Meeting this Monday, Sept 18---Don't Miss It

Ferndale Genies Monthly Meeting:  Join us this Monday, September 18 at 1:00-3:30 at the Ferndale Library.  This month we will venture into helping each person learn what they need the most.  A giant undertaking!  Everyone should come prepared to work on something.  Do you have a genealogy problem or something you want to talk about or learn?  We’ll work on genealogy and technical skills.  Be sure to bring your passwords and your laptop or device.  If you want to borrow a library laptop, come a little early. 

Family Tree Software: a discussion

A big dilemma for beginners and experienced genealogists alike is where to store our family trees.   The decision about which desktop software and/or websites to use has been tormenting me for a few years.  I often look for good reviews and comparisons without success.  This week Family Tree Magazine published online the best I have seen.  “Online Tree or Genealogy Software? Deciding Where to Keep Your Data” is here. 

Among others this article covers the three most popular software programs:  Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic and Legacy.  We have members using all three.  Also the three main websites:  Ancestry, MyHeritage and Family Search. 

A newer development is syncing your desktop tree with some of the online family tree websites and seeing hints from multiple websites.  David R. is wondering whether everyone knows what syncing is. We’ll go over this too.

Ferndale Genies Blogsite:  Hop on the bandwagon

Over 30 people have signed up to receive our emails from the blog.  (The death knell is tolling for our email list.  I will discontinue using it next week.  How do you know if you are signed up?  You will have received this message from the blog and the email list.)  At the meeting we will make sure everyone gets signed up.  We’ll take a quick tour through the blog.  And if you need more help, we’ll show you how to use it. 

Announcements

There are lots of webinars, seminars, and meetings scheduled soon.  October is Family History Month so October is usually busy too.  Be thinking about what kind of education you need.  I’m filling up our Events tab at the blog. 

If you are new to genealogy, I will work with a small group of newbies.  Let the rest of this wash over you and someday you will understand it all.

So if you need any particular help on Monday, you can let me know through my email or leave a comment under the Contact Us tab.

See you soon, Judith