Genealogy Software Tips
Read these 10 Genealogy Software Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Genealogy tips and hundreds of other topics.
What to Know When Choosing Genealogy Software
What are some specific things you should keep in mind when choosing your genealogy software? Here are some tips to take genealogy software shopping with you:
- Know what data integrity is. The software you pick should not create data for you if you don't want it to. You should have the option of creating it yourself.
- When recording names the software should have enough spaces and fields to record names and anything else about that person.
- When recording dates the software should allow the person to choose the form in which the dates are displayed and help in sorting them.
- You should have a searching tool that allows you to find individual people. You should also have a surety value available in your software that you can record your opinions on how valid any of the data you are entering is.
Which software is best?
There are numerous software packages available to help you with your genealogical research. A great site to help you identify which program may be best for you is The Genealogical Software Report Card.
The Report Card bases it's information on scorecards completed on each program. Each scorecard consists of more than 300 items. Check it out if you're having trouble making a software decision!
Genealogy Software Review Books
If you are looking to purchase a book that has genealogy software reviews in it, there are some things that book should contain:
- The book should contain reviews of all or several of the major software out there specifically for genealogy. The software reviewed in the book should be current and not one that is no longer available.
- The book should also review the major features of each of the genealogy software discussed, names, addresses, Internet sites for the software, and any restrictions that software may have.
Genealogy Software News
Are you looking for the latest in genealogy software news? Here are the current happenings in genealogy software for you to take heed of:
- Clooz, the database for storing and organizing your ancestry findings that have been collected throughout the years is changing. It now requires Windows XP to use.
- Brothers Keeper version 6.2.17 has been fixed. There was a problem where an overflow error occurred at times when there was a very large database. That problem has been fixed.
Genealogy for Dummies?
Are you a complete novice at this genealogy stuff? If so, don't fear! There is software for beginners! What you need to be aware of when looking for software for your genealogy project is that the software is easy to follow and use.
There is even software called Family Tree for Dummies that you can purchase. It is easy to follow and pretty basic. It would be an excellent starting point for the genealogy beginner. You will be able to create and customize your family tree, scan pictures and make a web page all with the help of the interactive software.
Genealogy Software Reviews
If you do an Internet search for "genealogy software reviews" you will find several sites that will help you compare genealogy software. There are some things you should look for when purchasing or using genealogy software:
- Price is something to look for. Just because something may be cheaper than another piece of software doesn't mean it isn't as good.
- How easy is the software to use? Software review sites should compare just how easy the software is to use. You don't want anything too difficult, especially if you are new to genealogy research.
- You should also keep in mind how easy the genealogy software is to install. If you aren't computer savvy, you may want to make sure the software received high marks for easy use.
Purchasing Software
If you want something more than what free genealogy software can offer, you may want to try purchasing genealogy software. Prices vary, but this type of software may offer more in-depth help and information for your research.
You can expect software you purchase to help you search for your ancestors utilizing the largest online collection of family history available. Software that you purchase may also allow you to design and personalize your findings by making charts and graphs customized to your preference.
You may purchase software that allows you to share your information with family and friends by creating a book or a CD rom of your very own!
Free Downloadable Software
Many people are looking for software that is free that will assist them in their genealogy research. You will find many sites that offer free downloads direct to your computer that should be helpful as you research.
You can expect the downloadable software to provide guidance on how to do your research, a place where you can save your reports and combine them into a book.
You can also merge timelines with your ancestor's chronology that will allow you to see what they were doing during certain dates in history.
Try doing an Internet search for "free downloadable genealogy software" to find software that suits your needs.
Genealogy Software - Ratings and Reviews
Check out this great About.com site! It has an assortment of genealogy software ratings and reviews. They even have comparison charts!
You'll find it here:
http://genealogy.about.com/cs/softwarereviews/
Genealogy Software for Your PDA?
Do you own a PDA and were hoping to do some genealogy research on it? If so, there is good news! PDA's now have genealogy software available to them.
In several of the software programs of this type you will be able to load a file to your PDA, convert the data you find to use with other genealogy programs, and store information about an individual or a family. A lot of Internet genealogy websites also offer shareware for your Palm Pilot or PDA.
Genealogy software for your PDA will vary in regards to how much you are able to do with it. In some cases the software may only allow you to determine birth date from using date of death and age, while others will allow you several more features.
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