_The following press release was received this morning from 1000memories.com:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ShoeBox App Now Fills Facebook Timeline’s Early Years With Scanned Photos Of The Past
Photo-sharing Platform 1000memories Makes First App To Add The Past To Facebook Timeline

SAN FRANCISCO, January 26, 2011 — Photo-sharing platform 1000memories is today announcing the Facebook Timeline integration of ShoeBox, the iPhone app that allows you to quickly scan and socially share old paper photos, making it the first app that lets people easily fill their Timeline gaps, as well as the Timelines of their family and friends, with pre-Internet photos from the past.  

1000memories’ ShoeBox app now allows individuals to instantly scan paper photos directly onto their Facebook Timelines, as well as those of family and friends, filling the gaps with photos and stories from pre-Facebook (and even pre-Internet) times.  Additionally, all photos on 1000memories (regardless of whether they were scanned with ShoeBox) can now be pushed to the appropriate dates on Facebook Timeline at any time from 1000memories.com.

“It's easy to forget that Facebook is only 7 years old, which means most of our photos and memories are not online yet. The introduction of Facebook Timeline has made clear the huge gaps in our life stories - most obviously from our birth dates to the invention of Facebook in 2004,” says 1000memories Co-Founder, Rudy Adler. “We built ShoeBox to finally get these photos from our past out of the closet and online where they can be enjoyed by everyone.”

ShoeBox’s scanning technology can auto-detect the edges of a photo and then quickly crop, automatically adjusting for parallax. Users can then add information typically written on the back of old photos - such as dates, names, and locations - before sharing with friends and family.  With this update, ShoeBox users can now tag their Facebook friends in photos directly from the ShoeBox app - these tags will automatically transfer when ShoeBox photos are shared to Facebook Timeline.  Additionally, you can now find and follow the ShoeBox scans your friends via your Facebook and iPhone contacts, as well as those who are already using ShoeBox and 1000memories.com.

Users can access, edit and organize their ShoeBox photos online at any time on 1000memories.com. All public content is preserved in partnership with the Internet Archive to ensure that photos will be saved for future generations.

Backed by Y-Combinator and Greylock Partners, 1000memories is a past-tense photo-sharing platform with a focus on bringing the albums, scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes out of the closet and into an online, shareable space where you can always enjoy them.  Since its launch, the ShoeBox app by 1000memories has been both featured in the iTunes store and a top-3 free photography app since its October 2011 launch. For more information, visit 1000memories.com/shoebox. About 1000memories1000memories is the best way to organize, share and discover the old photos and memories of your family and friends.  Founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, 1000memories helps bring the albums, scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes of our lives out of the closet and into an online, shareable space where you can always enjoy them. 

For more information, visit 1000memories.com.

###

~Caroline

_The following press release was given to me by 1000Memories. Please direct all inquiries to Helena Price as listed below.
-----------------------
PRESS RELEASE

Makers Of Top Photography App Help To Digitize Texas History
1000memories Hosts Austin and Houston Events To Help Locals Scan Old Photos, Preserve Local History

Austin and Houston , November 28, 2011 — 1000memories, creator of the popular ShoeBox iPhone app that lets you scan and share old paper photos, will be touring through Texas this December, hosting events in Austin and Houston to help locals digitize their collections of old photos and preserve their local and family histories.

The free “How To Go Home” events will include unlimited scanning of personal photos and videos, a "show & tell" of photographs brought to the event, and activities to show participants how to make the most of the holidays at home.

“Holidays are one of the few times when families are together with their old photo collections,” says 1000memories Director of Business Development Mike Katchen. “We think it’s important to show people how to make the most of these holidays at home, to share these stories and preserve them for future generations.”

ShoeBox, 1000memories’ recently-launched iPhone scanner app, gives individuals, families and organizations the ability to scan and instantly share large collections of photos and documents that have previously been difficult to digitize—the photos traditionally neglected in shoeboxes, old family albums or archived analog collections.  

“Large photo collections from our past have never been digitized or shared because it’s been too difficult and time-consuming. With the introduction of the ShoeBox app, we’re putting multiple hand-held scanners in households and organizations, for free,” says 1000memories co-founder Rudy Adler. “We’ve created a tool  that allows people to upload and share old photos in a fraction of the time needed for traditional photo scanning, which will dramatically change the rate at which these collections are being shared.” 

The “How To Go Home” Texas events are completely free to attend and will be held at the following dates and locations:

• 1:30-4:00 p.m., December 3, Little Walnut Creek Library, 835 West Rundberg Lane, Austin, TX
• 1:00-4:00 p.m., December 4, Carriage House, 5300 Caroline Street, Houston, TX

For more event information or to RSVP, visit facebook.com/1000memories.  To learn more about the ShoeBox app by 1000memories, visit 1000memories.com/shoebox.

