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Choosing Genealogy Software
Software can be a great help in organizing your family information once you get back past a generation or two. Here are suggestions in choosing software for your genealogy project.
GEDCOM Compatible
Whatever version of software you buy, it should be able to import and export GEDCOM files. GEDCOM is the standard file format used by most of the genealogy world. As long as you can bring in and send out files in this format, you can always switch to a new package if you want to, or load your files on the web into a database.
Fields of Information
While it's important to track the key values for each person like their birth and death date, look for a system that lets you track many other things as well. The more ways you can organize your data, the easier it will be to work with the family tree as it grows.
Cost vs Functionality
There are a number of shareware or freeware genealogy packages out on the web. You need to balance the functionality of the software vs that free price. If the software crashes after two months of entering data, or it takes you 8 hours to put in data that should only take 20 minutes, it would be far more worth your time to pay even $20 for a well made commercial package. There's a saying that You Get What You Pay For.
Reliable Company
If you get software from a small company or from a freeware group, the chance of getting support or upgrades is slim. There is definitely something to be said for buying software from a larger company that will stand behind their product. You can get help when there are problems and get upgrades when you upgrade your computer system.
Back Up Often
Whatever software you choose, make sure you back up all your data files - including a full export into GEDCOM format - monthly. You never know when your PC or the software will completely self destruct. The less information you lose when that happens, the better!
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Note - Lisa Shea wrote this content for the genealogy site at BellaOnline.com - you might still find this content there as well. That's fine :) I gave permission!
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