MyHeritage.com: New FTB 5.1 version available

MyHeritage.com has just released its new Family Tree Builder 5.1 version and is also offering a limited-time 25% discount on all subscriptions.

If you've ever considered a subscription, this sounds like a good time to sign up.

Millions of people around the world are using the free Family Tree Builder to construct their family trees. According to the site, more than 21 million people have downloaded FTB, which runs in 36 languages.

Readers who have tried an older version some time ago, or have never used it, or even if they are using another software product, may wish to try the new 5.1 version. Import a GEDCOM  and other genealogy files from whatever program you are currently using and see how the new version works.

Readers who are using older versions (3.0, 4.0, 5.0) may download the new 5.1 version, and install it on top of the existing version. The update will not affect existing data, and is safe and recommended.

Download the new version for free.

Although a Mac version is not yet available, it is planned.

According to MyHeritage.com:
MyHeritage also writes that the summer special of 25% will be available only for the next few days:

Tracing the Tribe particularly likes the idea that it can now import various genealogy files, in addition to GEDCOMs.

When my old PC was smashed in moving, my hard drive files were put onto an external drive, but the programs themselves were lost. This upgrade to 5.1 has meant that all my old Family Tree Maker files - and others - could be searched for and incorporated. Tracing the Tribe likes improvements that save time and hassle.

Another reason to use more than one software program, and to keep one online in a safe and secure environment, is simply to be proactive.  We never know when we may experience serious computer problems or when a natural disaster may impact access to years of research.

Tracing the Tribe always recommends that - in addition to a software program housed on a personal computer - the information also be online in a secure and private environment, keeping it safe. At MyHeritage.com, your entire family tree can be housed on a family site as completely private as you wish, or as public as desired. Your private data will be protected, safe and accessible, no matter what happens to your personal computer at home.

The Boy Scout motto - "be prepared" - should also be the mantra of all genealogists and family history researchers.

For the next few days only, enjoy a massive 25% discount on all our subscriptions!

With a Premium subscription, you'll get:

• All Premium features of Family Tree Builder 5.1 (current and future). These include Smart Research results, Smart Match merging, all-in-one charts and interactive maps.
• Up to 2500 names and 500MB of storage for photos and documents in your family site.
• Enhanced Smart Matches.
• Priority support.

Our PremiumPlus subscription offers all the benefits of Premium listed above, plus unlimited family tree size and unlimited storage capacity for photos and documents in your family site.

What's new in version 5.1

Version 5.1 adds a technology licensed from Wholly Genes , Inc. that makes it possible for Family Tree Builder to directly import existing family tree files from other genealogy programs you may have used before, such as Family Tree Maker (FTM, FTW, FTMB), Personal Ancestral File (PAF), Legacy (FDB), The Master Genealogist (TMG) and Family Tree Legends (FTL). Good old GEDCOM files are supported and can be imported too.

If you've used any of those other programs in the past, you can now download Family Tree Builder 5.1, import your family tree and photo data easily and move up to one of the best programs available today, and build a tree of unlimited size on your computer, for free. After installing Family Tree Builder 5.1, import your existing genealogy files using "Import GEDCOM or genealogy file" in the File menu. You can browse and upload a specific family tree file, or choose to scan your computer for all genealogy files, and then select any file to import it.

The new version also incorporates many bug fixes so it is a recommended update for all users.

Family Tree Builder 5.1 includes all new features introduced in version 5.0, that you may not be enjoying yet: enhanced, better-looking family tree charts, built-in poster printing for charts, family tree consistency checker, to-do lists, better privacy controls, easy restoration of family trees from your family site, search and replace function for the entire family tree, and many other improvements and fixes. All those new features are described in detail and with screenshots, on our blog.

Ohio: Learn about Family Tree Maker, February 6

Cleveland-area residents will learn about Family Tree Maker software at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland, on Sunday, February 6.

"Family Tree Maker - What it can and can't do for you" begins at 1.30pm, at the Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Boulevard, Pepper Pike, Ohio.

Speaker John Stoika of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society is also the past president and member of the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group (CAGG)

For more information on this program and the March 28 program for beginners, click the JGS of Cleveland website.

Michigan: Genealogy software comparisons, February 6

Comparisons of popular genealogy software programs will be discussed at the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan on Sunday, February 6.

The meeting begins at 11am, at the Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills. Admission: JGSMI members, free; others, $5.