About 1000memories1000memories, creator of the popular ShoeBox photo scanning app for iPhone, is the best way to organize, share and discover the old photos and memories of your family and friends.  Founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, 1000memories helps bring the albums, scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes of our lives out of closets and into an online, shareable space where they can be remembered and celebrated, together in one place. For more information, visit 1000memories.com.

###
Press contact:
Helena Price,
1000memories
helena@1000memories.com
415.694.3378

---------------------------------

FYI, I will be attending the Houston one this Sunday. And? Did you see what street the Clayton [a place I dearly love] is on? That's right. Caroline Street. It's like, genea-karma. *snort*

~Caroline

And? 1000memories.com has created something to help you survive the holidays with the fam. It's How to Go Home: A Survival Guide to Life During the Holidays. Now this is hilarious too because it's SO true.  I especially like the suggestion of giving your crazy Aunt Sheila gin and tonics in order to get the best family stories out of her. *snort*


Here's the link to it: How to Go Home: A Survival Guide to Life During the Holidays  [ http://howtogohome.com/   ]

You're welcome. ;)

~Caroline

Note: I am in no way affiliated with 1000memories.com, and I am receiving nothing for sharing it with you. I just think it's hilarious. =)

Yeah. So, I was going to show you this shoebox that my father-in-law gave me with a bunch of old photos and family ephemera in it to scan and write stories about, but then I found 1000memories' video on their site that did just about the same thing as what I was going to do, except it wouldn't have been in video format nor would it have had the dramatic background music [which just means I need to 'up my game' a bit]. So check it out:

If unable to view the video here, then here is it's direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szS5q85cC7E&feature=player_embedded

After that cool video [Love the stomping of the shoebox. Almost made me feel bad about recycling the shoebox. Almost.], you're probably thinking, "Yeah but does it work? And does it work well?"

Yes. And yes.

And while it's easier for you to download it and play with it, I've listed the steps below.













Here are the steps to scanning a photo and uploading to the 1000memories.com site:

• Download the 1000memories Shoebox App.
  
• Set up a free account at the 1000memories.com site.
• Log in to your account in the app.
• You will have 3 selections at the bottom of your iPhone screen: Featured, Scan, My Shoebox.
• Select 'Scan' and take a picture of the photo.
• Adjust the corners / handles with a finger on the touchscreen until you have it the way you want it.
• Select Crop.
• Select Next.
  
• You can rotate your photo, if needed.
• Select Next.
• Add the names to everyone in the photo. [You can add new names on the fly at this step and later add additional information on the site later.]
  
• Enter a caption, date taken, and location. [This step can be skipped and the information can be added later. But if you're doing this at your grandma's house and she's standing right there, you should probably get the info from her now OR look on the back of the photo to see if some wonderful person wrote any info on the back. It's always best to get this info entered in sooner rather than later.]
  
• You can also choose to share this photo and info on both Twitter and Facebook once you configure your accounts.
• Select done. And the photo and information are uploaded to the site.

Also, there are 3 tabs on the top of the screen labeled Uploads, Tags, and Family & Friends. Uploads will be all the photos you have uploaded to the site presented in a quilt-like pattern. The Family and Friends tab lists all the people you have uploaded or entered into your site online. By selecting a person, you can then upload photos of that person from that screen. However, you must go through all of the above scanning steps. This tab is more for viewing all the uploaded photos for a particular person. Additionally, you can add new names in this tab as well.

The settings selection does give you a brief overview of the steps as well as a place to handle typical account settings.

It's really simple to use. The scanning technology is spot on.

You know what I foresee? [I know. Oh. No.] I foresee a Thanksgiving holiday with family members of all ages pulling out their iPhones, downloading this app, digging into old shoeboxes, and scanning old family photos. After eating turkey and pie and all while watching football, of course.

Try it. I think you'll like it. Besides it's FREE. Get more information and/or download the app now: 1000memories.com/shoebox

And That's An App Thursday,
~Caroline

[Other than being asked by 1000memories to review their app that they provided to me for free, I have not been compensated in any way. These are my own opinions. Please take a look at my disclosure statement for more information.]

The following press was given to me by 1000Memories. Please direct all inquiries to Helena Price as listed below.
-----------------------
PRESS RELEASE

1000memories Launches “Shoebox” App For iPhone, Puts A Scanner In Your Pocket
Memory-Sharing Platform Launches First Mobile Tool For Sharing Photo Collections From The Past

SAN FRANCISCO, October 27, 2011 — Memory-sharing platform 1000memories.com today announced
the launch of the Shoebox scanning app for iPhone, the first mobile tool designed for digitizing, organizing
and sharing collections of photos from the past.

The app gives individuals, families and organizations the ability to scan and instantly share large
collections of photos and documents that have previously been difficult to digitize - the photos traditionally
neglected in shoeboxes, old family albums or archived analog collections.

