Selecting the best family tree maker software can be a very daunting task. There are a number of different packages available in your local software store. Or, you can download the genealogy program from the internet. Or, you can simply use an internet based program that you don't even have to download. There is even free family tree software product available. What should you choose?
The first thing to do when you are trying to find the best genealogy software for you is to consider "what you want the product to do". Is it going to be a program that you want to access anytime you visit your family? Is it important that you can share data with other family members that already have a software program that they recommend? Are you interested in starting with a free family tree maker software before you buy the right product? Is it important that your family can review your genealogy information any time of the day?
Let’s consider some of these questions…one at a time to find the best genealogy maker product for you.
Before we start it is important that you write down the answers to the questions posed above and consider the most important features that you want in your genealogy software product. It is advisable to rank your answers so that you can recognize the best alternatives for you. Like many other decisions - buying a software program is very subjective and the right answer for you may not be the right answer for someone else. There are no right and wrong answers. Remember, just because it is a free family tree maker product doesn't make it the best one for you. Once you have written down your priorities it is time to look at the possibilities that are available.
For many people the traditional programs like "Family Tree Maker"® or "Legacy Family Tree"® are the best product to provide the tools required to record, document and display your genealogy pedigree. These programs aren't free, but provide an easy to use data entry screen that allows you to group information by family. Each program makes sure that dates are reasonable and that the date formats are consistent. They provide simple checking to make sure that children don't have earlier birth dates than their parents and other consistency issues like that. These programs also provide menu options to help you ask the right questions and provide places to store all those important stories that you collect as you research your family heritage.
The program maker, like either of the ones mentioned above, also provide a method of extracting information from your genealogy databases to share with other family members that are researching your family tree but using a different software product. Sharing family information is critical to your free research and helps you through the difficult times when information is scarce and you seem to have run into a brick wall.
For some people the idea of recording their family tree information on the internet is the best idea. They enjoy the fact that your Aunt Sally, on the other side of the world, can log for free into the family tree and review the details you have recorded any time of the day or night. The maker of these programs have controls in place to make sure that your confidential information is kept safe and at the same time provide offsite backup of your important information in case of fire or water damage. Untold hours of family tree research has been lost due to catastrophes like floods and hurricanes. Storing your genealogy information on these servers ensures that free backups are available and no matter what, you will be able to retrieve you family information for years to come.
Hopefully, this document has provided a few insights into the world of family tree software, the features that the maker of these programs has tried to provide, and some of the questions that you need to ask yourself before you make the final decision.
