May 21, 2013

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3 Reasons You Need the New Version of Google Earth Just Released

May 17, 2013 By

Google celebrated Earth Day by releasing Google Earth 7.1 and announcing some great new content! And there are three reasons you will want to make the upgrade:

1. New Hands-Free Navigation Technology
The big news with version 7.1 is Leap Motion support, a touch-free 3d technology that lets you “navigate Google earth with simple hand gestures.” The Leap Motion Controller ($79.99) will start shipping mid-July, so you’ve got some time to get to know Google Earth a little better before you start flying around in it like this:

You KNOW I have to get me some of that!

2. More 3D City Views
There’s also exciting new 3D data in Google Earth, most notably for New York City. But there’s also more imagery for other cities around the world: Innsbruck, Austria; Dijon, France; Cagliari, Italy and the Spanish cities of San Sebastian, Santander, Pamplona, Manresa and Burgos. Other U.S. cities with 3D coverage include Miami, FL;  Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Encinitas, CA and Spokane, WA.

3. The Addition of the 50th Country to Google Maps’ popular Street View Feature
You can now view 50 countries with Google Maps’ popular Street View feature. The newest nations to be added are Hungary and Lesotho (a tiny country within South Africa), and there’s new or updated coverage for Poland, Romania, France, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and other locations worldwide. Google calls this “the largest single update of Street View imagery we’ve ever pushed, including new and updated imagery for nearly 350,000 miles of roads across 14 countries.”

Help for Using Google Earth for Genealogy
How can you access these fabulous features, both for fun virtual travel and for seriously fun genealogy research? Upload the latest version of Google Earth for free (for PC, Mac or Linux). Then check out my Google Earth for Genealogy 2-CD Bundle. There’s a reason is this one of my best-selling Google Earth for Genealogy Bundlepresentations: Google Earth is one of the best genealogy research tools around! In these CD presentations, I show you how to locate and map ancestral homesteads; use historical map overlays; identify where old photos were taken; create 3D models of ancestral locations; create custom family history tours and much more.

Filed Under: Google Gem, Maps, Tech Topics, What's New Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Google Earth Updates: More Cities for Your Family History Research

March 1, 2013 By

Google Earth 3D Image of Berne SwitzerlandGoogle Earth has been hard at work, adding more in-depth image coverage to its already vast 3D visual archive of the world’s places. You can now take a free high-res virtual tour of the following cities:

  • Anaheim, CA,
  • Albuquerque, NM,
  • Birmingham, AL,
  • Little Rock, AR,
  • Reno, NV,
  • Springfield, MO,
  • Wichita, KS,
  • Berne, Basel and Lausanne, Switzerland,
  • Ulm, Germany, and
  • Canberra, Australia.

Want to learn more about using Google Earth for family history? These two videos give you a glimpse into my Google Earth for Genealogists series. Watch these clips and be inspired about the potential of this powerful online tool for mapping and imaging your family past.

Filed Under: Google Gem, Uncategorized Tagged With:

5 Reasons You Need the New YouTube App for Family History

January 1, 2013 By

The Genealogy Gems Channel is in the #1 spot when searching “genealogy” in the YouTube app, along with many other excellent family history channels

There’s a new YouTube App for iPad (also available for iPhone and Android) that is a must have for your favorite mobile device.

It’s been a long time coming but worth the wait. Here’s a list of the features you will enjoy:

  • Improved search – New tools include auto-suggestion and the ability to browse for new videos while you watch
  • Faster Loading of videos – We like faster!
  • More Ways to Share Great Video Finds - Share a video on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, email or text message right from the YouTube app
  • Sleek New Design – YouTube Channel Guide allows you to swipe right to see new videos from all your favorite channels
  • More Videos –  Tens of thousands of videos now unlocked for your phone

Still not convinced as a genealogist that you need the new app? Here are 5 reasons you should be using YouTube in conjunction with your family history search:

#1 Learn More about Your Ancestor’s World
Search for clubs, businesses, events and other items that impacted your ancestors’s lives.

#2 Find Your Ancestors in Action
Ever since the Internet came on the scene, genealogists have been searching online for photos (or for the distant cousins possessing photos) of their family.  Apply this strategy to YouTube and video.  Click here to read about how a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener hit pay dirt by following this advice.

#3 Get Quick Answers to Your Genealogy Questions
Got a pressing question on how to fix your Ancestry tree to how to how to create crafty family history gifts? Videos on YouTube not only supply answers, but show you how. When you find a channel that you like, click the Subscribe button. This will set you up to be notified of new videos from that channel as soon as they are published. (Sign in to YouTube with your free Google account because, yep, Google owns YouTube.)

The Genealogy Gems Channel in the YouTube App

#4 Benefit from Genealogy Conferences from the Comfort of Your Home
Not everyone has the time or money to attend a genealogy conference. Conference organizers understand this and are harnessing the power of online video to bring key content to users where they are.  To get started, check out the videos that feature popular conference speakers and the conference experience from channels like SCGS (Jamboree) by searching SCGSgenealogy in the app and NGS  by searching NGSGenealogy.