“Large photo collections from our past have never been digitized or shared because it’s been too difficult
and time-consuming. With the introduction of the Shoebox app, we’re putting multiple hand-held scanners
in households and organizations, for free,” says 1000memories co-founder Rudy Adler. “We’ve created
a tool that allows people to upload and share old photos in a fraction of the time needed for traditional
photo scanning, which will dramatically change the rate at which these collections are being shared.”

Shoebox can auto-detect the edges of a photo and then quickly crop and straighten accordingly. Users
can then add information typically written on the back of old photos - such as dates, names, and locations
- before uploading to the 1000memories.com, where it can be organized, shared and discovered by
friends and family.

1000memories hopes to help users get their older collections of photos online and in order while their
friends, families and communities still remember the stories and people behind them. “The captions,
dates and tags are just as important as the photos themselves - it’s imperative that we get as many of
these photo collections online as possible while we can still access the stories behind them,” says Adler.

The launch of Shoebox comes on the heels of the release of the iPhone 4S, and will take advantage of its
significant upgrades in mobile camera technology, including an 8.0 MP sensor for high-resolution mobile
scans, as well as an improved f2.4 lens, for quality lower-light scans. The app will remain compatible with
all previous iPhone models, including the iPhone 4, 3G, and 3GS, as well as the iPad.

“The popularity of the iPhone camera has proven that people want something that’s quick, accessible,
and easy to share,” says Adler. “For us, that’s what providing a social mobile scanner is about - making
it as easy as possible for people to get their photo collections digitized and shared with the people they
care about.”

Backed by Y-Combinator and Greylock Partners, 1000memories is a hybrid of today’s family history and
photo-sharing sites, with a focus helping individuals, families and organizations record, discover and
preserve the photos of the past - and all of the stories that come with them. For more information, visit
1000memories.com/shoebox.

About 1000memories
1000memories is the best way to organize, share and discover the old photos and memories of your
family and friends. Founded in 2010 in San Francisco, California, 1000memories helps bring the albums,
scrapbooks, and photo-filled shoeboxes of our lives out of the closet and into an online, shareable
space where they can be remembered and celebrated, together in one place. For more information, visit
1000memories.com.

###
Press contact:
Helena Price, 1000memories
helena@1000memories.com
415.694.3378

-------------------------
Now check out my next blog post where I share my thoughts on it. That's right. I already had a chance to play with this app. [Squee!]

~Caroline

Over the weekend 1000memories.com shared the results of their recent survey on family history. The survey found that more people than ever are interested in learning about their family history but they (on average) know even less about their genealogy. This week, four of the genealogy community’s top thinkers will share their reactions, starting today with Caroline Pointer.

It’s time to throw away the genealogy rule book.

No more of having to be retired or having to be over a certain age to look for who begat you.

No more of reading and memorizing a 300-page tome of “More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Genealogy” before you ever think about “doing” genealogy.

No more spending all day in a library (unless you really want to, of course).

No more making fun of other people’s family trees located online or offline. After all, right or wrong, they are at least trying.

No more dry and boring genealogical and historical society meetings where younger people are not only made to feel unwelcome but discouraged to visit, join, or, heaven forbid, make a suggestion .

No more scheduling genealogy-related or family history-related meetings and conferences when those who are employed full-time cannot possibly attend.

Basically, no more doing things the same old way just because that’s the way it has always been done.

The key to lessening the disparity between those who want to know who their ancestors were and those who actually take steps to learn who their ancestors were is through a combination of education and allowing people to do it on their own terms. It should be goal-based. Perhaps a person’s goal is to learn the medical history of their ancestors. Perhaps another person’s goal is to memorialize a loved one’s life, and yet another person’s goal is to have a complete genealogy that is perfectly sourced.

All are equally valuable in their own right as well as possibly valuable to the other. For example, perhaps the person who researches their medical history unknowingly stumbles upon something of value to someone else, and in blogging about it on their non-genealogy or non-family history blog, they unwittingly share it with a family history researcher who needed that information to solve a “brick wall” problem?

Likewise, what if the person who memorializes a loved one’s life on say, 1000Memories.com, shares a story of their loved one, and in that story were clues that the genealogical researcher needed to complete their genealogy?

Moreover, while a fundamental change is very helpful from the “top down”, it is more practical at a community level. It is important to remove the stigma that genealogy is only for those who are retired.  Below are just a few ideas that community groups and organizations should at least take into consideration:

• Family and community history should be incorporated more into schools by placing modern tools and curriculum into the hands of educators.
• The trial-and-error method of research should be acknowledged and embraced so that all feel comfortable to try, to make errors and to find truths.
• More modern methods should be used for local education and outreach in communities, in genealogical and historical societies, in libraries, etc.
• Communities should implement mentoring programs with a more seasoned researcher paired with a younger researcher. There is so much one can teach and learn from the other.
• Accommodate those with differing schedules by offering a 2nd meeting of the group or organization at a different time for those who aren’t retired.

