Author: James Tanner

Some Common Steps to Online Security

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   Security is one of the major concerns of the day. You can regularly read about huge websites and databases being hacked and the information stored compromised. Security on your computer or your smartphone should be as automatic as locking your door at night (or during the day...

Take a Look at FamilySearch Labs

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/The current experiments in FamilySearch Labs include: Merge Analysis View: Understand the nuances of a merge from a tree person’s change log. Expand your search with Full Text: Unlock hidden discoveries in historical records that have never been searchable until now. Family Group Trees: Gather your family into...

The Accuracy of Inherited Genealogy

Note: This article appeared previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   Many genealogists “inherited” their interest in genealogy from a relative: parent, a grandparent, or some other relation. I became interested in genealogy in a different way, but I still inherited a lot of documents and information from two great-grandmothers. One of my great-grandmother published an almost 700 page...

Introducing the Family Tree Validator

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. Finally, a way to quickly identify and correct entries on the FamilySearch Family Family Tree —   https://findmyroots.tech/products/ I learned about this app at RootsTech 2024, a couple of months ago. I am sorry I have not written about it sooner but after talking to the developer, I...

Google Search or AI Chatbot: That Is the Question

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   I hope I don’t have to tell you this image is an AI generated image.I just read an article from The Verge entitled “Here’s why AI search engines really can’t kill Google.” It started me thinking about the thousands of searches I had done in the past few...

Introducing the FamilySearch Profile Quality Score

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. RootsTech 2024 was the forum for announcing a valuable feature that helps with the FamilySearch.org Family Tree accuracy. FamilySearch announced the Profile Quality Score which is featured in the FamilySearch.org/Labs website. When this feature is activated by turning it on, it appears on Profile Page of entries in the Family Tree...

Check out the full list of RootsTech sessions both live and online

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   Yes, the schedule of classes including rooms and times for the live classes is online on the RootsTech 2024 website. The schedule is divided into the In-person schedule and the Online Schedule. There are 222 speakers scheduled over the three day conference. You can still register for the in-person...

MyHeritage Releases AI Record Finder™ and AI Biographer™

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   AI Record Finder™ and AI Biographer™ are two Groundbreaking Features That Transform Genealogy Using Artificial Intelligence. If you have been following the online news about artificial intelligence or AI, you will already know that AI applications are expanding at a astronomical rate. Some of the AI features...

Your Story is Worth Remembering: a RootsTech Film

Note: This article appeared previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   Here is the link to the actual video. https://youtu.be/cSfNA86DIUM?si=Y-dBS1r5h54DywSE Here is a quote from the YouTube notes for the video. In a world that often celebrates the extraordinary, watch as five individuals who’ve led seemingly ordinary lives through their own eyes, are reminded of the indelible mark they’ve left...

About the 10 Million Names Project from American Ancestors

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   https://10millionnames.org/ The 10 Million Names is a collaborative project that includes many prominent genealogical and academic organizations. See https://10millionnames.org/collaborators. The objective of the project is described in the Project’s Mission Statement. 10 Million Names is a collaborative project dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million...