My Family History Toolbox: An Illustrated Guide to Cutting Edge Technology to Help You Discover Your Family Tree and Story, Second Edition

If you have ever looked through Crash Course in Family History or any other of Paul Larsen’s books, then you are probably aware of how colorful easy to follow his books are. Keeping with his unique style, Larsen has just released My Family History Toolbox: An Illustrated Guide to Cutting Edge Technology to Help You Discover Your Family Tree and Story, Second Edition. Every aspect of this book is designed to make it fun and easy for the reader to find information, identify links, and quickly learn through vibrant illustrations, screen shots, and photographs.

Larsen has created a unique guidebook “to the latest new apps, gadgets and tech tools to help you discover your family tree and stories. And easily share that information with your family and friends. The author has scoured the Internet and consumer reports to find you the best and latest family history e-tools and apps. He has taken away the guesswork by bringing you the best gadgets and gizmos for searching, organizing your information, and sharing your family tree and family stories with others.”

I already said the book was easy to follow, but what is really nice for so many is the large font and the use of color to clearly indicated key elements like website URLs. Throughout much of the book, you will find tools and sites you are already familiar with but you are bound to find new treasures as well. Larsen has also taken the time to indicate which tools are free and which are for fee. Here is a list of just what is in this books:

“10 essential family history tools you need today
23 new, valuable, cutting-edge tools to help you discover your family tree and story
How to Use iPad for genealogy
The best iPad apps for family history
101 Free web services to make your research easier and faster
11 handy family history gadgets and gizmos
9 time-saving family tree apps for your iPad and SmartPhone
Grave site and Facebook family history apps
How to use your SmartPhone for family history
How to use GPS for your family history
Sources for free e-books
How to search for your ancestors using the new Google ‘face-recognition’ tool

Preface

1. What is a ‘Family History Toolbox?’

2. What’s IN a Family History Tool Kit?

3. Essential Tools

Browsers and Search Engines
- Google Tools
- Free Family History Email Address
Family History Software
- Free Online Software Directory
- Free Online Software Tools & Utilities Directory
- Software Reviews by Experts
‘How-To’ Educational Tools
- A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide
- Beginners Helps/Tutorials
- Valuable ‘How-To’ Articles/Videos/Blogs
- Free Tools, Forms, Calculators and Worksheets
- Wikis: Key Information Source
- 101 Best Web Sites: Family Tree Magazine

4. What is Cloud Computing?

Online Cloud Services

5. Social Networking

Facebook
Pinterest
Google Plus+
Twitter
Genealogy Wise
Stay Connected Using Mega-Websites

6. Sharing Tools

Dropbox: Store, Sync and Share Documents
Skype: Helps You Connect and Collaborate with Others
Facebook Research Community
Dilgo: A Powerful Tool
Tpstry: Find Living Relatives
YouTube
The Power of PDFs

7. Online Photo-Sharing

Picasa
Flickr
Heritage Collector Software
iCloud Photo Stream
InstaGram
Shoebox

8. Organization Tools

Evernote: Save and Store Your Notes
Feed Reader: Helps You Stay Connected
RSS Feed
PrintFriendly Tool
SplashTop
Password Manager
My Relative Tools
Relationship Finder App
Online Backup
Why Screen-Capture?
SnagIt
GenSmarts: Your Research Assistant

9. Smart Gadgets and Gizmos

Using Your SmartPhone for Family History
Tablet Computers
Using GPS for Your Family History
- Using GPS to Locate a Cemetery
- Smart Phones with built-in GPS
- Locating GPS Coordinates
- Buying a GPS Device
- GPS Free Video Tutorials
Digital Cameras and Photography
Scanners and Digitizing

10. How to Use iPad for Family History

Using the iPad for Genealogy and Writing
iPad Apps
How to Download Files to My iPad

11. eBooks / e-Readers / Apps

eReaders: Really Useful Tools
eBook Formats for Mobile Devices
eReader Apps
- Calibre: eBook Management Tools
- Bluefire Reader App
- Aldiko Book Reader
- Adobe Reader
- Adobe Digital Editions
Sources for Free e-Books
- eBookstores
- Online Digital Libraries
- eBook Lending Libraries

12 Writing & Publishing Your Family Story

Recording and Archiving Your Family Story
- Leaving a Written Legacy
- Preserving Your Memories Digitally
- Armchair Genealogist
- BYU Ancestor Resources
- How to Digitize Audio
- Baylor Oral History Institute
- About.com Articles
Digital Voice Recorders
- Use Your SmartPhone as a Digital Recorder
- Use Your iPod as a Digital Recorder
- iTalk Mobile App
- Best 8 Digital Voice Recorders
Publishing Your Family Story
- Personal Publishing
- Book Publishing
- Instant Print-on-Demand
- Creating an eBook
- ReelGenie