Family Tree Maker Webinar - 02/16/11

Family Tree Maker Webinar on February 16th

Posted by Tana L. Pedersen on February 3, 2011 in Family Tree Maker, Webinars

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Family history is a great way to connect with your past. And Family Tree Maker can help you illustrate your family story and share it with friends and family members. Join us on Wednesday, February 16th at 8:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) for a free webinar that focuses on creating charts, reports, and slide shows. You’ll learn how to design and print charts, run effective reports, discover what print functions are on each workspace, create individual and family slide shows, and more. To attend the Family Tree Maker 2011 Charts and Reports webinar, click here to register.

If you have questions you’d like answered, please enter them in the Comments section below. We’ll try to respond to them during the webinar or on the blog. (Please limit your questions to functionality available in Family Tree Maker 2011.) We appreciate your questions and look forward to talking to you soon. Thanks!

Have you missed past webinars? You can view them any time at FamilyTreeMaker.com.

About Tana L. Pedersen

Tana has been writing for the technology industry for fifteen years. She is author of The Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker 2011, five editions of The Official Guide to Family Tree Maker, and co-author of The Official Guide to RootsWeb.com.

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker for MAC Helpful Links

Here are a couple of links to documentation for the MAC Version of Family Tree Maker.

QUICK START GUIDE (PDF)
"This helpful guide will help you begin your first projects in Family Tree Maker for Mac and to master the program's basic features." - Ancestry.com
http://www.familytreemaker.com/Content/Downloads/Guides/QuickStart_Mac_US.pdf

FEATURE LIST, SCREENSHOTS, REQUIREMENTS
Select "Buy now" on the webpage for more information.
http://www.familytreemaker.com/Pages/Overview/Mac/Features.aspx

For more Board Information, see:
http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.software.ftmmac/mb.ashx

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

RE: Creating Source Citations in Family Tree Maker 2011 - Post 3

I have been following Randy Seaver's Blog for a while now. Of late, Randy has been moving is Version 16 Source-Citations, into the Version 2011 Source Templates. In this Blog Entry: http://www.geneamusings.com/2011/01/creating-source-citations-in-family_12.html. He was struggling with how to get this specific record, into the Template. As I also have been cleaning up my Source and Citations in my own file, I thought I would take his example and see how I would approach this record type. I have not run into this type of record (yet), but know that I haven't gotten down to this type of record.

The record is from the Ancestry.com online database. It's a Marriage Record that can be found in the Ada County Courthouse in Idaho.

To start, I created a new file in the Plan Workspace, New Tree Tab  and entered the Name, William E. Sebring. Because I wanted to cite where that name came from, I first went into Source Workspace, and clicked on Add (on the right), but wanted to use the Template feature for information from a Blog. Clicking on NEW and when this screen appeared typed BLO (and stopped. The Keyword BLO brought up this screen for the Blog Template.

This brought up the screen for a Blog (not shown here) but after filling in the Blog fields, this is the Source screen that was generated.

This Source is the Specific Blog entry that details the issue that Randy is working on. The Name, in this file came from that Blog entry, AND since the Source was already created, I went to the People Workspace, Person Tab, and selected the Name Fact for William. In the Right Hand (RH) Panel, selected the pull down menu for a New Citation, but selected the Use Existing Citation.

In doing so, this brought up the Source Citation List and selected the Source that was just entered and clicked on the Link To Citation.

When that was completed, the Cursor was placed over (not clicked) on the Source for the name.

 You can see that I had Randy's blog open behind the Family Tree Maker screen, but you can see the Citation for the Name Fact. Since the Blog also had Mable Shown and a Marriage Date of 19 February 1900, that information was entered and a Citation place on the Name and the Shared Marriage Fact.

Just to see where we are at this point, went to the Publish Workspace, Relationship Collection and brought up the Family Group Sheet.

Because we want to find that Marriage Record, switched to the Web Search Workspace and did a Web Search for William E. Sebring. The Lower Left window of the Web Search Screen shows the information in our Data Base, and the first result was the Idaho Marriages, 1842 - 1926, where William and Mable are listed. By selecting that result, the Lower Right panel showed the information that Ancestry.com has in that record. Looking between the Left and Right Panel (information in the file, and information online), it looks like a good match.

