Comments

You go Louis! --GJ

Great Job Louis! Hope you win!

FYI. Apparently just a little controversy in RootsTech 2012 land. Folks are referring to it as a ban on booksellers. Any number of blogs and postings on Twitter, FB and G+.

Link to Myrt's blog
http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2011/12/booksellers-banned-from-rootstech2012.html

Link, thanks to Roger, to diagram of the exhibit hall layout
http://rootstech.org/files/rootstech-expohall.pdf

James Tanner's blog article, "Baffling Decision by RootsTech 2012"
http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2011/12/baffling-decision-by-rootstech-2012.html

There is something about that genealogysstar.blogspot.com that is poison for Internet Explorer on my computer. It froze the thing up -- looking very much like it was in a tight infinite loop. I rebooted and was working fine doing other things ... until I decided to again have a look at that web site. And the same thing happened.

Behold did not make it into the top six finalists of the RootsTech Developer Challenge. :-(

See: http://www.beholdgenealogy.com/blog/?p=912

Louis

Louis ...

You and Behold are tops in our book! --Andy and GJ

Andy and GeneJ:

Thanks. Wish you guys were going to be there.

I'll be blogging every night. And I should be at next Monday's meeting.

Louis

Louis, how do I access your blog.

Neil Parker

NeilJohnParker@Telus.net

Neil:

www.beholdgenealogy.com/blog

Louis

OOoO, and lookie here. The Family History Information Standards Organisation, FHISO, will be participating in RootsTech 2012. We hope those attending this important conference will join us in the featured presentations listed below:

“Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO) – What It Is, and How to Get Involved”

Presented by Robert Burkhead
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
Time: 12:50 p.m.
Place: Room 258

“Sources, Citations, Metadata” (panel discussion)

Hosted by Ancestry Insider; Robert Burkhead (FHISO) and Louis Kessler (Behold) will be panelists
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
Time: 4:15 p.m. (90 minutes)
Place: Room 257

I have to share this idea that I had at RootsTech for a phone app. I had already been thinking that we could eventually have a conference badge that had a chip with our family tree and some way of broadcasting this, so that if someone else from the conference was nearby had one or more of the same people, we would both receive an alert.

But during the Ancestry.com luncheon on Saturday, which was focused on mobile genealogy, it dawned on me that expanding the Ancestry phone app would actually be a better way of doing the same thing. So when the Q&A began, I made this suggestion for an app. Clearly it is pushing the technology and would take some doing, but I think it is a doable app.

So it would give me an option in the Ancestry app to broadcast my tree in the immediate area (may need GPS to deal with this), so that if someone else has similar checked that option in their app, then our trees would be compared and if any matches were found (just like Ancestry's leaf finds other potential family trees on Ancestry - so something they already do, though not within the limits of a cell phone's processor), then we would both receive an alert that would give each other the other's phone number and name and list the matching people ... and of course beep our cell phones with an audio alert.

I have looked across BetterGEDCOM Wiki and Blog and FHISO web and blog.

I cannot locate a report of the presentation 'Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO) – What It Is, and How to Get Involved'.

I am interested in reading how it went, the follow on results and other details.

Could someone point me to the correct location please?

I would hope so. I had planned to attend but it doesn't look like that will be possible so I'll have to settle for whatever they put on the web like I did last year.

I do wish the RootsTech website would show which events will be webcast in addition to the other info there.

I wanted to present at RootsTech. I submitted to their Call for Presentations four proposals:

1. GEDCOM - Past, Present and Future

2. Organizing Your Source Material - On the Computer and Off

3. Finding the Right Genealogy Software for You

4. The Technological Demands of Today's Genealogy Software.

I waited several months and finally got a form letter saying:

• Thank you for your recent presentation proposal for RootsTech Conference
• 2012. Unfortunately, we must decline your proposal, based on its
• relevance to the topic areas of the RootsTech Conference and the
• overwhelming number of speaker applications.

I inquired as to why they thought my four proposals were not very relevant for Roots Tech.

They said: "I think part of reason is that your proposals came into the system as "See Above for the 4 Titles." Could you please email me the four session titles as we did not receive them."

So I did send the original proposal in to them again. That was back in August.

I never heard back from them.

Anyone know why I got the discourtesy of not getting any reply, even a "no" reply back from them?

Louis

I've never been to RootsTech but decided to go mainly because I would probably regret not going and always wonder what I would see there. Is it entirely a product of FamilySearch? And if so is there some bias involved that really is making the conference more for their benefit than for the general benefit? Is there a need for a conference of this type that is free of bias -- much as we BetterGEDCOM is seeking to become the standard bearer, independent of any organization or company?

I see a real existential issue for BetterGEDCOM in the blurbs for Ryan Heaton's talks.