IT specialist Steve Klein's presentation will be targeted to non-technical users, focusing on the most popular genealogy programs for Windows, Macintosh and the web. Each product will have a brief introduction, overview of key features, and comparison of relative strengths and weaknesses.

His interest in genealogy was sparked last year when a cousin invited him and several other family members to the MyHeritage.com website to build the family tree of their maternal grandparents. Over the year they've added ancestors, siblings, descendants and spouses, and now have 216 people listed.

Klein was a computer hobbyist in his teenage years, and parlayed his knowledge into a 25- year IT career, as a help desk support specialist, educational IT specialist, network engineer and as an IT manager. He's interrupted his professional career to pursue a BSIT degree at Lawrence Tech, and expects to graduate this summer.

Attendees are invited to submit questions in writing in advance, by February 1.

For more information about the JGSMi or directions, click here.

Software: 2010 user awards

Louis Kessler has been a genealogist and programmer for more than three decades.

In 1997, he launched his Genealogy Software Links page which, in 2008, became the GenSoftReview site. He also developed the Behold genealogy program.

Kessler has just announced his 2010 Users Choice Awards for the most-liked genealogy programs for 2010.

The 2010 winners are: RootsMagic, Brother's Keeper, The Next Generation, Genbox Family History, Legacy, Personal Ancestral File, Reunion and MyHeritage.com 's Family Tree Builder. Seven are repeat winners from 2009.

Genealogists have gone to his site for more than two years to review and rate genealogy software.

According to his press release, it isn't easy to pick what program - of more than 550 - is best to use for your research. At his site, people can search for the program they want or for a specific program. They can read the reviews posted by users and see how the programs are rated by those users. The site is free and no registration is needed to add reviews.

After two years, over 720 reviews have been submitted. The end of year ratings for 2010 have now been tabulated and eight programs have been awarded a Users Choice Award. All the programs with a user rating of 4 or more out of 5 and at least 10 reviews are being awarded a GenSoftReviews Users Choice Award.

Says Kessler, "Everybody is different and has different needs. Choosing a genealogy program is like choosing a vacation hotel. What's best for one person is not necessarily best for another person." He says his site helps researchers decide on their genealogy tool, using consumer ratings to help them decide on a program.

Questions about the site or the awards? contact Kessler.

Ancestry: Family Tree Maker Mac version released

Mac users can now rejoice!

Ancestry.com recently released a downloadabe version of Family Tree Maker for Mac.

Tracing the Tribe is still working through mountains of fascinating email containing important announcements, but wanted to get this one out to everyone.

Here's the press release as received:

Do pass on this information to those who may be interested.

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.

Miami: Learn about FTM 2010, 2011, Oct. 3

Miami-area researchers have an opportunity learn about Family Tree Maker 2010 and 2011 editions with Harry Stuart on Sunday, October 3.

The free meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami starts at 10am at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Building, 4200 Biscayne Blvd. Miami.

The local Family Tree Maker guru will demonstrate - on large screens - the pros and cons of both versions and how to use them. Stuart is asking that people email questions about the software edition to be answered at the meeting.

For more information and directions, click here.

Orlando FL: Collect, save, organize memories, Sept. 28

"How to collect, save and organize your precious memories," with Tom Hirsch, is the next program of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando on Tuesday, September 28.

The program begins at 1pm; the meeting is free and open to the public, in the Goldman Social Hall, Congregation of Reform Judaism, Orland.

JCSCO member Tom Hirsch will sponsor an "on-line" demo:

-- To demonstrate some websites, bookmarking, and organizing the websites in your web browser; organizing, and saving files, and backing up those files.

-- Provide information on doing serious research.

-- Demonstrate digitally photographing items to include in family history, and photostitching to combine photos into a single photo or record.

-- Available Freeware

For more information, click here.

Bloomberg News talks genealogy

Tracing the Tribe loves it when non-traditional (e.g. financial news) media writes about genealogy. Today, it was the turn of Bloomberg News columnist Rich Jaroslovsky to detail family history software programs as he tried out Family Tree Maker 2010.

Although he details what the subscription costs are for Ancestry, and provides some information for Mac users, as well as where other costs of gen research might be found (DNA testing, publications and more), he didn't mention free downloadable software such as MyHeritage.com's Family Tree Builder 4.0.

If you are researching your family history, the best thing about the Internet is the vast amount of information available. Records, recollections and resources previously accessible only to those with the time and money to travel to distant locales are now mouse clicks away.

