Technology Today — Geni
I started a Technology Today section in my blog with the intention of posting each week about a neat item in the technology community, but have not bee very successful. Matt and I have been quite busy and will continue to be, but I will try and be more intentional about posting.
For this week, I want to highlight Geni (Chris Hardie also highlighted this in his blog). Geni is free web 2.0-style online genealogy software. It allows you to create an interactive family tree that you and your family members can join and update. The software has a social networking feel and allows each person on the tree to create their own profile, containing personal information, photos, and news updates.
For a large family like mine, with people scattered across the country, it is a great opportunity to keep in touch with each other, post familiy news, plan family reunions, and learn more about our family’s history. Geni is currently ad supported, thought I haven’t seen many ads on their site so far, and may add a premium section in the future; however, the current basic features will remain free. Your tree information is also exportable. Geni offers an export to GEDCOM format, a standard file format used to save, transfer, and transport genealogical information.
You also have the capability to share your family tree with friends and family via email, a url, or embedding in a website. Here is a sample of my tree:
April 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Thanks for the mention of Geni in your blog–it’s always great to hear of families that stay connected using the Geni site.
I have given you a private email address. Please contact us there and we will arrange to send you a cool Geni shirt to wear to family events!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for the mention of Geni in your blog information. I appreciate it.