Genealogists have seen this major trend developing in the past few years and a new announcement today qualifies as a major step forward in that trend. Two very popular genealogy programs will soon have direct “hooks” into the databases on MyHeritage. Best of all, these programs will directly use MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies as they automatically search through millions of family trees and billions of global historical records available on MyHeritage to find your relatives. The beneficiaries of this marriage will be the genealogists who use either of these programs.
NOTE: I will also point out that MyHeritage is the sponsor of this newsletter. However, I think I would write the same words in this article whether they are the sponsor or not.
RootsMagic and Family Historian are both very powerful genealogy programs and have many loyal users around the world. MyHeritage is known primarily as a genealogy web site that not only has billions of records available but also has matching services called Smart Matching™ and Record Matching. I have been a big fan of these two technologies for some time and was happy to learn that the databases and the Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies are being integrated into two leading genealogy programs.
When searching for online records in the past, most genealogy programs required the user to find the person of interest within that program’s database, then switch away from the program, open a web browser, go to MyHeritage.com or any other online source, manually search for information of interest, find it, then return to the genealogy program to enter the newly-found information. Some programs have added the capability to automatically copy-and-paste the information or to use some other method of automatic transfer.
With the new integration of these two genealogy programs with MyHeritage’s huge databases, this awkward multi-step process goes away. The genealogist can do all of this from within the genealogy program.
However, as they say on late-night television infomercials, “But wait. There’s more!” Indeed there is much more in this announcement.
Several other genealogy web sites have introduced automatic matching in the past few years. However, the results have been questionable, sometimes laughable. I suspect almost all of us have performed searches on other web sites only to have results displayed that did not resemble the query. For an example, searching for an ancestor in Kentucky in the 1830s might produce results listing people of the same name who lived in Minnesota in the 1930s! Similarly, some websites provide “hints” that bring records that have nothing to do with the people in your family tree.
All the sites are working to improve the searching and matching accuracy but MyHeritage is the leader today in that technology. Using Smart Matching™ and Record Matching, the searches analyze much more than a person’s name, a few dates, or locations. It searches for candidates who have children with the same names and birthdates as the children of the person already entered in your own genealogy program. It does the same looking for all the names, dates, and locations of spouses, siblings, and parents.
The MyHeritage technology searches for more matching details than any other genealogy service I know and also does the best job of eliminating false positives. It is also the only one capable of finding matches in newspaper articles.
The new integration of these two genealogy programs means that you can remain in your favorite program and yet have all the databases searched automatically for you. There is no longer any need to switch from the program to the web and back again, over and over. There is no need to try thousands of searches that lead to dead ends. There is no need to repeat searches you have done before looking for new records. The software will search for probable matches using the normal fields (names, dates, locations) but also for all the other things I mentioned. Again, this will now be done without leaving the genealogy program.
I have never seen any other online genealogy database that provides the accuracy of the results that MyHeritage can do. In my experience, the results MyHeritage provided to me have been the correct person I seek about 95% to 98% of the time. In short, “it just works.” I am now looking forward to having that accuracy bundled in a very convenient manner within RootsMagic and Family Historian.
Viewing the matches is free but accessing actual matching records to view documents and full indexes will require a separate subscription from MyHeritage. In my experience getting such a subscription is worthwhile for the value the matches bring.
The matching integrations do not include the posting of trees from RootsMagic or Family Historian to MyHeritage, so users can enjoy the matches without having their data collected, shared with or made visible to anyone else.
The programs to include MyHeritage matching are RootsMagic’s new version 7 (released today) and Family Historian’s new version 6 (to be released December 9th).
I am now looking forward to having that accuracy bundled in a very convenient manner within RootsMagic and Family Historian. The new integration of databases and genealogy should benefit all of us.
Here is the announcement about RootsMagic and MyHeritage:
RootsMagic Adds MyHeritage Matching Technologies for Powerful Automatic Research Capabilities
TEL AVIV, Israel & SPRINGVILLE, Utah – November 25, 2014: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, and RootsMagic, Inc., today jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies have been integrated into RootsMagic’s latest version of its popular genealogy software. This enables RootsMagic users to discover the life stories of their ancestors thanks to highly accurate matching between their family trees and millions of family trees and billions of global historical records available on MyHeritage.
RootsMagic, first released in 2003, is an award winning genealogy program for documenting and preserving family history. Its latest version 7, released this week, includes among its highlights a new feature named WebHints powered by MyHeritage matching technologies that transforms the program into a powerful research tool. WebHints also include hints from genealogy website FamilySearch for authenticated users. Information sent by RootsMagic to MyHeritage for matching is never collected or shared, and is deleted after matching to ensure the complete privacy of RootsMagic users and their data.
MyHeritage enables millions of families around the world to discover, share and preserve their family history on the MyHeritage website, mobile apps and desktop applications. In addition, MyHeritage is well known as a technology innovator. Its flagship technologies, Smart Matching™ and Record Matching, which generate automatic discoveries based on MyHeritage’s huge international database of family trees and historical records, are sought after within the family history space. Leading genealogy organizations are partnering with MyHeritage to integrate these technologies into their products.
“MyHeritage matches are a very exciting feature”, said RootsMagic, Inc.’s Vice President, Michael Booth. “It was like magic to me when the WebHints were first wired into RootsMagic and I opened my file and saw all the matches appear. I spent hours exploring and discovering newspaper articles, certificates, and records that I had never seen before. Our initial testers are also reporting that they have been having so much fun exploring the MyHeritage matches that they have had to pull themselves away to test the other features.”
“We’re thrilled to provide RootsMagic – an acclaimed genealogy software among the most popular in the USA – with our powerful matching technologies” said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “This partnership will significantly accelerate discoveries for RootsMagic users and will expand the tremendous reach of MyHeritage.”
This announcement follows other integrations of MyHeritage matching technologies by British genealogy software, Family Historian and Dutch genealogy services Aldfaer and Coret Genealogie. Available on MyHeritage and through a wide set of partnerships, MyHeritage matching technologies have become the de facto standard for automatic discoveries for everyone interested in their family history
About MyHeritage
MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history. As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages. www.myheritage.com
About RootsMagic, Inc.
For over 20 years, RootsMagic, Inc. has been creating computer software with a special purpose – to unite families. One of its earliest products, the popular Family Origins software, introduced thousands of people to the joy and excitement of family history.
That tradition continues today with RootsMagic, its award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing family history fun and easy.
www.rootsmagic.com
Here is the announcement about Family Historian and MyHeritage:
Family Historian Genealogy Software Integrates MyHeritage Matching Technologies for Automated Discoveries
TEL AVIV, Israel & LONDON — MyHeritage, the popular family history network, and Calico Pie Limited, London-based publishers of genealogy software, today jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies will be integrated into Family Historian, Calico Pie’s popular desktop genealogy program. This will enable users to benefit from automated discoveries sourced from millions of family trees and billions of global historical records on MyHeritage.
Family Historian incorporates comprehensive features designed to make family history friendly for beginners and experts alike. The new version 6 of Family Historian, scheduled for release on December 9th 2014, will feature MyHeritage matching. Some matches will be free to view while others will require a MyHeritage subscription.
MyHeritage helps millions of families worldwide discover and preserve their unique history effortlessly on its services across Web, mobile and desktop. Its flagship technologies Smart Matching™ and Record Matching match family trees with other family trees and relevant historical records. This allows users to discover new stories about their ancestors, discover relatives and connect with family members they have not known before. With a high accuracy rate of 97%, these technologies make fascinating family history discoveries automatically.
“We’re delighted to enhance the latest release of Family Historian with the best matching technologies in the industry,” said Simon Orde, Managing Director of Calico Pie. “With the seamless integration of MyHeritage technologies, Family Historian is set to deliver unprecedented value to users interested in exploring their past.”
“We’re excited to provide our matching technologies to a top-notch product like Family Historian”, said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “Our technologies have been used successfully on MyHeritage by millions of people. They have helped people make life-changing discoveries and have enriched their lives. We are now proud to make these technologies available also to partners, and Family Historian will be among the first to include them, to be followed by many more.”
MyHeritage matching technologies are also being integrated by leading Dutch genealogy software Aldfaer and the online genealogy services of Coret Genealogie in the Netherlands.
About MyHeritage
MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history. As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages. www.myheritage.com
About Calico Pie Limited
Calico Pie has been developing its flagship product Family Historian since 1998. The program has won numerous prestigious awards, and was the top-rated genealogy product in the last two comparisons of genealogy programs by Which?, the largest consumer body in the UK.
Filed under: Business News, Software