There are two talks:

1 - A New GEDCOM: Project Scope, Goals, and Governance
The GEDCOM standard is stale. What does a new GEDCOM initiative look like? What is its scope and goals? How is the project governed?

2-A New GEDCOM: Tools, Syntax and Semantics
The GEDCOM standard is stale. What would a new GEDCOM look like in terms of its syntax and semantics? What tools would be made available to promote and apply it?

If BetterGEDCOM is not the answer to his question "What does a new GEDCOM initiative look like?", this would be a major problem for BetterGEDCOM.

As I can't attend RootsTech, I *really* hope these two talks are webcast.

I'm most interested to see just what Family Search's ideas are.

I seriously doubt that BetterGEDCOM will be extolled as *THE* answer to his questions, but it may be mentioned as one group working to provide answers to his questions.

Be very afraid.

I took a look at the RootsTech presentation schedule. If I were attending I believe the following are the ones I would try to attend:

Software Forecast 2.0: What Genealogists Need for the Future At last year’s RootsTech conference “Software Forecast” presented a full list of software, plug-ins, and other tools needed for genealogists. How far have we come? Explore solutions developed over the past year, issues that remain unresolved, and a new set of needs for the future during this year’s software forecast. Developer D. Joshua Taylor

=============================================================

Future of FamilySearch Family Tree With the changes occurring in FamilySearch, what is the future of new.familysearch.org (the family tree) and how will it fold into the FamilySearch website. How will the family tree be improved to allow users to correct data and make the site the most correct place of sourced genealogical conclusions? How will FamilySearch deal with the current issues around the family tree such as disputes, combining and separating, discussions, getting others to change the data, interacting with record managers and collaboration? User Ron Tanner

=================================================================

Citation Principles for Tech Creators Meeting the citation needs of genealogists goes beyond copying the templates from Elizabeth Shown Mills’s Evidence Explained. This session explains citation principles that technology creators can exploit to more fully meet their customers’ needs. Developer Robert Raymond

==========================================================================

A User’s Perspective: Developing a Universal Metadata Structure for Genealogical Content Providers With a complicated world of for-profit and non-profit content providers, the need for a universal metadata structure is overwhelmingly apparent. The need to produce content that interacts with genealogical databases, social networking resources, and mobile technologies is essential to maintaining relevancy within the genealogical marketplace. Come listen to one perspective on the need for such a structure and its necessary components. User D. Joshua Taylor

=============================================================================

A New GEDCOM: Project Scope, Goals, and Governance The GEDCOM standard is stale. What does a new GEDCOM initiative look like? What is its scope and goals? How is the project governed? Developer Ryan Heaton

==================================================================

A New GEDCOM: Tools, Syntax and Semantics The GEDCOM standard is stale. What would a new GEDCOM look like in terms of its syntax and semantics? What tools would be made available to promote and apply it? Developer Ryan Heaton

=====================================================================

Andy,

That is an interesting list of topics.

What can we do to get some of those presenters to get involved here at BetterGEDCOM?

Louis

Louis,

Short of large amounts of money or threats of bodily harm, I've no idea!
*grin*

I can lend you a baseball bat. Might come in useful, and a bit cheaper (in the short term anyway) :-)

FamilySearch/RootsTech link:
http://rootstech.familysearch.org/challenges/overview

Dick Eastman's blog article:
Developers: Solve a Family History [Challenge] and Win $5,000 at RootsTech
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2011/12/developers-solve-a-family-history-challege-and-win-5000-at-rootstech.html

I just submitted Behold:
http://www.beholdgenealogy.com/blog/?p=895

Louis

I also attended this webinar; and while it was well done there was one point in it that had me screaming at my monitor...

In my mind there is a *VAST* difference between Research Notes and Citation Text and I don't see how conflating the two will serve any useful objective.

Ooo, yes. In discussing the rationale, Bruce referenced Elizabeth Shown Mills preferences.

Randy Seaver posted a nice blog today featuring the new Research Manager in RootsMagic 5.

http://www.geneamusings.com/2011/11/exploring-rootsmagic-5-post-2-research.html

Pssst. RM can export the Research Manager to GEDCOM using a custom tag

Does anyone have a RootsMagic 5 GEDCOM yet with the Research Manager stuff in it?

Not yet here, Louis. Maybe by the weekend.

I probably won't buy RM5 until after the first of the year - too many irons in the fire right now. :)

Louis,

Randy Seaver has done a blog with an example ...

http://www.geneamusings.com/2011/11/exploring-rootsmagic-5-post-2-research.html

Andy,

I see. I commented and I say "Ugh!".

We'd better get BetterGEDCOM out fast before RootsMagic destroys what's left of GEDCOM.

