We have recently released a beta version of our new public indexing initiative that we are VERY excited about! So far we have several people indexing in the new tool and giving us great feedback. We believe the project is a win-win to contributors as well as to Ancestry, and will give genealogists around the […]

We are now taking applicants for the Family Tree Maker 2009 beta test. We are looking for testers that are willing to find and report any bugs as well as give input into features and direction. 
If you are interested in being a volunteer beta tester please fill out the screening questions at the following URL:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227Z3B5DELF
You […]

I recently called my sister Brigitte, an economist at a prestigious university, to ask her advice about my mortgage. A few days later, I was in the room when my sister Heidi called Brigitte to ask whether she should refinance her townhouse. Since I had moved some of my retirement funds into “safe” assets, I […]

Thanks to all of you who offered comments and suggestions in response to my last post. I’d like to answer the two most common questions and then tell you about some recent improvements.
“I’ve created a book in the 8.5×11 inch format, but now I want the larger size. Can I upgrade to the 11×14 inch […]

I wanted to make everyone aware of our next Family Tree Maker Webinar. It is open to the public and is scheduled for June 5th at 8:00 p.m. EDT (2 a.m. June 6th Greenwich Mean Time).
The following items are scheduled to be presented:
• Find and Replace
• Filtering Features
• Working with media
• Sources and Source Citations
• Searching anywhere on the Web
There […]

Service Pack 3 is now available.
Service Pack 3 contains critical stability and performance enhancements. I strongly urge you to install this service pack at your earliest convenience.
The following updates are included in Service Pack 3:

Major enhancements in performance
Major enhancements in stability
Book layout in charts
Ability to create saved versions for all charts and reports
Ability to save user […]

I have seen a number of questions about the Family Tree Maker 2008 SP3 update over the past few days. I know that the development team is closing in on finalizing this patch. I’ve delivered three versions of the patch to both our alpha and beta teams. The input has been very positive. A fourth […]

Last weekend I had the following conversation with my 5-year-old nephew, Alex.
Alex: “Where are you going?”
Me: “To the store.”
Alex: “Why?”
Me: “Because I want to buy some shoes.”
Alex: “Why?”
Me: “Because I’m a girl, and girls like shoes.”
Alex: “But you don’t need any shoes.”
Which, from an objective point of view, was certainly true. I had a whole […]

Dear Family Tree Maker Community:
We are interested in what you have to say. Your feedback and input directly influence future releases of Family Tree Maker – how it will look, feel and function. We invite you to take a survey and share your thoughts and feelings.
Please click here to complete the survey. We appreciate your […]

A couple of years ago, when I was living in New York, I went to Philadelphia to spend the Easter weekend with my sister and her family. The guests at Easter dinner included my brother-in-law’s sister. She brought Napoleon Dynamite lunch boxes for my nieces, who had seen the movie so many times that […]