#5 Learn New Techniques for Sharing Your Family History
Get crafty and creative with project ideas found on YouTube.  Search for keywords such as photos, shadow boxes, quilting, scrapbooking, etc. I’ve set up a special playlist on the Genealogy Gems Channel called Family History Craft and Display Projects that is chock full of videos to get you started. Search “GenealogyGems” in the YouTube app or go directly to the playlist at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAE920F093159BD02  

These are just a few ideas for using YouTube and the new YouTube app to enhance your family history adventures. Leave a comment and share the finds you have made.

Learn more about YouTube in Genealogy Gems Podcast episode 140

 

 

Filed Under: Google Gem, Mobile, Uncategorized, Video Tagged With:

Search Tips for Finding Tricky Names and Spellings in Ancestry.com and Google

December 29, 2012 By

Even the simplest of names can be subject to creative spelling over the centuries. In this video, Ancestry’s Crista Cowan takes on the challenge saying “Misspeld knames are a commun problem for geneoleogy reeserchors.” 

If you are fairly new to researching your family history the video provides an introduction to the evolution of spelling,  names, and the soundex. More advanced genealogists may want to jump in around the 10 minute mark to quickly tap into Cowan’s tips such as:

  • Wild card search
  • Ancestry’s filters
  • surname translations in search results

She also provides a helpful tip on re-setting Ancestry’s filters to the default position (16:40 min.). When you have run a search using filters, and you want to start fresh on a new search, click the “match all terms exactly” and then uncheck it. This action will clear all the filters previously used.

Name Challenges in Google Search

Common surnames and surnames that double for as common words in the English language (i.e. Green) can also wreak havoc in Google Searches. One way to deal with the problem is to use the minus search operator. In the case of the surname Green, you might try:

GREEN FAMILY TREE -ECOLOGY 

Removing the keyword “ecology” from your search query steers Google away from that meaning of the word “green.” Genealogy Gems Premium Members can view the video and download the handout of my Common Surname Google Search Strategies class in the Premium Membership area of the Genealogy Gems website.

Become a Member today for a full year of access to Premium podcast episodes and videos here

Filed Under: Ancestry, Google Gem Tagged With: ,

Google Books and Publishers Reach Settlement over Digitization

October 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With more than 20 million books digitized and online, Google Books is an amazing resource for genealogy, so much so that I devoted an entire chapter to it in my book The Genealogist’s  Google Toolbox.  However, Google Books has been under the cloud of a law suit from publishers and authors who say that Google’s digitization project violated their copyrights.

The good news is that yesterday the Association of American Publishers and Google announced that they have reached a settlement to end a lawsuit filed by five publishers in October 2005. Publishers will now be able to choose which books are included in the project.  Read more about the settlement at USAToday.com.

To learn more about how to use Google Books for Genealogy, get my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, in  paperback or ebook.

Filed Under: Google Gem, What's New Tagged With: , , ,

Google Earth Street View Story (Video)

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ya gotta love Google Earth’s Street View!  It can bring you up close and personal to locations important to your family history. For instance in our family there’s the house in
England where Grandpa Cooke was born…

And the Opera House where he and his mother played in the orchestra in the early 20th century…

It’s almost like being there!  But what if you really could be there?  There’s a great little video that brings street view to life. It’s called 2nd Avenue, and it’s one of the finalist WNET’s Favorite short videos contest. Check it out and cast your vote for Street View!

Images like these are just the tip of the iceberg as to what Google Earth can do for your family history.  Watch this short video to see more, and my Google Earth for Genealogy DVDs will show you step by step how to do it all.

3/21/12

Filed Under: Google Gem, Maps

Google’s Plus Sign Now Has New Meaning (11/9/11)

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On October 27 I reported on this blog that Google quietly eliminated the use of the plus sign operator in Google Search. (A Change You Need to Know About) 


The technology community suspected that “the move was in response to their growing focus on Google+ and the possibility of a new use for the “plus” sign.” I encouraged you to stay tuned.


You didn’t have to wait long to find out why the change was made.  Yesterday Google announced on the Official Google Blog a use for that plus sign: Direct Connect from Google Search.


Direct Connect from Google Search
It’s no surprise that the plus sign’s new role has something to do with connecting users to Google+, the (fairly) new social networking platform. The + sign is now all about quickly connecting you directly to business Google+ Pages.


Many have wondered why Google+ didn’t allow for business and organization profiles since that is a big part of the Facebook offering.  It appears now that the delay was in order to re-purpose the plus sign.


Google explained it this way: ”Maybe you’re watching a movie trailer, or you just heard that your favorite band is coming to town.  In both cases you want to connect with them right now, and Direct Connect makes it easy – even automatic.  Just go to Google and search for [+], followed by the page you’re interested in (like +Angry Birds). We’ll take you to their Google+ page, and if you want, we’ll add them to your circles.”