Louis

LOL!!

Look at it this way...
If RM destroys what is left of GEDCOM then *everyone* is going to need BetterGEDCOM more than ever!
*GRIN*

A small test...

ok- I took that bit of GEDCOM code from Randy's blog and pasted it into a very small GEDCOM and it looked like this:

0 HEAD
1 SOUR TMG
2 VERS v 7.04.0000
1 SUBM @SUB1@
1 GEDC
2 VERS 5.5
2 FORM LINEAGE-LINKED
1 DEST GED55
1 DATE 1 DEC 2011
2 TIME 00:22
1 CHAR ANSI
1 FILE C:\Users\AndyHatchett\Documents\The Master Genealogist v7\rm5-rlog-test2.ged
0 @SUB1@ SUBM
1 NAME Submitter Name
0 @I1@ INDI
1 NAME Matilda Jane /Talley/
2 SOUR @S2@
3 PAGE Year: 1880; Census Place: District 10, Clay, Tennessee; Roll: 1248;Famil
4 CONC y History Film: 1255248; Page: 307B; Enumeration District: 14;Image: .
1 SEX F
1 CHAN
2 DATE 26 NOV 2011
1 BIRT
2 DATE 1852
2 PLAC Tennessee
2 SOUR @S2@
3 PAGE Year: 1880; Census Place: District 10, Clay, Tennessee; Roll: 1248;Famil
4 CONC y History Film: 1255248; Page: 307B; Enumeration District: 14;Image: .
1 RESI
2 DATE 1880
2 PLAC District 10, Clay, Tennessee, United States
2 SOUR @S2@
3 PAGE Year: 1880; Census Place: District 10, Clay, Tennessee; Roll: 1248;Famil
4 CONC y History Film: 1255248; Page: 307B; Enumeration District: 14;Image: .
1 _RLOG
2 DESC William Knapp and parents
2 NOTE Collect all evidence relating to the life of William Knapp (1775-1856), i
3 CONC ncluding vital, census, newspaper, military, and other records.
3 CONT
3 CONT Collect evidence of William Knapp's parents.
2 _ITEM
3 DATE FEB 1988
3 GOAL Parents of Sarah (Knapp) Auble, wife of David Auble
3 SOUR Betty (Carringer) Seaver Family Papers
3 RSLT David Auble obituary and Catherine Knapp obituary indicates that David'
4 CONC s in-laws and Catherine's parents were William Knapp and Sarah Cutter.
0 @I2@ INDI
1 NAME /UNKNOWN/
1 CHAN
2 DATE 26 NOV 2011
0 @S2@ SOUR
1 TITL 1880 United States Federal Census
1 ABBR 1880 United States Federal Census
1 AUTH Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1 PUBL Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com OperationsInc, 20
2 CONC 10. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of JesusChrist of Latte
2 CONC r-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve,Inc. All rights rese
2 CONC rved. All use is subject to the limited;
1 REPO @R1@
0 @R1@ REPO
1 NAME Ancestry.com
1 ADDR http://www.Ancestry.com
0 TRLR


I then imported that GEDCOM into TMG 7.04 and here is the error log:

=== The Master Genealogist v 7.04.0000 GEDCOM Listing File ====

Import of C:\Users\AndyHatchett\Documents\RM5-RLOG-TEST3.GED

Errors (*) and Warnings:

Line #

---

41 Warning : Unknown level 2 tag..
2 _ITEM
42 Warning : Expected level 2 tag.
3 DATE FEB 1988
43 Warning : Expected level 2 tag.
3 GOAL Parents of Sarah (Knapp) Auble, wife of David Auble
44 Warning : Expected level 2 tag.
3 SOUR Betty (Carringer) Seaver Family Papers
45 Warning : Expected level 2 tag.
3 RSLT David Auble obituary and Catherine Knapp obituary indicates that David'
46 Warning : Expected level 2 tag.
4 CONC s in-laws and Catherine's parents were William Knapp and Sarah Cutter.

*
Note that TMG routinely ignores the following types of information
during an import:
Family Numbers
Family Changed Date
Source Changed Date
*


GEDCOM Source: TMG
Version: v 7.04.0000
Submitter:
Gedcom:
Version: 5.5
FORM: LINEAGE-LINKED
GEDCOM Destination: GED55
Date: 1 DEC 2011
Time: 00:22
Character Set: ANSI
Name of GEDCOM File: C:\Users\AndyHatchett\Documents\The Master Genealogist v7\rm5-rlog-test2.ged

Submitter's Name: Submitter Name


The file you are reading is saved as : C:\USERS\ANDYHATCHETT\DOCUMENTS\THE MASTER GENEALOGIST V7\PROJECTS\RM-LOGIMPORT_.LST

===========================================================