Author: Michael Booth

Join RootsMagic at the Salt Lake Family History Expo

Michael Booth 7 Comments

SaltLake-2009-WebHeader

Come join us at the Salt Lake Family History Expo August 28-29, 2009 at the South Towne Exposition Center in 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 28: 9 am – 6 pm
  • Saturday, August 29: 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 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).

  • New FamilySearch Made Easy with RootsMagic 4 – Friday 11:30 am
  • What’s New in RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 8:00 am
  • Sharing and Publishing Your Family History with RootsMagic 4 – Saturday 2:30pm

We are also teaching a couple of other classes as well:

  • Personal Historian: Bringing Life to Your Life Stories – Friday 3:00pm
  • Where in the World? GPS and the Genealogist – Saturday 11:00am

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 copies of Evidence Explained (a $50 value each) to highlight the updated SourceWizard in RootsMagic 4.  It will automatically write your sources in Evidence Explained, Evidence!, Cite Your Sources, or other formats, as well as let you create your own custom formats.  And it’s easy to use!
  3. Two $25 gift certificates from Generation Maps.  Generation Maps makes it easy to print those large wall charts you’ve created in RootsMagic 4.
  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, pre-registration is just $68.00 through August 24.  After August 24, you may register at the door. The cost at the door will be $78.00 for both days and $48.00 per 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.

One Week Until Colorado Family History Expo

Michael Booth 1 Comment

Just one week until the 2009 Colorado Family History Expo!  This is the first time that the expo has been held in Colorado and we’re excited to meet and interact with our users in that area.

If you’ve never been to a Family History Expo, you need to check it out.  Lots of classes on a wide variety of subjects and levels of experience, product demonstrations, a free exhibit hall where you can talk face-to-face with us, prize drawings, and just a fun place where you can be with others who share your love of genealogy.  We love the Expos so much, we’re an official sponsor!

And if that isn’t enough of endorsement, just watch this commercial for the expo which is currently running on local television stations in the area:

If you live in the area or are just looking for an excuse to take a nice summer trip to the Rockies, come see us at the expo.  There’s still time to register and we hope to see you there.

RootsMagic 4 Family Tree Software Officially Released

Michael Booth 22 Comments

Latest Version of Leading Genealogy Software Now Available to the Public

SPRINGVILLE, Utah. — March 25, 2009 — RootsMagic, Inc. today announced the official release of RootsMagic 4, the latest version of the award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history easy and enjoyable. With the release comes a free trial version of the software as well as a discount offer for owners of other software products.

Impressive New Features

“RootsMagic 4 is the biggest release in our 20-year history of making genealogy software,” said Bruce Buzbee, president. “We’ve updated RootsMagic to work with the latest genealogical technologies available today, while staying true to our mission to make family history easy, accessible, and fun.”

RootsMagic 4 boasts an impressive list of new features including integrated web search, improved SourceWizard for citing sources, sharing events among multiple persons, creating pre-defined groups of persons, person and place mapping, recording DNA tests, and improved navigation and data entry. RootsMagic 4 is also one of the only desktop genealogy programs certified to work with “New FamilySearch”.

Freeing Your Data

“A common request that we hear from people is that they don’t want their data to be trapped in their computer,” said Michael Booth, vice-president of development. “One of the most popular features in RootsMagic 3 is our ‘Shareable CD’ which puts your data and pictures onto a CD or DVD along with a special copy of RootsMagic. You can then give the discs to family and friends and they don’t have to buy or install anything. It’s all there on the disc.”

“We’ve taken that a step further in RootsMagic 4,” explains Booth. “One unique and exciting new feature is ‘RootsMagic To-Go’. It allows you to install RootsMagic onto a USB drive and transfer data between it and your computer. This gives you the freedom to take RootsMagic and your data wherever you go- to work, on vacation, to the library- anywhere.”

Free Trial

A free trial version of RootsMagic 4 is available at http://www.rootsmagic.com.  The trial version allows a person to import their data, add information, and play with RootsMagic’s major features without any time limitation. “We’re so excited about this new release, we wanted to give everyone a risk-free option to try it for themselves,” said Buzbee.

Users of other genealogy software products will find it easy to experiment with RootsMagic 4 using their own data. RootsMagic can directly import data from PAF, Family Tree Maker (through 2006), Family Origins, and Legacy Family Tree. It can also read data using the popular GEDCOM format.

Pricing

RootsMagic 4 is available for only $29.95.  Existing RootsMagic and Family Origins users may upgrade for only $19.95.

Discount Offer

For the first time in company history, users of other genealogy software programs can receive a competitive upgrade discount.  Through May 31, 2009, users of Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, or The Master Genealogist  may purchase RootsMagic 4 for only $19.95, saving $10 off of the regular price.

More information about the competitive upgrade can be found at http://www.rootsmagic.com/upgrade.

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.

RootsMagic 4 Receives FamilySearch Software Awards

Michael Booth 11 Comments

Leading Genealogy Software Receives Awards for “Best Dashboard” and “Easiest to Sync”

PROVO, Utah. — March 10, 2009 — RootsMagic, Inc. today received two 2009 FamilySearch Software Awards at a banquet held in conjunction with the 2009 FamilySearch Developers Conference at Brigham Young University. The purpose of the awards is to publicly and formally celebrate the software achievements of those developers and companies that are making important contributions to the Family History and Genealogy Industry.

