Not too long ago, Ancestry.com announced that there would not be a 2013 version of the Family Tree Maker software. Instead, there would be periodic updates to Family Tree Maker 2012. One of those “Bonus Updates” has just been released.
Ancestry.com is one of the most popular genealogy websites. Many genealogists who use the Family Tree Maker 2012 software were looking forward to the 2013 version. However, there is not going to be a Family Tree Maker 2013. Instead, there will be a series of updates to the existing 2012 version of the software (for both PC and for Mac). If Family Tree Maker was an online video game, I would call these updates “patches”.
Today, Ancestry.com announced that a “Bonus Update” has been released for Family Tree Maker 2012. Next time you use the software, choose the “Check for Update” option from the Help menu. This will help you get the new bonus update. Repeat this process to find out about future updates.
So, what’s new? There have been improvements to TreeSync. Some of you might have added personal media into your family tree. Maybe you added a birth certificate, or some photos of living family members. It is understandable that you don’t want to have those personal items appear in your online family tree. One improvement to TreeSync will allow you to select media items that you want to keep private. Those items won’t appear when you sync or export your tree.
Another improvement to TreeSync fixes a problem that some people were having if their family tree encountered an issue. Now, you can back up a synced tree and restore it without encountering any problems. You will also be able to print out your sync changes and include Web links for the people and the URLs that are in source citations.
Things have been added to the Organizational Tool for places. Locations relevant to the people in your family tree are now grouped together by country, state, county, and city. This is intended to make them easier for you to sort through.
Another helpful update has to do with backups. You will now be able to add your website favorites, and create or edit historical events in timelines, in a backup version of your family tree. This wasn’t possible before. Media backups will now be included in your backup. It doesn’t matter where on your hard drive those items are located. They can still be added to your backup family tree.
There is another update that will allow you to copy and paste items. Instead of manually entering the same piece of information for all the members of a family, you can copy it and paste it in.
Image by David Precious on Flickr