Just to be sure, the link that is in the Blue was clicked to see a little more about this record. This is the Printer Friendly view of that page.

A couple of things to note, for later, is that 1) there is NO image, and 2) the Source Information is what Randy had in his blog. Just confirming that we were looking at the same record. For this example, we went ahead and did the Web Merge. Verifying each merge screen to make sure what was going to be merged. Please note below that what was entered for the marriage was just the Date. In the Web Merge, the Date AND Place (location) was in the Online Record. So, the bullet item next to Make Alternate was selected, making the Online Record information as the Preferred Marriage Fact.

The completing all of the web merge screen and before the merge is executed, the Summary Screen is presented. Please note, that there is no indication that there will be a Media File, with the merge. We didn't see one online either.

Note the Source citation what is coming from Ancestry.com. That is just like the earlier screen that was in the Printer Friendly view of the online record. So far so good.

However, this is not in the Template Format. Returning to the Source Workspace, selecting this Source entry and looking at the RH Panel, we see the old Citation.

This is what we want to change from this format to the appropriate template.

Clicking on the Pencil ICON at the top of this panel, will open the Source Screen.

In this case, rather than using the Keyword search, a manual selection will be made to locate the appropriate template.

In this case, we were looking at a Local and State Record - Courts and Governance record. It was a Derivative that was found in and Online Database.

Note the Bottom of that screen about the Database Outline and at the top of the screen referring to the QuickCheck model that can be found in Evidence Explained!.

Making that selection brings up the Edit Source Screen, where the Source Template is filled in, at the time, so completing the Database Title, Webside creator/owner, Website Title, URL, and Year fields are filled in.

Clicking on OK, takes us back to the Source Workspace and the Citation screen, which has taken the information from the old format, and is now in the Template format.

Information from that Printer Friendly screen where the Source talked about "This record can be found ..." was put into the Citation Text, along with "Entry for marragee of William E. Sebring and Mable Shown, 19 February, 1900.

Because I wanted all of the information to appear in the EndNotes, a check mark was put into the Include in ref. note.

Returning to the Family Group Sheet, we now see the Facts that now have that citation, and the new citation.

Returning to the Source workspace and selecting this Citation, the facts will also be listed in the Center Panel.


Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker Tutorials

Family Tree Maker Tutorials

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 07:00 AM PST

Have you ever wanted a personal tutor to sit at your computer and show you how to use Family Tree Maker? We have a solution. Family Tree Maker has a variety of short video tutorials (each about 3 to 5 minutes long) that can help you quickly learn how to add, organize, and share your family history. They’re perfect for visual learners or anyone who wants a little direction or help using the software.
Here’s a list of the eight tutorials that are available:

Workspaces–teaches you about the seven workspaces that make up the Family Tree Maker software.

Building Family Tutorial–Shows you how to add spouses, children, and parents, and navigate in the People workspace.

Building Person Tutorial–Explains how to add events, facts, and media items for an individual.

Places Tutorial–Explains how the place authority works and teaches how to resolve unrecognized place names.

Media Tutorial–Illustrates the various ways to add media items and record details about them.

Sourcing Tutorial–Shows you how and where to create sources and source citations.

Publishing Tutorial–Explains the Publish workspace and also chart/report options and settings.

Web Search Tutorial–Illustrates Ancestry hints and search results and shows how to merge this information into your tree.

You can access all these tutorials online on the Family Tree Maker website. If you’re using versions 2009, 2010, or 2011, you can also access these tutorials within your Family Tree Maker software; simply select the Help menu, and choose Training Tutorials.

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Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

ANCESTRY.COM RELEASES FAMILY TREE MAKER FOR MAC ON THE MAC APP STORE

Downloadable Version of the #1-Selling Family History Software Available Today 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., January 6, 2011– Ancestry.com today announced the launch of Family Tree Maker® for Mac on the Mac App Store. Family Tree Maker for Mac provides an easy way to save and organize your family tree conveniently on your Mac and has a variety of tools that can help you share your discoveries with family and friends.

