Friday, November 12, 2010

Family Tree Maker 2011 - Program Updates

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.
Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

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."


-- end --

CONTACT:
Pat Richley-Erickson

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Thursday, November 4, 2010

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, 2010Ancestry.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.
 
 ###

 

Copyright © 2010 by H R Worthington

Print Friendly