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Where did the time go?  In accordance with our annual tradition here at RootsMagic, we’d like to look back on this past year and review some of our accomplishments with you, our users.  And don’t forget to check back on Tuesday as we present our 2013 New Years’ Resolutions with a peek at our plans for the coming year.  But until then, let’s turn the calendar back to January 2012.

Free Online Classes (Webinars)

Over the past two years, we have pioneered the use of “webinars“, or free online classes, to help our users get the most out of our software.  We’ve offered over 40 classes spanning over 40 hours of instruction to answer your questions and to teach you all the ins-and-outs of our software.  In 2012 alone, our webinars have been viewed and downloaded hundreds of thousands of times from users in nearly every country on the globe.

And don’t forget,  all of our webinars are archived and still available, free of charge.  If you haven’t already watched one of our webinars, what are you waiting for?  Just 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.

Conferences, Contests & 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.  First, at the RootsTech conference in February, we gave away two iPads in the RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt.  It was a lot of fun and brought some well-deserved attention to bloggers in our genealogy community.

In May we sponsored Genealogy Youth Kamp at the NGS Conference in Cincinnati.  Youth Kamp was 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 were encouraged to attend and participate in Youth Kamp along with the children.

We were pleased to again sponsor the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Annual Genealogy Jamboree in June.  The red carpet theme was a lot of fun and we were happy to contribute deluxe badge holders to all attendees.

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

In August, we sponsored an old-fashioned photo booth at the Utah Genealogy Association’s Fall Conference.  It was a unique event that provided genealogy activities and games geared for the entire family.

In October, we held a “Most Interesting Family History Picture and Story” where we asked for interesting pictures and stories from our users.  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 and the public voted for their favorites.  The finalists each won a copy of our Personal Historian 2 software and the picture/story with the most votes won a Flip-Pal mobile scanner and case.

We’ve also been pleased to sponsor two great genealogy podcasts- The Genealogy Gems with Lisa Louise Cooke and The Genealogy Guys with George Morgan and Drew Smith.  Watch for a blog post soon about podcasts and how you can take advantage of these valuable resources.

RootsMagic 6

We released regular free updates to our RootsMagic 5 software throughout the year, adding several new features such as our “Who Was There” Report.  And in November we released RootsMagic 6, the latest version of our award-winning genealogy software.  RootsMagic 6 added an editable Timeline View, Find Everywhere, CountyCheck Explorer, WebTags, and much more.  And the best is yet to come!

Expanding Beyond the Desktop

One of our resolutions for 2012 was to move RootsMagic to more platforms and more devices.  RootsMagic 6 also introduced a new feature which has proven to be extremely popular with our users- online publishing of your data and free My RootsMagic hosting service.  With it, you can easily publish and share your family tree, notes, sources, and media with others.  In the short time since it’s release, thousands of family history websites have been created and uploaded using RootsMagic 6.

And what better way to close out the year than with the release of RootsMagic for our first non-Windows platform- RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  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!

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.  2012 has been a huge year for us and, rest assured, we’re working hard to make 2013 even better!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

Volume 3

Volume 4

The RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt is now over.  We wanted to thank the bloggers who placed clues on their sites: Becky’s Grace and Glory (Becky Jamison), DearMYRTLE (Pat Richley-Erickson), Elyse’s Genealogy Blog (Elyse Doerflinger), Food.Family.Ephemera (Gena Philibert Ortega), GeneaBloggers (Thomas MacEntee), Genealogy Gems Podcast (Lisa Louise Cooke), Genealogy’s Star (James Tanner), Genea-Musings (Randy Seaver), Granite Genealogy (Sue Maxwell), Renee’s Genealogy Blog (Renee Zamora), Ruth’s Genealogy (Ruth Stephens), The Accidental Genealogist (Lisa Alzo), The Chart Chick (Janet Hovorka), The Genealogy Blog (Leland Meitzler), and We Tree Genealogy Blog (Amy Coffin).

Many of the bloggers said they had record-setting traffic to their blogs from the thousands of RootsMagic users from around the world who followed the links to find the clue words.  And we heard from many of you who enjoyed discovering new blogs and podcasts with such a variety of personalities and styles.

For those of you that are curious, the 15 words formed this important message:

“Little Orphan Annie says Always Use Roots Magic and Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine”

“A Christmas Story” Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

We held our first drawing at the actual RootsTech conference and gave an iPad 2 to Margie Grider.  And for those who weren’t able to attend RootsTech in person, we held a second drawing for online entries.

And the winner of an iPad 2 in our online drawing is Barbara Perkins of Vancouver, Washington!  We also drew three more winners who will each receive a RootsMagic super pack which includes RootsMagic 5, Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 5, Personal Historian 2, Family Atlas, Family Reunion Organizer, and RootsMagic Webinars on CD Volumes 1 and 2, all in a RootsMagic tote bag.  Congratulations go to Henry Boelte of Norfolk, Virginia; Roger Wells of Lexington, Kentucky; and Beryl Godwin of Southend-on-Sea, England!

Thanks to the thousands of you who participated in our treasure hunt.  We had a lot of fun putting it together and we hope you had a lot of fun participating.  Look for more treasure hunts, more connections with the genealogical community, and more magic in the future!

To say that the RootsTech conference was a success would be a great understatement. Thanks to all of you who came by to learn about RootsMagic 5 and Personal Historian 2, ask questions, or just say “Hi”.  The conference had the highest-attendance of any North American genealogical event in recent memory.  For those of you who weren’t able to attend RootsTech, you can enjoy recordings of several of the classes and presentations on the RootsTech website.

Congratulations go to Margie Grider who entered our RootsMagic Treasure Hunt and won the drawing for an iPad 2!  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 now and midnight MST on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.  Fill out the online form to be entered into the second drawing.  You may enter even if you entered our “in person” drawing but one entry per person, per drawing.  Winners will be picked at random and notified via e-mail by Friday, February 10, 2012.

Good luck and happy hunting!

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!