“We are excited that Family Tree Maker for Mac is now available for download on the Mac App Store,” ,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product for Ancestry.com. “We’re committed to making our Family Tree Maker products easily accessible to everyone and this is yet another resource available from Ancestry.com to enable everyone to discover, preserve and share their family history.”

Family Tree Maker for Mac combines intuitive tools with robust features and flexible options, making it ideal for family history novices and experts alike.  A dynamic user interface and integration with Ancestry.com makes it simple to create family trees, record memories, and organize photos, videos and audio clips, plus share ancestors’ stories. It’s even possible to explore family migration paths by viewing timelines and interactive maps that highlight events and places in ancestors' lives.

Family Tree Maker for Mac is built on the functionality of Family Tree Maker 2010 , and is constructed from the ground up to take full advantage of the Mac platform in terms of technology and user experience. 
System requirements for Family Tree Maker for Mac include:

• Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later
• Intel-based Mac
• Hard Disk Space: 500MB for installation
• Internet access is required for all Web integration

Family Tree Maker for Mac is now available for purchase and electronic download online on the Mac App Store for $99.99. The program is also available at http://www.familytreemaker.com and in select retail stores, including Apple’s retail stores, Amazon, Office Depot, and Office Max.

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with nearly 1.4 million paying subscribers. More than 6 billion records have been added to the site in the past 14 years. Ancestry users have created more than 20 million family trees containing over 2 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries that help people discover, preserve and share their family history, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

 

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Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker: Improving Performance

Posted on the Family  Tree Maker Blog:

Posted by Tana L. Pedersen on November 29, 2010 in Family Tree Maker

We all wish we had an unlimited amount of time to work on our family history. But since none of us do, it can be frustrating when the software you’re using seems to get in the way instead of helping. If Family Tree Maker starts running more slowly than you expect, here are six steps you can take to increase the software’s performance:

Verify that your computer meets the minimum system requirements

Make sure that your computer meets or exceeds the minimum requirements. You can find them listed in the packaging and documentation that came with your software. Also, keep in mind that the more information you enter, the greater the amount of free hard drive space and available RAM you will need.

Make sure you are using the latest version of the software

Periodically, Family Tree Maker releases updates that fix various software bugs and issues. Make sure that the Family Tree Maker software is up-to-date by going to the Help menu and choosing Check for Update. A message alerts you if you need to update the software.

Run the Compact File tool

The Compact File tool re-indexes your file, removes unnecessary data, and optimizes your tree’s performance. You can learn more on this blog post.

Check your tree for duplicate individuals

Duplicate individuals can increase the overall size of your tree and make running reports, creating charts, and navigating your tree inefficient. Periodically you’ll want to make sure you’ve merged or deleted any unnecessary people. You can find detailed instructions on merging individuals in the Family Tree Maker Knowledgebase.

Work offline

If you have a day where you’re simply entering information and not using the Web Search or virtual maps, consider temporarily disabling your Internet connection within Family Tree Maker. This can really speed up your system, especially if you’re working in a large tree.
To work offline, go to the File menu and select Go Offline. To reenable Internet access, go to the File menu and select Go Online.

Disable Fastfields

Fastfields speed up data entry by automatically filling in repetitive data as you type. For example, if you type “San Jose, California” into a location field, then go to another location field and begin to type “San,” Family Tree Maker will recognize the similarity and suggest “San Jose, California.” Disabling this feature can increase performance, especially in large databases.
To disable Fastfields, go to the Tools menu and select Options. Deselect the checkboxes in the “Use fastfields for section” and click OK.


Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker 2011 - Program Updates

Service Pack 1 contains a number of user requested and reported updates and fixes.

The following fixes and updates are included in this service pack:

1. General performance improvements throughout the program
2. Performance improvements to Web merge
3. Re-enabled right-click functionality in Web Search
4. New option added to Options dialog to enable/disable enhancing merged images from Ancestry.com
5. Resolved issue of media not being merge properly during Ancestry.com Web merge
6. Resolved issue where user is unable to modify reference notes in Sources workspace
7. And much more...

Click Here for a more detailed view of the enhancements and bug fixes included in this service pack.

Auto-installation

1. Connect to the Internet.
2. Start Family Tree Maker 2011.
3. You should receive a notification that an update is available. Click the "Update" button.
4. Run the .exe file.

Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 users may need to complete the following additional steps to auto-install the update:

1. Close Family Tree Maker if it is open.
2. Right-click the shortcut for Family Tree Maker 2011 and select "Run as administrator."
3. You will be asked to confirm that FTM.exe should have rights to access the computer. Click "Allow."
4. The notification that an update is available should appear at this time. If not, please complete the remaining steps listed below.
1. Click the "Help" menu item at the top of the program.
2. Click "Check for Updates…"
3. The program will check for an update and notify you if one is available.
5. If no notification is displayed then please do a manual install as described below

To manually install the service pack:

1. Close Family Tree Maker
2. Download the patch here (.zip) or (.exe)
3. Unzip the file (if the .zip file is downloaded)
4. Run the .exe file

Please note: When installing the executable patch, you may be asked to locate the file to patch. You can select either the Family Tree Maker shortcut located on the desktop or the ftm.exe file which should be located in the C:\Program Files\Family Tree Maker 2011 folder.

To verify that the update worked do the following:

1. Open Family Tree Maker 2011
2. Click the "Help" menu item at the top of the program
3. Click "About Family Tree Maker…"
4. On the Product Information tab there is a version number. If the update was successful the version number will be 20.0.0.376
5. If no notification is displayed and your product version number is not 20.0.0.376 then please do a manual install as described above

Technical support is also available. See our contact page for support options.

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© 2010 Ancestry.com 

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

BUILD A BetterGEDCOM

PRESS RELEASE - I am posting this as it may be of interest to other Users of the Family Tree Maker program and Ancestry.com. Many of us, users of both Ancestry.com and the Family Tree Maker want to Share our research with family members, other family researchers, and relatives we may not even know.




BUILD A BetterGEDCOM
A grass roots initiative to improve data exchange among genealogists

Tuesday Nov 9, 2010. Alexandria, VA. A group of genealogists and programmers have established a workspace called Build A BetterGEDCOM for developing better data exchange standards to facilitate sharing between researchers using a variety of technology platforms, genealogy products and services.

"Genealogy software users are painfully aware that sharing data with other researchers is difficult since the existing GEDCOM (GENealogy Data COMmunication) file transfer script hasn't been updated in 14 years. In the meantime genealogists have incorporated tools with expanded capabilities reflecting changing technology," says Russ Worthington, a genealogy software power user and popular genealogy lecturer.

In developing a wiki site for pulling together genealogy software programmers, website developers and end users, genealogy blogger DearMYRTLE explains "The focus is cooperation. We seek solutions that will enable regular researchers like me to share genealogy with cousins regardless of the genealogy program they've chosen to use. The current GEDCOM file exchange strips out much of my hard work, leaving only some of the data I've typed in and attached to each well-documented ancestor. We experience similar problems when uploading and downloading our genealogy data with popular genealogy websites. If all genealogy product developers agree to a BetterGEDCOM format, such problems will be overcome."

The BetterGEDCOM wiki site is open to all, and is located at http://bettergedcom.wikispaces.com.

"BetterGEDCOM will be independent. This means no single entity who has an interest in our work will be the single driving force. Likewise, no work that anyone has done will be the defined starting place or the de facto basis of our work." says Greg Lamberson, the technician who developed initial pages at the BetterGEDCOM wiki. "We also seek to account for language and cultural differences as we develop data standards for recording family history information in text and multi-media formats. Input from BetterGEDCOM participants the world over is a vital component of this initiative."

"BetterGEDCOM will seek ISO recognition or recognition by other international standards bodies," continues Greg. "This has never been done in the genealogical community. This means we will have to be a community effort with participation by a substantial part of the genealogical technology community. Also, unlike previous efforts, having standards actually codified will provide developers a framework to resolve ambiguities, conflicts or other problems that may develop in using the standard as well as a way to correct or amend the standard as needed."

"Indeed everyone seems to be ready for something new," says Greg. "Every person I have talked to agrees that now is the time for action. The BetterGEDCOM project invites all to participate so that we may achieve meaningful results."


