Products – Page 4 – RootsMagic Blog

Working with FamilySearch Family Tree

November 2, 2013August 21, 2014 Michael Booth 4 Comments

As the only software certified to add and share data with FamilySearch Family Tree, we have received a lot of questions about “what is FamilySearch Family Tree”, “who can access FamilySearch Family Tree”, etc.

What Do the Different Certifications Mean?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what the different levels of FamilySearch certification mean. When a program is designed to work with FamilySearch, it must receive “certification” in order to have permission to perform various functions.

There are 3 different levels of certification, as listed on this “Partner Products” page at FamilySearch:

Tree Access means that the program can only read data from the FamilySearch Family Tree. Tree Access does not allow writing to the Family Tree.
Tree Connect means that the program can read data from the Family Tree, and can also read artifacts like media or sources. Tree Connect does not allow writing to the Family Tree.
Tree Share+ means that the program can read and write data to the Family Tree. For a program to be Tree Share+ certified, it must protect the integrity of the FamilySearch Family Tree by also implementing all the collaborative features (sources, change history, reasons, discussions). This is important, because a program should not allow a user to make changes to the Family Tree without showing them the full consequences of the change.

RootsMagic is currently the only software with the Tree Share+ certification, so you can easily share your data back and forth with Family Tree (if you want).

Who Can Use FamilySearch Family Tree?

FamilySearch Family Tree is a free website, available to anyone who wants to set up a free account. If you don’t already have a FamilySearch account, you can go here to sign up:

https://familysearch.org/register/

You can use FamilySearch Family Tree directly from their website, or you can use the Tree Share+ integration built into RootsMagic to view your own data side by side with the data available on FamilySearch.

If you use the FamilySearch integration built into RootsMagic, you don’t have to copy any data from RootsMagic to FamilySearch (or vice versa) unless you want to. You can still look for matches without transferring your data back and forth.

Where Can I Learn More About Using RootsMagic with FamilySearch Family Tree?

We have created a number of short videos showing how to access FamilySearch Family Tree from inside RootsMagic. To view these short videos, click here.

Sharing Sources Between RootsMagic and FamilySearch Family Tree

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013 Bruce Buzbee 28 Comments

As the only TreeShare+ certified program, RootsMagic is the only software certified to share sources with FamilySearch Family Tree. We’ve gotten a lot of questions about this great feature, so we’ve created a short (12 min) video that shows exactly how to do this. But let’s start with a quick overview first.

Sharing Sources with FamilySearch

Once a RootsMagic person has been matched to a person on FamilySearch, you may wish to compare and exchange sources between RootsMagic and FamilySearch. The source tab will display the sources attached to the RootsMagic person on the left and the sources attached to the FamilySearch person on the right. You can view more details about a particular source by clicking the blue information icon to the right of the source name.

Clicking the checkbox in front of a source will bring up a screen with one or more options available for the source. You can copy a source from RootsMagic to FamilySearch, or from FamilySearch into RootsMagic, and you can also detach, tag or untag a source on FamilySearch. Choose what you want to do with the source and then select the options for that comand. Some options (like copying a source from RootsMagic to FamilySearch) will also ask you to enter a reason why you are making that change.

CopyFSSource — Click to embiggen the image

If your RootsMagic source has a WebTag, the URL for that WebTag will be included when you copy the source to FamilySearch. When moving a source from FamilySearch to RootsMagic, the URL (if any) will be added as a WebTag attached to the source when it is brought over.

A Short Video

And here is that short video I promised, which goes into more detail about how to share sources between RootsMagic and FamilySearch Family Tree.

Remember, to use RootsMagic with FamilySearch Family Tree, you’ll need to be using the latest version of RootsMagic 6 (6.3.0.2). If you already own version 6, select Help > Check for Updates from the main menu. If you are using an older version, you’ll need to upgrade to v6.

In our next blog article, we’ll show you another FamilySearch feature unique to RootsMagic, the Change History List with the ability to restore incorrect changes to Family Tree.

RootsMagic Introduces Problem Alerts

July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 Bruce Buzbee 42 Comments

As I teach RootsMagic classes or webinars, I’m surprised how often somebody will say “I didn’t know that feature was in there”. One such “unknown” feature is RootsMagic’s problem list. The existing problem list (found at Tools > Problem Search > Problem List) scans everyone in your file to try and find any potential data entry errors (people born before their parents, etc) for everyone in your file.

Since the problem checking is such an important feature, we are introducing Problem Alerts in our latest update (version 6.3.0.0). With Problem Alerts, you no longer have to manually run the problem list to see possible data entry issues.

RootsMagic will problem check in the background and display an alert next to the name of any person with a potential problem. This alert will show on the pedigree, family, and descendant views.

Just click on the problem alert and RootsMagic will display a list of the potential problems for the person.

ProblemList — *Click to embiggen the image*

You can highlight any of the potential problems and edit the person or family, mark the potential problem as “not a problem”, add the problem to your To-Do list so you can work on it later, or print the list of potential problems for the person.

