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Yikes, now I know why I have not accomplished setting something up yet! I'm totally lost. gedcom? .FTW? beta?
If I cannot even understand your generously offered comments, I'll never pull the online sharing off.
I have not signed up for any of those sites, so I do not know how user friendly they are.
A GEDCOM is a genealogy file that can be shared with others. You can save it to a disk or thumb drive or email it. The genealogy programs create it, and it can be opened in another genealogy program even one different from the one that created it.
Beta just means the software is still being tested and debugged.
.FTW is another type of genealogy file.
With a sharing site, someone has to upload the basic data that one person has collected. That is what a GEDCOM is for. This would most logically be the person who has the most information already. Other people can then log on and make additions and changes. I noticed that one of the sites has a feature that keeps more than one person from trying to work on the same file at the same time. That makes sense. When people log on, they can see what changes and additions have been made since the last time they visited, who made it, and when. Then you can download a GEDCOM from the hosted site and update your own data.
You can choose how much of your tree to put in the GEDCOM, so you only share what you and the people you are sharing with have in common. For example, if you all share a set of maternal grandparents, then you just upload that line, not your paternal lines or your husband's family.
If your family members have never used GEDCOMs, the instructions on how to do it are in their genealogy software.
Coalman, I think the OP would probably do better using something that is specifically keyed to sharing genealogical data. That would mean that the basic framework is in place and OP would not have to start from scratch. There is a standardized format called GEDCOM that enables people to share genealogy files. The genealogy sharing sites allow you to upload the GEDCOM, and all the genealogy programs can generate those.
There is no starting from scratch, the software supports importing/exporting GEDCOM. As far as sharing goes it would be like having your own ancestry.com.
People like your relatives would register at your site, in this case you would set registration to approval and only those you approve would get access. This would be quite similar to working within any of these sites except you have total control. From there you'll have permissions sets for what they can and cannot do and as I mentioned I believe it keeps a revision history so changes can be monitored.
Quote:
Edited to add: The biggest concern I would have is that the file sharing site might go out of business. Anyone that uses one should not use the site as the only repository for his data.
I don't know if you're referring to what I posted but this is completely and 100% under your control, it would be suzy_q2010.com . The information when you import it is going to be stored in database on the server you are renting from the hosting company. That data can be backed up constantly to your local machine if you want. The hosting company itself has "back ups" but these are usually not so reliable date wise. Some do offer dedicated guaranteed backup service that costs a few bucks each month. Bottom line is you should always have local copy.
Granted this is bit more involved than the services offered on the internet but if privacy is the main concern it doesn't get any more private than this and for $5 a month for the hosting services....
Last edited by thecoalman; 01-30-2012 at 10:33 PM..
01-31-2012, 12:47 PM
2K5Gx2km
n/a posts
Why don't you just have your online tree freely available and update your personal program tree and then SYNC the two when you want to update the online tree. They just came out with the sync program. You can puchase it for around $30.00. If someone wants the info they can upload the online tree to a GEDCOM file for themselves.
Why don't you just have your online tree freely available and update your personal program tree and then SYNC the two when you want to update the online tree. They just came out with the sync program. You can puchase it for around $30.00. If someone wants the info they can upload the online tree to a GEDCOM file for themselves.
I think the issue is controlling access to info on living people.
The idea is to have the master tree available to everyone who has permission to see it. The master tree gets edited and added to, and changes are trackable so everyone can tell what is going on. You need to be able to see who is doing what to the tree. If you just change or add things in your personal software and then update the online tree, you would erase whatever everyone else had done since the last time you visited the master tree. You want to be able to see all the additions and edits, not just your own.
Not everyone wants to have his tree on ancestry.com. I do not, because I know it has errors in it.
There is no starting from scratch, the software supports importing/exporting GEDCOM. As far as sharing goes it would be like having your own ancestry.com.
People like your relatives would register at your site, in this case you would set registration to approval and only those you approve would get access. This would be quite similar to working within any of these sites except you have total control. From there you'll have permissions sets for what they can and cannot do and as I mentioned I believe it keeps a revision history so changes can be monitored.
I don't know if you're referring to what I posted but this is completely and 100% under your control, it would be suzy_q2010.com . The information when you import it is going to be stored in database on the server you are renting from the hosting company. That data can be backed up constantly to your local machine if you want. The hosting company itself has "back ups" but these are usually not so reliable date wise. Some do offer dedicated guaranteed backup service that costs a few bucks each month. Bottom line is you should always have local copy.
