… just when you think that life is finally stable… :-)
I’m sure that we have all have memories of either purchasing or downloading software only to find that it is already outdated and either needs a security patch or that there is either a newer version soon to be released or that a competitor has a package with features that may better fit our needs. <sigh> Just a few weeks ago I installed and configured this blog site with the latest and greatest WordPress software, but I just found that there is a completely new version coming out soon. From Jerrey Zeldman quoting Wired magazine,
“Although WordPress 2.5 includes some nice new features like better plugin management, full-text feeds, and built-in photo galleries, the most immediately obvious change is the sleek new look, which comes courtesy of Jeffery [sic] Zeldman and the Happy Cog design team.”
This sounds like a must-have upgrade. Yes, it is still not a final release, but I’ll have to check it out to see how it compares to my current site design. Hopefully it won’t require another redesign. Oh well, the cycle continues!
This week Google’s AJAX blog announced the release of a new API for visually displaying data (like the pie charts or graphs you would expect to see in Excel), “Introducing the latest AJAX API: Google Visualization API.” Before you yawn and walk away, take a look at this interactive chart developed by the Google GapMinder team and imagine how this might look if you were working with genealogy data. Instead of a bubble chart you could look at a traditional pedigree chart or some other graphical representation to see your genealogy data. What if you wanted to examine the migration patterns of your family over time? How about a better visual indicator to areas of your data where there is missing information or branches that still need work? If you are already intimately familiar with the data you may not value graphic charts (unless you don’t see the forest for the trees), but providing visual clues immensely helps the rest of us who don’t know where to begin.
Social networking is one of the Internet 2.0 buzz words that have been going around for the last few years. If you have a subject that you really are passionate about, these days you can find a web site with people just like you to chat about it and share your passion. The most popular sites are those which are more generic and then let people create their own profiles and groups. For example, in the hours after word of the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the LDS Church, Facebook users created a group, In memory of President Gordon B. Hinckley, to show their solidarity. LinkedIn, a popular professional networking group, is a bit more restrictive by channeling communication through people whom you have already identified as those you trust. LibraryThing is one of many (but probably the biggest) social network for those who love to read, with the ability to comment on books you love and get recommendations from others for books you might like based on those that you already like.
I don’t do much socializing online, but here are the social networking profiles I have set up Facebook (general), LibraryThing (books), and LinkedIn (professional).
If you have a profile on LinkedIn, you can join the LDS Connected group by going to http://www.lds.org/emp/network Other LinkedIn groups (such as for college alumni) have their own methods for joining.
The biggest concern I have with these groups, beyond the fundamentals of keeping my information secure from spammers and identity thieves, is how these sites might be used by minors. I have two pre-teen girls who are already looking to the internet for fun, but most of these social networking sites require new users to certify that they are over the age of 13. This is because site owners are legally restricted from collecting personal information from children under 13 — see the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). In addition, users of these site assume that they are dealing with adults when they post comments to the forums, some of which may not be appropriate for minors. It would certainly be nice if site owners took the time to create social networking features on their sites that were safe for minors, such as blocking them from sharing personal data or viewing adult unmoderated forums. There are a number of sites which cater to children, but I haven’t been impressed with their social networking options (they entirely avoid them).
Much the same way that various site have used GoogleMaps to create their own web content, the LDS Church has released an API to the scriptures so that this data can be redistributed and utilized for other applications. I’m excited to see more and more of these kinds of services being offered by the Church.
There is a lot of interest in the community to offer scriptures services. Here are a few that I have found:
Among those even remotely active in genealogy, people are wondering when the New FamilySearch site will be available. The first public beta tests happened during the spring of 2006. The Family History department announced that during the summer of 2007, a few temple districts would be given access, and it would roll out slowly over 2007 and hopefully finishing up by the end of 2008 (see current Google Maps display of this roll out).
Very little information has been publicly announced by the Family History department regarding the functionality of the new site. But once the first beta testers were able to review it, some of this information has spread. But for those who already have access to the site, they have confirmed that the functionality has changed from the initial beta tests. This confirms the general knowledge that a primary reason for the slow roll out is to not only to increase the performance of the searches and add capacity to the data repository, but to make critical corrections to the functionality, making it easier to use by everyone.
At the Layton Utah Kays Creek stake family history fair, I presented what information I had found regarding the New FamilySearch site (you can refer to a PDF version of my notes and slides). Continue Reading »
I have gone back and forth a lot with trying to share genealogy data online. Perhaps I can share a few things that I have learned.
There are numerous methods of sharing genealogy, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
Documenting information in free form and sending by mail, email, or other physical documentation (e.g., published genealogy). There are more and more options for amateur genealogists to have their information printed.
Entering data into a genealogy program and sending the data file by mail (on diskette/CD) or email (attachment); this may be in the original data format or exported to GEDCOM format.
Exporting data as GEDCOM file and uploading to public web site (e.g., rootsweb.com). These sites vary widely from merely allowing your GEDCOM file to be downloaded by others to incorporating your data into a common pedigree. (Note: read the fine print on these sites because some assume ownership of your data when you share it with them!)
Exporting or converting data to static HTML pages which can be published to a personal web site. There are a number of programs which support this functionality, including PAF, but most have little support for customizing how the pages look. Some commercial packages offer web hosting for these pages that you generate.
Installing a genealogy application on a personal web site and loading a GEDCOM file into database for dynamic display and searching. PhpGedview is a popular example. I have been using PhpGedview for about two years at the Hale Family Organization.
I’ll be covering more on these and related topics in coming days, including addressing privacy concerns.
Already falling behind in your New Year’s Resolution to read your scriptures daily? Check out the Custom Scripture Podcast site. You can specify how much you want to listen to daily or a date when you want to be finished by, and it will create a podcast for you. You can subscribe to this using an RSS reader (my favorite is Google Reader) or software such as iTunes. The iTunes options is particularly nice if you have an MP3 player. The developer, Jacob Brunson, has adapted this for listening to General Conference too.
If you have interest in either downloading MP3 files of scriptures or talks, you might be interested in the standard the the Church is using for their web site (from ldsWebguy).
This post describes the file naming convention for audio, video, PDF, PDA, and other files provided on Church Web sites for download. (Note: This post replaces my previous post MP3 File Naming Strategy.)
In my last post, I mentioned that people who frequent YouTube may not know about the current efforts of the LDS Church. But did you know that the Church has a channel on YouTube since October 2007?
Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) Introduces JesusChrist.lds.org, a new website about the Savior Jesus Christ.
For years the use of technology to communicate about religion has been more on a grass roots level. It was done all time, but religious leaders were risk averse to providing their own content. Now we are seeing it more and more as these leaders have come to recognize the importance of using this medium of the internet.
With the success of mormon.org and similar sites, the LDS Church has continued to try new things… even if they are “old hat” to those who frequent YouTube. The video on this site (http://specialmagazine.lds.org/) is the latest expansion into what the LDS Church has done in this area.
This week Google’s AJAX blog announced the release of a new API for visually displaying data (like the pie charts or graphs you would expect to see in Excel), “
Among those even remotely active in genealogy, people are wondering when the 
In my 