You can enable or disable Problem Alerts from the Tools > File Options screen. You can also select which types of problems you want the Problem Alerts to look for.

Here is a short video showing how this cool new feature works.

Remember, to use Problem Alerts, you’ll need to be using the latest version of RootsMagic 6 (6.3.0.0). If you already own version 6, select Help > Check for Updates from the main menu. If you are using an older version, you’ll need to upgrade to v6.

In our secret underground labs, we’ve already found the Problem Alerts to be very useful in helping us clean and maintain our genealogy data. We’re confident it will be just as useful for you too.

PAF users have a new home at RootsMagic; Upgrade offer and Free Quick Start guide

June 21, 2013June 21, 2013 Michael Booth 8 Comments

In a blog posting today, FamilySearch announced the retirement of it’s Personal Ancestral File (PAF) genealogy software.

“Beginning July 15, 2013, PAF will be retired and will no longer be available for download or support. For full details and for information on alternative products, please visit http://familysearch.org/PAF.”

The linked page recommends that PAF users upgrade to family history software from one of the FamilySearch parters. Of the three options listed, RootsMagic is the only software certified to utilize the full capabilities of FamilySearch Family Tree, including sharing data, ordinances, discussions, sources, and change history.

We understand that change isn’t easy, so we’ve worked hard at putting together some new tools and supports to make the transition as painless as possible for PAF users.

A New Home

Over the past few years, tens-of-thousands of PAF users have made the switch to RootsMagic. They’ve enjoyed its amazing new features such as book publishing, color coding, wallcharts, Shareable CD’s, running straight off of a flash drive, interactive problem lists, online publishing, a mobile app, and more!

But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what some of our satisfied-switches have had to say:

“I have used PAF for all my years in Family History research. I now enjoy working with RootsMagic, it is by far the best program. Thank you.” — Joyce

“I want to thank everyone at RootsMagic for all their hard work! I purchased RootsMagic 4 after attending a genealogy seminar this past September. I was still using PAF at that time. When Bruce explained how easy it was to convert my data I was extatic, so I purchased the software. When I received it, it loaded quickly converted all my old PAF data (just as Bruce said it would) and I was up and running. . . Love is a very strong word, and I Love RootsMagic!! Thanks everyone, great job!!” — Kathy

“I have been working on the family history for many years using PAF, and converted to RootsMagic, which is a great program, very user friendly. I have recommended the program to beginners that are interested in finding and recording their own family genealogy.” — Shirley

“A great improvement from PAF. This will help with the work. Thanks!” — Garth

Update Discount for PAF Users

To make the transition as painless as possible, we’ve set-up a special website at www.PAFUpgrade.com that includes training videos, testimonials, and more. And for a limited time, we are offering PAF users the full-version of RootsMagic at the upgrade price of only $19.95. You must visit www.PAFUpgrade.com to receive the discount.

Of course, we also offer a free version of RootsMagic named RootsMagic Essentials that offers the basic abilities of PAF plus the certified FamilySearch Family Tree features.

Free Quick Start Guide

We’ve also put together a special guide titled, “RootsMagic for PAF Users: A Quick Start Guide”. This 16-page, full-color booklet guides you step-by-step in making the switch and answers the biggest and most common questions. This guide is available in printed format and as a free PDF that can be viewed on your computer or mobile device and even printed at home. We encourage our users to download this guide and freely share it with any PAF users who may benefit from it.

As a bonus, any PAF user who upgrades to RootsMagic at www.PAFUpgrade.com will receive a copy of this Quick Start guide.

RootsMagic Wins Two 2013 About.com Readers’ Choice Awards

April 5, 2013April 5, 2013 Bruce Buzbee 4 Comments

The awards keep coming in. Just 3 months after winning its 4th straight GeneAward for Best Genealogy Product of the Year, RootsMagic has won not one, but two 2013 About Genealogy Readers’ Choice Awards!

After a month of nominations and voting by the community, RootsMagic received awards for:

Best Genealogy Software (Windows) for our RootsMagic software, and
Best Online Genealogy Tool or Mobile App for our RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

About.com Genealogy is the highest-ranked single contributor genealogy site on the internet. Kimberly Powell, the curator, does a terrific job keeping it up-to-date with the latest news and tips as well as detailed and valuable lessons and how-to articles. If you aren’t already familiar with this resource, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

We’d like to thank all of you who made your voices heard through your votes. We work hard to bring you the best genealogy features and software available and it’s gratifying to see that many of you approve of the job we’re doing. Of course, we’re not just sitting around. We have even more surprises in store to make researching, recording, and sharing your family history even easier!

Special Holiday Offer Ends December 20th

December 7, 2012December 7, 2012 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

November 26, 2012November 26, 2012 Bruce Buzbee 5 Comments

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).

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

November 19, 2012November 19, 2012 Bruce Buzbee 10 Comments

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:

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.

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

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.

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

October 9, 2012October 9, 2012 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.

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!

What Are Research Logs and Why Should I Use Them?

August 23, 2012August 23, 2012 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:

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.
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?
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”.

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