Granted this is bit more involved than the services offered on the internet but if privacy is the main concern it doesn't get any more private than this and for $5 a month for the hosting services....
I just thought OP might want to avoid the extra step of getting the server and installing XAMPP.
Of course, any genealogist should be backing up, ideally every time you work on anything. That data represents a lot of hard work.
I would think it would be a hassle to start with a sharing service and then have it go away. If I decided to do it, I would want to use one that has been around for a while and has a significant number of users already.
02-01-2012, 02:50 AM
2K5Gx2km
n/a posts
I am not sure what the problem is - the OP wants a family member in another state to have access to an online storage of their tree - they say they use Family Tree Maker which is from Ancestry.com. They could set access just for them with an online tree which can be updated by both of them. All they have to do is share the username and password and make it private for themselves.
It seems like the OP does not have an online tree - only the home program. They could upload their Family Tree Maker online at Ancestry.com. The TreeSync then could be used to update their home tree with the online tree without having to do double the work on the online tree. It should not erase anything - it adds things. If anything is changed that the other person still wants on the online tree then they will have to talk to one another before changing it - that is the risk you take when two people have access to change the online tree. If files exist that are not on their home tree then they can easily share them with the person via other electronic media. I do not get what their problem is?
I have Family Tree Maker 2011 and have been updating it - but I have not updated the online tree (which other family members have access too via my username and password). I will now purchase the Tree Sync program and Sync my home tree with the online tree. In fact my tree is open to the public but it can not be edited by them. There are many options with the program settings. Seems simple enough - I must be missing something I guess? Hopefully they get it worked out
I just thought OP might want to avoid the extra step of getting the server and installing XAMPP.
XAMPP is the server software that will allow you to run the genealogy software on your own computer, you need to be able to run PHP scripts and MySQL for genealogy program and those are two components of XAMPP. It's a one click easy install, it's essential for web development so you don't have to use live server. If you want to have a live server that others can connect to through a web browser you would have to get hosting plan that would include all the things XAMPP provides.
Technically you could host live server from your home machine using XAMPP but it's not secure out of the box and your ISP most likely has rules against using home connection for server. Having said that I believe there was some features in the genealogy program that would allow you to connect live to other databases which shouldn't raise any red flags with your ISP.
Again this is not a simple solution and would require some effort, ultimately there are many benefits especially on the privacy issue. I know there was a lot of features such as the one I listed above where you could connect to other databases.
Both XAMPP and the genealogy software is free to download without any strings attached and if you wanted to try it out on your local machine it won't cost you a penny.
I am not sure what the problem is - the OP wants a family member in another state to have access to an online storage of their tree - they say they use Family Tree Maker which is from Ancestry.com. They could set access just for them with an online tree which can be updated by both of them. All they have to do is share the username and password and make it private for themselves.
My suggestions are based on their need for privacy. If you're uploading information to a web server that you have no control over it's no longer private no matter what they say.
02-01-2012, 03:12 AM
2K5Gx2km
n/a posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecoalman
My suggestions are based on their need for privacy. If you're uploading a file to web server that you have no control over it's no longer private no matter what they say.
Yes, that would be a problem but the OP did not even know what a GEDCOM was and was confused by all this programe jargon. They seem not to be interested in controling the server. I think they want the online tree so their out of state realtive can have access to the info on their personal home tree yet keep it private from others on Ancestry.com.
They say they use F.T.M. which is Ancestry.com. All they need to do upload their home tree and set it as private and then give the username and password to the family member. If the family member wants to edit the online tree that is their choice.
They do not sound like they are tech savy and want exclusive control over the server.
They say they use F.T.M. which is Ancestry.com. All they need to do upload their home tree and set it as private and then give the username and password to the family member. If the family member wants to edit the online tree that is their choice.
The family members can also have their own accounts and the admin of the tree can add them as an editor to the tree even though it remains private from all others.
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. The information when you import it is going to be stored in database on the server you are renting from the hosting company. That data can be backed up constantly to your local machine if you want. The hosting company itself has "back ups" but these are usually not so reliable date wise. Some do offer dedicated guaranteed backup service that costs a few bucks each month. Bottom line is you should always have local copy. 