That flood of data is also the worst thing about the Internet. Locating information can be hit or miss; older records are often poorly indexed or unintelligible; cataloging your finds and establishing relationships can be a confusing, time- consuming operation.

There’s a vast array of software to help find and organize family information, says the article, which focuses on Family Tree Maker 2010.

Jaroslovsky details his own family history quest:

For instance, I have been using the software to locate and organize information about the Lerners, the family of my paternal grandmother, who died at age 25 during the great influenza epidemic of 1918-1919.

Through conversations with an elderly aunt, I learned enough to be able to locate U.S. Census records from 1900 that gave me the names of my great-grandparents -- as well as various great-uncles and aunts I never knew I had. Had I recorded video or audio of my conversation with my aunt -- which I should have done -- I could have saved that to Family Tree Maker, too.

For those who use Macs, the software field is limited; most are Windows-only. The article offers some hints if you want to use Family Tree Maker, such as a copy of Windows and Apple's free Boot Camp program, or VMware's Fusion or Desktop from Parallels.

On the other hand, there are Mac programs such as Reunion (Leister Productions Inc.), and MacFamilyTree (Synium Software), both of which have separate Apple iPhone paid apps to help collect information from onsite and in-person research trips and integrate with desktop systems.

Read the complete article at the link above.

MyHeritage: FTB 4, maps, albums and more!

This past week, while visiting New York, Tracing the Tribe has had several opportunities to discuss MyHeritage.com's Family Tree Builder.

A friend's daughter was taking a summer genealogy course but organizers did not provide or seem to recommend software. The mother had been drawing charts on large sheets of paper and posterboard. I told her about MyHeritage, and she's already working with it!

A cousin, originally from Russia, asked what he could use that would also make sense to family back in the FSU and branches in Israel. He's now using it and can enter family data in Cyrillic and in Hebrew, so it is easily accessible to most of the family. Besides being easy to use, the multi-lingual aspect of the software and site was a very useful benefit.

Even better, MyHeritage.com has just released its new Family Tree Builder 4.0, which offers maps, family chats and a new family toolbar. To learn more about the new version, view this animated slideshow.

The leading family and genealogy website is always improving, and these new tools and features make it even better. And, to frost this particular cake, see the great offer at the bottom of this posting!

According to MyHeritage.com founder/CEO Gilad Japhet, the new features will help researchers who want to know more about where their ancestors come from. The new map feature provides a visual for a family's journeys, the ability to map family members' addresses, find events and photos relevant to a particular geographic location and even standardize place names using smart suggestions.

As for the possibilities, a researcher could map all the towns where ancestors were born, lived or died; map the ports they used when they immigrated; or mark the location of ancestral towns for those in a DNA project. There are many possibilities.

These features can help researchers pull together more pieces of the family puzzle to make better sense of it all.

The key improvements in the new FTB 4.0 release are the map module, a family toolbar with Family Chat and more support for albums to organize photos, videos and documents.

The new toolbar offers direct access to MyHeritage family sites, adds a powerful genealogy search and features Family Chat – a text, audio and video chat system built specifically for family use. Members can receive birthday reminders on the toolbar without leaving the Web page they are viewing.

Download the free software here.

Are you already using a previous FTB version? No problem. Just download and install the new 4.0 release on top of your current version. This won't impact your family tree data and is recommended by MyHeritage. If you're currently using a different product, try out FTB 4.0 by using the GEDCOM import tool.

The software makes it very easy to add photos, text, documents, videos and all sorts of digital media. Users can produce slideshows and screensavers with their tagged family photos. Combined with a family site, it makes staying in touch and connecting globally very easy.

Regardless of skill level, everyone - from experienced researchers to absolute beginners - can build family trees, research their families, add photos and videos and obtain matches with other family trees encompassing people from around the world.

And what about setting up a family site on MyHeritage? The basic site is still free, and if you have more names and/or require more storage for photos and documents, there are also premium subscription sites. Right now, get a Premium site subscription at a 35% discount for a limited time.

For $3.95 per month, your online MyHeritage family site may include up to 2,500 names and 500MB of storage, with access to all the Premium features (current and future) of FTB 4.0, as well as priority support.

That reminds me - When I get home, I'll have to update my own site and add new photos and other items. When it's so easy to label, organize and search for photos, it's fun - not work - to update and add information.