So the plus sign can now get us connected to Angry Birds, quicker?  Whoo hoo?! Gosh, I was perfectly happy with the way the plus sign got me to web pages that shared information about my ancestor (+Jehu Burkhart I miss you!)


Direct Connect is up and running for a couple of the big boy brands like +Google, +Pepsi, and +Toyota, so you can try those searches to see how they work.  Eventually the rest of the world will be allowed in and you can learn more about how Direct Connect for your organization in the Google Help Center. 


So remember, if you want to connect with Pepsi you can plus. But, if you’re looking for a specific ancestor, word, or phrase you need to surround them in quotation marks. And you can quote me on that!



Filed Under: Google Gem

A Change You Need to Know About in Google Search for Family History (10/27/11)

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
When it comes to researching online, the only thing that is constant is change!  Just when you get all the search operators committed to memory Google goes and changes things. 
Not long ago I noticed that the Boolean operator NOT no longer seemed to be returning the expected results.  However, the minus sign can be used to remove unwanted words from your search results.  (Example: LINCOLN -ABRAHAM results in web pages that include the name Lincoln but NOT the name Abraham.)


The latest change is that the plus sign (+) no longer functions as a search operator that ensures a keyword is included in all search results. Now if you want to ensure a keyword is included, the keyword must be encased in quotations marks. For example:  LINCOLN -ABRAHAM “OHIO”
Interestingly Google has been fairly silent on the change.  Some in the Tech community suspect the move is in response to their growing focus on Google+ and the possibility of a new use for the “plus” sign.  Stay tuned!

Get Lisa’s Book for everything you need to know about using 
Google Tools for climbing your family tree.

Filed Under: Google Gem

File Search Trick, and Prepping for an Archive Visit 8/8/11

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Podcast Listener Joan wrote me recently:  “I get to spend a day at the National Archives. What should I do to prepare to take full advantage of the visit? I checked their website, but it was not as helpful as I hoped. Any suggestions?”

While this first resource is from the National Archives in the UK, it’s applicable to archives in other countries as well.  Check out their video series called Quick Animated Guide.

Another good approach is to search for presentations on archive visits using Google.  By conducting a ‘file type search’ in Google you can uncover presentations posted on the Web that are geared to doing research at the National Archives.

I conducted the following search in Google: .ppt national archives research and came up with a Powerpoint presentation called Beginning Your Genealogical Research at the National Archives which comes from the US National Archives website. When you click the link above you’ll be prompted to RUN the presentation, and I found that it detected Powerpoint on my computer and opened the presentation in my Powerpoint program.

This little genealogy search gem can come in quite handy. Sometimes you know exactly what kind of file or document you are looking for online. By searching for the keywords of the subject and then adding .ppt (the file extension for Powerpoint presentations) Google will pull up only Powerpoint presentations that include those keywords.

You may not be able to get out to genealogy conferences very often, but some creative searching may bring up presentations that cover topics that interest you right from your home computer. That’s a little gem you need to add to your search toolbox for sure!  For more search gems check out my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox at my Genealogy Gems store at Lulu.com
 
And finally, when it comes to preparing for and making a trip to an archive or library Margery Bell of the Family History Centers offered some great ideas for preparing for a research trip, regardless of whether it is to the National Archives or the Family History Library. The interviews are episode 17, 18 & 19 in the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast.

Great question Joan and have a wonderful time! Happy hunting everyone!


Filed Under: Google Gem, Research

Will Genealogists Go Gaga for the New Google+? 6/29/11

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Google’s free tools are powerful resources for family history buffs.  Here are the latest updates:

Google Takes on Facebook
Genealogists everywhere have been flocking to Facebook to make connections, share family tree info, and tap into the collective brain trust. (“Like” The Genealogy Gems Podcast on Facebook) Will they now flock to the new Google+ ? Only time will tell. I suspect that there’s a good possibility because Google+ is addressing privacy and sharing issues that Facebook just hasn’t mastered to everyone’s full satisfaction.

I love the easy to create “Circles” that allow you to share info just with certain groups of friends. And the bonus of this feature is that it cuts down on tons of info showing up in your “News Feed” (as it’s called in Facebook) that really doesn’t pertain to you and that you likely have no interest in.

Right now Google+ is by invitation only. But don’t worry – you’ll like receive an invite from someone you know, and in the end (after they work out more of the bugs) it will be open to everyone. Here’s a super quick video that explains the Google+ concept:

Google‘s Homepage
Google is tweaking the design on the classic Google homepage. Go here to read more about it. But of course I favor using iGoogle to convert Google.com into a completely customized family history research homepage. Genealogy Gems Premium Members can accomplish this today by watching my Google Video Series available in Premium Membership.

Filed Under: Google Gem
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