Both awards were for features in RootsMagic 4, the latest version of the award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history easy and enjoyable. On hand to accept the awards were Bruce Buzbee, president and Michael Booth, vice-president.

Easiest to Sync

In the Desktop Syncing or Tree-Cleaning category, RootsMagic 4 received an award for “Easiest to Sync”. RootsMagic 4 has the ability to link people in your desktop genealogy file with matching people on the New FamilySearch website. Once linked, RootsMagic 4 makes it easy to share data between your personal file and New FamilySearch. With a few clicks, you copy facts and events between the two systems and dispute incorrect information. You may also add, link, combine, and dispute fathers, mothers, spouses, and children, all on the same screen.

“We’re very gratified to receive the ‘Easiest to Sync’ award because that has been our focus from the very beginning,” said Buzbee. “We know how overwhelming it can be for people working with the New FamilySearch system. Our goal has been to take what could be very complex and difficult chores and make them into simple, friendly tasks. This award validates our goal.”

Best Dashboard

RootsMagic 4 received a second award in the Desktop Productivity category—“Best Dashboard” for its “FamilySearch Central” screen. FamilySearch Central is a feature in the RootsMagic desktop genealogy software which brings together all of its powerful FamilySearch tools into one convenient screen.

“FamilySearch Central puts it all at your fingertips,” said Booth. “No need to hunt around through endless screens to find what you’re looking for. It shows you the status of your work, what’s new on FamilySearch, and what tasks you still need to do. And it’s all in plain English. This is something my mom can use and understand.”

Free and Available Now

RootsMagic 4 is currently in public beta and is available for free at http://www.rootsmagic.com/preview. “We’re so excited about this new release, we wanted to give everyone a risk-free option to try it for themselves,” said Buzbee. Each person who wishes to participate will be given a registration key which will allow them to download and experience the software for the duration of the public beta period.

Users of other genealogy software products will find it easy to experiment with RootsMagic 4 using their own data. RootsMagic can directly import data from PAF, Family Tree Maker (through 2006), Family Origins, and Legacy Family Tree. It can also read and write data using the popular GEDCOM format.

For those interested in using RootsMagic 4 with the New FamilySearch system, a series of video tutorials is available at http://www.rootsmagic.com/fs.

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.

Summary of New Features in RootsMagic 4

Michael Booth 11 Comments

If you’re new to the blog, or if you’d just like to relive pleasant memories of exciting past announcements, here is a summarized list of new features in RootsMagic 4 and the articles that describe each one:

Our Biggest Holiday Offer Ever

Michael Booth 14 Comments

RootsMagic Holiday Offer With the holidays coming up, we often get requests from our users about buying copies of RootsMagic for themselves or to give as gifts to their family or friends.  And this year the requests have really come in asking whether the new version 4 will be ready in time for Christmas.  Well, there’s bad news and there’s good news.

Despite working 16 hour days trying to get RM4 out in time for Christmas, it looks like it probably won’t be ready in time.

BUT… here is this year’s 5th Annual Holiday Offer (with a special twist).

In what has become something of a tradition, we are offering gift copies of RootsMagic, Personal Historian, or Family Atlas at our $19.95 upgrade price. There is no limit on the number of discounted copies you can buy during this limited time offer which will expire December 19, 2008. You will receive the full program as well as a registration card for each copy you order.

And here is the special twist… every copy of RootsMagic 3 that you buy through this special offer will come with a free download upgrade to version 4 when it is released.  So you will be giving version 3 now, with a free download of version 4 as soon as it is released.

PLUS!  We are adding an offer we have never made before.  In addition to the $19.95 special price, you can also order our RootsMagic Family History Suite (which includes RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas) for just $49.95 (that’s $90 worth of software).

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).

Join us at the Family History Expo in Mesa, Arizona

Michael Booth 7 Comments

Just wanted to get the word out about the Mesa Arizona Family History Expo to be held Friday, November 14 through Saturday, November 15, 2008.  This event is being produced by Family History Expos (formerly My Ancestors Found).  If you’ve ever been to one of their events before, you know what a good value they are.  But you don’t have to take my word for it, Dick Eastman and The Chart Chick both have great things to say about the expos.

At the conference, you can choose from over 100 classes on a wide-variety of subjects taught by presenters from all over the world.  You can even attend classes on RootsMagic, Personal Historian, and Family Atlas taught by the foremost experts on the software in the world (cough, “us”).

But for devoted readers of this blog, perhaps the best part of the expo will be a chance to see and play with RootsMagic 4.  You can attend one of the classes about RM4 or stop by our booth for a live demo.

Because we are sponsors of the expo, we’ve been allowed to extend the pre-registration discount price of $75 through Friday, November 7th at 10 a.m.  You can learn more at http://www.fhexpos.com/events/upcoming.php?event_id=43.

So if you’re in the neighborhood or just want bragging rights on the RootsMagic Message Board, be sure to preregister for the Family History Expo today.  See you there!