Family Tree Builder has already been downloaded more than 5 million times. The company claims it is the world's most popular free genealogy software.

If you're not yet familiar with MyHeritage and its features, check it out.

For more information, Randy Seaver of GeneaMusings has published two posts detailing his experiences with the new FTB 4.0 version. He does a great job with these technical posts, while making them very easy to understand, even for non-techies.

Oregon: Choosing genealogy software, March 17

At the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon, Marty Krauter will offer guidelines to help researchers decide which genealogy software program to select, as well as how to maintain and present genealogical research on a computer.

He'll include research goals, recording, source documentation, information output and a suggested program list.

The Portland program begins at 7pm, Tuesday, March 17, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

For 12 years, Krauter has been chair of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon’s Computer Interest Group. He has been actively doing genealogy for 14 years. He has a strong interest in Irish Genealogy where he has traced two of his wife’s family lines to their ancestral village. Marty is an accountant who loves the analytical nature of genealogy.

Admission: JGSO members, free; others, $5. For more details, click here.

'Special' gen program sought

Is there a genealogy program that wouldn't self-destruct if this so-called family was entered?

Read about a man living with 32 women and who has fathered 89 children. Some readers asked if he has 32 mothers-in-law and others wanted to know who had control of the TV remote.

On the surface, this is an interesting and even funny case for genealogists from a technical charting viewpoint. As a case for family services and child protection agencies, it is a different matter.

The story was in Haaretz.

Seattle: Genealogy software, Feb. 9

Did you know that there some 200 genealogy software programs out there? Which one is right for you?

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State will help you with "Genealogy Software: Today and Tomorrow" at its next program at 7pm Monday, February 9, at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island.

This program will help participants narrow down the choices to select one that's right for each person's needs.

The session will look at ways to sort the broad feature sets to help evaluate the programs, and attendees will walk away with a list of criteria to use when selecting a software program.

Also, learn about current and future trends in online software, genealogical social networking and how online genealogy sites can help you connect with others researching the same families in the US and around the world.

Speaker Dawn Bingaman compiled her first pedigree chart for a Girl Scout project when she was very young, and 30 years later, she's still working on her family tree.

A long-time member of the Seattle GenealogicalSociety and co-chair of the SGS Computer Interest Group, she has worked in the information technology field for 13 years and is currently director of information systems at a private country club.

Admission: JGSWS members, free; others, $5.

For more details, click here.

New Site: GenSoftReviews

Always wondered how you can learn about genealogy software? There are so many different packages out there. Which is best for you and your needs?

Louis Kessler, who's been around for some three decades as genealogist and programmer, has now organized and launched GenSoftReviews, in addition to his venerable Lkessler.com, which has a Jewish genealogy page here.

The new site makes it possible for users of gen software to rate and review programs they've tried or used. The goal is to make it easier for others to compare and select the software best for their own needs.

If you are a non-techie, as many of us are, it can be confusing as you attempt to compare different programs and features. I hope this site will lessen confusion and help more people choose the program or programs right for them.

Some 355 programs are ready for review; categories include Windows, Mac, Unix, handheld and online programs, from full-featured, GEDCOM utilities, website builders and more.

The site is free and does not require registration.

There are five ranking levels: Whether you enjoy using it, if you use it often, if it has easy input, useful output, and an overall rating. You can write a short review and list the major advantage and disadvantage of a program. Viewers may use this information to make more informed decisions.

There is an RSS feed for all reviews as well as one for each separate program.

Why did he create this?

"I created my "Louis Kessler's Genealogy Software Links" page for my website in 1997 and that page has been a popular genealogy web resource with over 400,000 hits through the years. But I've always wanted to have more than just a list of programs. The new Genealogy Software Reviews site allows interactive user input and should be a more useful resource for everyone."

For more than three decades, Kessler has been a genealogist and programmer; written newspaper articles and made presentations on genealogy. He also developed the Behold genealogy program and is past president of the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada).

MyHeritage: Family Tree Builder 2.0

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has posted two excellent entries on working with MyHeritage.com's Family Tree Builder 2.0, a free downloadable program.

His first posting covered the basic open, upload, person and edit screens here. He focuses on the Chart and Report functions here, and he's planning another on the Book Report feature.

What should also be noted is that all information entered into Family Tree Builder 2.0 can be done bilingually. Currently, some 23 languages (including English) are supported for user interface and data entry: English, Hebrew, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese PT, Russian, Dutch, Greek Turkish Yiddish, Portuguese (both Portugal and Brazil, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Polish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Czech, Finnish and Afrikaans.

Pick an interface in any language, build and print a family tree in any of the languages. A translation wizard automatically translates trees from one language to another. Choose one language for display and another for data entry. There's even a virtual keyboard to enter data in any of the 23 languages.

For an interesting activity, go to MyHeritage.com. On the right side of the screen, there's a globe graphic and a drop-down box for language. Choose one and see what the homepage looks like in Russian, Polish, Hebrew, Turkish and Asian languages (for the homepage, not for data entry or interface ... yet!)

Language capability is a great feature if you want to share a tree with relatives in other countries who may be more comfortable working in other languages. It also helps you see what names look like in other alphabets, which could help in research.

Learn more in a tour of the features here .

For some very recent improvements, click here. A new simple way to navigate and edit your online family tree on MyHeritage has been added. The new Modern Look focuses a family tree around a single individual and lets you add relatives quickly. It allows users to see more people at a time and get a good overview of how people are connected. The Classic (hierarchal) look, is still available and you can toggle back and forth.

Family Tree Maker 2008 released

Ancestry has announced the release of Family Tree Maker 2008. Although I started with FTM in DOS format back in 1990 and have upgraded along the way, I haven't yet explored the new release.

For more information now, see the Reviewers Guide, including screen shots of new features, here (loading may be slow). Dick Eastman's readers have contributed many beta reviewer comments here, and blogger Randy Seaver has a posting on more reviewer comments here.

The press release:

PROVO, Utah, Aug. 14 -- Ancestry.com, the world's largest online resource for family history, today announced the release of Family Tree Maker 2008, a completely redesigned and ground-breaking version of the world's No. 1 selling family history software. Family Tree Maker 2008 boasts an intuitive new interface and dozens of new features built on an entirely revamped, modern platform - the result of a two-year, back-to-the-drawing-board development process.

In one software bundle, Family Tree Maker 2008 provides users tools to quickly build their family trees, record their memories and organize their family photos, stories, video and audio clips. Users can quickly find and import facts and historical documents about their family from the Internet and print custom-designed family trees and books. With dynamic satellite maps and customizable timelines, Family Tree Maker 2008 truly broadens the capabilities that every family history program should include.

"Family Tree Maker 2008 redefines family tree building software, providing users with powerful, unrivaled tools and resources to discover and share their family stories," said Tim Sullivan, CEO of The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com. "The software's seamless integration with the Ancestry.com Web site further solidifies Ancestry.com as the family history authority both on and offline."

Family Tree Maker users can tap into Ancestry.com's unrivaled collection of family history records and powerful search features - without leaving Family Tree Maker. When connected to the Internet, Family Tree Maker 2008 automatically searches Ancestry.com for historical documents about the individuals in the user's family tree. With a few mouse clicks, users with an Ancestry.com subscription can view and import these historical records into their family tree.

"Family Tree Maker 2008 offers every user an intuitive out-of the-box experience," said Megan Smolenyak, Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com. "Ancestry.com developers worked closely with industry professionals as well as family history beginners to create a program that uniquely spans the range of user ability with an easy-to-use interface that also offers advanced, robust features."

The following new and updated features expand Family Tree Maker's capabilities:

-- Interactive Street and Satellite Maps - Use Microsoft® Virtual Earth™* to access dynamic street and satellite maps that pinpoint important locations in ancestors' lives from within Family Tree Maker. A place-name database and hint engine helps users correctly enter localities in a consistent format.

-- Web Integration -View and search any Web site from within Family Tree Maker*. Once users locate information about their ancestors, they can easily import appropriate images, text and even a cached version of the Web page in to their family tree.

-- Individual Biographies - Create biographical sketches for each ancestor, adding life facts, historical documents, photos and other digital media. In addition, timelines highlight important personal, family and world events that occurred during ancestors' lifetimes.

-- Media Organization -Upload and manage image, audio, video and other media files. Users can attach these files directly to specific people in a family tree to better illustrate their family story.

-- Publish Family History Books - Create customized, illustrated family history books. Ancestry Press allows users to bring their family history to life with professionally designed charts, timelines, reports and pedigree charts, as well as photos, historical records and more. The books can then be professionally printed and bound (or printed on home printers).

For more, click here