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CONTACT:
Pat Richley-Erickson

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

ANCESTRY.COM UNVEILS NEW FAMILY TREE MAKER FOR MAC

ANCESTRY.COM UNVEILS NEW FAMILY TREE MAKER FOR MAC

 

#1-Selling Family History Software Now Available in Mac Version

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 4, 2010 – Ancestry.com today announced the launch of Family Tree Maker® for Mac, the new Mac version of the world’s No.-1 selling family history software. Family Tree Maker for Mac provides an easy way to save and organize your family tree conveniently on your Mac computer and has a variety of tools that can help you share your discoveries with family and friends.

 

“Family Tree Maker for Mac has been a long-requested feature from our customers.  We are committed to delivering the same powerful experience on the Mac that millions of Family Tree Maker customers have been enjoying for the past 20 years,” said Eric Shoup, Senior Vice President of Product for Ancestry.com. “We couldn’t be happier to provide yet another way for our members to interact with Ancestry.com and discover, preserve and share their family history.”

 

Family Tree Maker for Mac combines intuitive tools with robust features and flexible options, making it ideal for family history novices and experts alike.  A dynamic user interface and integration with Ancestry.com makes it simple to create family trees, record memories, and organize photos, videos and audio clips, plus share ancestors’ stories. It’s even possible to explore family migration paths by viewing timelines and interactive maps that highlight events and places in ancestors' lives.

 

The first step is to start a family tree by entering and organizing family history information. From there, a myriad of features help you bring your family history to life:

·         Grow your family tree – Search Ancestry.com directly from Family Tree Maker and seamlessly merge historical records and important information you find into your tree. Family Tree Maker for Mac comes with either a free trial or subscription to Ancestry.com.

·         Organize photos and documents in one location – Add photos, documents, audio, video and other media files to the people in your tree to help make their stories even more fascinating.

·         Create family books, charts and reports – Publish beautiful keepsakes and books to share with friends and family.

·         Craft slideshows – Create slideshows from photos in your tree.

·         Cite the right information – Standard source templates make it easy.

·         Explore family migration paths – View timelines and interactive maps, highlighting events and places in your ancestors' lives.

·         Track information – Powerful sourcing tools let you document and rate each citation.

Family Tree Maker for Mac is now available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemaker.com starting at $69.99. The program is also available in select retail stores, including Apple Stores, Amazon, Office Depot, and Office Max.
System requirements for Family Tree Maker for Mac include:

·         Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later

·         Intel-based Mac

·         Hard Disk Space: 500MB for installation

·         Internet access is required for all Web integration

Family Tree Maker for Mac is built on the functionality of Family Tree Maker 2010, the PC-version of the software, and is constructed from the bottom up to take full advantage of the Mac platform in terms of technology and user experience. 

 

Early this year, Ancestry.com expanded to another Apple^® platform: the iPhone^®. With the launch of its  Tree To Go iPhone application in January 2010, Ancestry.com now gives users access to generations of family history at every turn. From their iPhone, users can easily upload photos, update sources and edit trees. The Tree To Go iPhone application is available for iPhone and iPod touch^® for free through the iPhone App Store or iTunes^®.

 

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with nearly 1.4 million paying subscribers. More than 6 billion records have been added to the site in the past 14 years. Ancestry users have created more than 20 million family trees containing over 2 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries that help people discover, preserve and share their family history, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

 

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Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com Member Family Tree Synchronization

There have been many long messages on the Ancestry.com message board for Family Tree Maker about the synchronization between a Web Based Tree and a PC Based Family Tree Maker (program) file.

In the Family Tree Maker Blog, announcing Version 2011, there is an posting by Tana L. Pedersen, author of the Official Guide to the Family Tree Maker program.


http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/08/31/family-tree-maker-2011-is-here/#comments




Here is the text of Tana L. Pedersens message around reply # 99:


Thanks to everyone of you who has asked questions and left comments. I apologize for not being able to answer every question and appreciate those of you who jump in to help.

I realize that synchronization is a much desired enhancement for Family Tree Maker users, so I asked if there was more I could post that would clarify the company’s position on the issue. Here’s the official statement. “Our customers frequently ask for more ability to synchronize and transfer data between Family Tree Maker and Ancestry Member Trees, and we want to assure you that we are listening. This is a complex issue and while we cannot say for certain when it will be resolved, it is an important priority that we are actively working on.”

End of Quote:

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington