FamilySearch.org has made changes to their website including the ability to delete people, add people who have been deleted, easier access to the FamilySearch Wiki page, the ability to add pictures to your family tree, and have dropped the PAF support. [https://familysearch.org/blog/en/family-treejune-2013/] [https://familysearch.org/PAF]
According to FamilySearch Blog, many patrons of FamilySearch.org have requested that the link to the Wiki page for FamilySearch be easier to locate. The link has now been moved to the top of the FamilySearch search page. [familysearch.org/blog/en/family-reejune-2013/]
FamilySearch has also created the opportunity to delete a person from a family tree. It is advised that this tool only be used to delete a person who has never existed previously in the family tree, or to delete a person who was mistakenly added to the family. [familysearch.org/blog/en/family-treejune-2013/] It is important to note, however, that a person whose records have been added through Church membership records (membership to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) cannot be deleted.
If a person has been deleted from a family tree, then needs to be re-added, FamilySearch.org has included the opportunity to restore a previously deleted person. Simply find a person who was linked to the deleted person, and go to "change history", "reference", then "restore relationship". [familysearch.org/blog/en/family-treejune-2013/]
FamilySearch.org has also made it possible to upload family photographs to their site and tag family members. [familysearch.org/photos/] Once the photos have been added, albums of ancestors' photographs can be created and shared with others.
There are some online photo sites that make using the photography tool for FamilySearch.org a littler easier, such as Family Photoloom. [photoloom.com/nfs.html] Family Photoloom allows a person to link pictures to their family history, tag faces and source documents, important New FamilySearch information, Create "heirloom-quality" charts, cross index family relationships, and archive and share images over the internet. Family Photoloom is also FamilySearch certified.
As of July 15, 2013 FamilySearch no longer provides PAF downloads or support. "Advances in technology, strong alternatives from third parties, and the need to focus on the latest FamilySearch iniatives have diminished the need for PAF as part of the FamilySearch offering." [familysearch.org/PAF]
FamilySearch has recommended free, third-party products and software that have been certified to work with FamilySearch and the Family Tree. There are four types of FamilySearch "Tree Share" certified. [familysearch.org/blog/en/partner-newsjuly-2013/]
The first certification is Tree Access which means that the program can "read only" the FamilySearch Family Tree information.
The next is Tree Connect. This means that the program can read the Family Tree and write the sources, allows for attaching references about ancestors to records, images, stores, etc. found throughout the internet.
Next is Tree Share which is a full Family Tree read and write program allowing the product to reconcile tree data with FamilySearch.
And last is Tree Share Plus, which has the features of Tree Share and FamilySearch collaborative features. This includes Discussions, Sources, and Change History.
FamilySearch.org has announces that there are now four Tree Share certified applications that are PAF compatible: Ancestral Quest, Celebrating Family History and Me, Legacy Family Tree, and RootsMagic. [familysearch.org/blog/en/partner-newsjuly-2013/] Of these four certified applications, RootsMagic is the first completely Tree Share Plus certified. TenGenChart is certified on the Tree Access level.
To be "certified" means that the product is compatible with FamilySearch.org and has conformed to their strict standards of quality. [familysearch.org/blog/en/partner-newsjuly-2013/]
Gayla Mendenhall of AncestorEbooks says, "The changes to FamilySearch.org are amazing. The opportunities to delete and restore files has been needed for a long time. I am sad though to see PAF becoming obsolete. It is the easiest way to track your own personal genealogy work as compared to what FamilySearch.org automatically inputs into your family tree from the work others have done."
'The opportunity to include pictures and documents with your family tree has been the dream of AncestorEbooks from the beginning,' continues Mrs. Mendenhall. 'We here at AncestorEbooks also give the unique ability to create an one of a kind ebook to tell your family's stories through pictures, mp3 files, and videos."
