backup copy of their database. Think about how much time you have invested in your database, and how long it would take to re-create that database from scratch. Having a backup copy of your database protects you if your computer crashes, or you accidentally delete your file, or your database somehow gets corrupted.

    A backup is a compressed copy of your RootsMagic database and has a .rmgb extension. It is less likely to become corrupted when emailed or transferred to another computer than a database file (.rmgc) is. A backup is better than a GEDCOM file because it will save all your RootsMagic specific settings, and ensure you have the same record numbers assigned each person.

    By default each RootsMagic backup has the date assigned to the file name (YYYY-MM-DD). Having the date for each backup is important. This will allow you to have multiple backups going back in time, and will show you which backup is the most recent. There may be times you need to return to an earlier file in your database, i.e. file corruption, incorrect merging, deleting of individuals or facts unintentionally, etc. You can keep as many backups on your computer as your hard drive space will allow. We have some users with backups going back several years.

    It is best to get into the habit of creating a backup each time you exit the program after changes have been made. When you have been working in RootsMagic for several hours at a time, stop and make a backup at whatever point you would hate to recreate your work if you computer suddenly failed. Simply add a letter after the date in the backup to denote your work throughout the day.

    Once you have made a backup it is good practice to store that backup somewhere other than your computer. Backups can be stored on external hard drives, flash drives, and CDs. Saving to the “cloud” will give you access to your backup away from home. Check into services such as Mozy, Carbonite, Backblaze and Dropbox. Don’t let the cloud fool you into a false sense of security if it is only saving a copy of your database file (.rmgc). There will be times you need to restore from a backup and it won’t be there when you need it. Have your database (.rmgc) and backup (.rmgb) file both saved to your computer hard drive and then use a cloud service to protect yourself.

    Web based email services, such as GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc can also act as a cloud service. Simply email your backup (.rmgb) to yourself and access it later from anywhere.

    If you haven’t made a backup of your RootsMagic database, stop and do it now!

    Win a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card

    Michael Booth 17 Comments

    We would like to know more about which online genealogical services you use or are interested in.   You would like that pricey genealogy book you’ve been eyeing on Amazon.com.   We have a solution that could benefit us both.

    We’ve created a brief survey to get your opinions on various online genealogy services and your interest in having RootsMagic work with them.  And when we say “brief”, we mean it.  Really, seriously.  It should only take you a minute or two.

    In appreciation for your participation, one respondent will be randomly selected to receive a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate.  The winner can use the gift certificate towards anything they want from the world’s largest online store!

    $100 Amazon Gift Certificate

    Click here to take survey!

    Official Rules: Must be 18 or older to win. Limit 1 entry per person. To enter, complete the survey and include a valid e-mail address. One winner be will be randomly selected on May 1, 2011 at 12:00 MDT. Winner will receive a $100 Amazon.com Gift Certificate via e-mail. Winner is responsible for any taxes or fees associated with the prize.

    Join us in St. George, Utah (Feb. 25-26)

    Michael Booth 3 Comments

    As has become an annual tradition, we are pleased to sponsor the St. George Family History Expo on February 25-26, 2011 at the Dixie Center, 1835 Convention Center Dr., St. George, Utah.  Visit our booth, attend our free classes, and take advantage of our conference specials!

    Free Exhibit Hall!

    Visit us at the RootsMagic booth in the Expo’s exhibit hall and experts will be on hand to an swer 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 25: 9 am – 6 pm
    • Saturday, February 26: 9 am – 4:00 pm

    Free RootsMagic Classes!

    Come learn more about RootsMagic and Personal Historian in four 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).

    • FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 1:30 pm, Auditorium
    • Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories –  Friday 4:30 pm, Entrada A
    • RootsMagic: Pruning, Cleaning and Extending Your Family Tree – Saturday 9:30 am, Auditorium
    • RootsMagic: Sharing and Publishing Your Family Tree – Saturday 1:00 pm, Auditorium

    We are also teaching another class which is part of the paid registration:

    • Genealogy on the Go! – Saturday 11:00 am, Sunbrook AB

    Other Classes!

    Over 100 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 $65.00 for both days ($75 at the door) 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.