None of the above will matter, though, if we don’t incorporate modern technology into everything we do. It’s the game-changer. Technology can allow younger groups to participate like never before. Just imagine a program where younger people were unleashed in a retirement home, and they captured family stories on Smartphones? How about if they were unleashed in an old forgotten cemetery and with their Smartphones, they captured and uploaded all the photos of and information from the tombstones to an online site?

Further, what about all those descendants who have moved from the area that the ancestors once lived in? Are genealogical and historical societies in those areas thinking about programs for these people when they schedule programs? Could they learn how to use webinars and other online tools to reach out to these descendants as well as to the local community?

The point is that the genealogy world needs to meet people where they are, assess what those people need, and provide a platform that is inviting and relevant to them. It can’t afford not to do it. Do we really want our descendants sitting around wondering who we were and wondering why we didn’t capture what we could with the technology we had?

Do you want to participate in the conversation? 1000Memories invites and encourages you to blog and/or tweet about it. Please send the link to mike@1000memories.com or tweet what you think and use the hashtag #familyhistorymonth in the tweet. Next Saturday, 1000memories will publish a summary of all the perspectives and ideas shared.

~Caroline


When she’s not suggesting crazy ideas like putting Smartphones into the hands of the young and unleashing them in retirement communities to record family stories, Caroline M. Pointer is recording her own family stories with every tool that she can think of on her personal family history blog, Family Stories.  Caroline is a professional genealogist and family historian who enjoys sharing what she’s learned when technology and genealogy collide on her blog, 4YourFamilyStory.com. She has a new blog for beginners and professionals alike launching soon, BloggingGenealogy.com, where she will share about getting more out of genealogy and blogging. Also, she is the In2Genealogy columnist for the E-magazine, Shades of the Departed. Caroline can be reached at CMPointer [AT] gmail [DOT] com. However, most often she can be found on that newfangled social media blue bird site called Twitter at @FamilyStories.
 

Mary: Do you know the name of your great-grandfather?
John: No.

Mary: Do you know where they came from?
John: No.

Mary: Well, would you like to know who they are and what your family history is?
John: Yeah.

Mary: Why haven't you started?
John: Well,...


1000Memories has done a survey that shows that while the number of people wanting to learn about their family history is on the rise, the number of people who actually know something about their family history is on the decline. [Dude. Right?] Why is this the case? What are we going to do about it? And I don't mean right now or next week. I mean, for the long haul, what are we going to do about this? 1000Memories has assembled a genealogy roundtable to discuss all of this, and they graciously asked me to participate. [Uh oh.] I hope everyone's ready because I definitely have an opinion on this. Other genealogy roundtable participants will be Thomas MacEntee, Amy Johnson Crow, and Randy Whited. Y'all ready? [And? Did you notice there's 2 Texans on the panel?]

So come back Monday to read my thoughts on all of this. In the meantime, take a look at what 1000Memories found out in their survey.

~Caroline

Don’t you get tired of that look? That glazed-over look? That blank stare? You know, the look you get when, in response to a family history question from a family member, you start explaining in great detail how you were able to find that small (And I mean, small.) village in what is now Poland, but once was a part of the Prussian Empire, where your great-grandfather was born.

And what I have to say next is going to shock and even dismay you. So sit down and get comfortable before reading any further. Ready?

• They could care less about how you successfully – after years and years of searching and pulling your hair out – found the name of that small (And I mean, small.) village in Poland that your great-grandfather was born in. 
  
• They don’t care that your great-grandfather no doubt repeated several times for the clerk the name of that small (And I mean, small.) village so that the clerk could phonetically (but incorrectly) spell it out on his declaration of intent to become a citizen of the United States. 
• They don’t care that you spent days and days closing your eyes and sounding out the name of the small (I mean, small.) village trying to come up with possible spellings.
• They don’t care that you spent days and days Googling those silly spellings.
• They don’t care that you stared at his passport application and that blob of ink, that should have correctly identified that small (I mean, small.) village, did not once morph into perfectly shaped letters.
• They don’t care that you went through all the towns and cities that begin with the letter “G” listed in an index of a current European atlas hoping you can find one that sounds like the one phonetically spelled out on his declaration of intent.
• They don’t care that there are, like, a gazillion towns and cities in that index that start with the letter “G” or that you are practically blind now because of how small the type is in that index.
• They don’t care that you have spent countless hours poring over old maps online and offline looking for that small (I mean, small.) village.
• They don’t care that you bought a subscription to an historic map site so you could find that small (I mean, small.) village.
• They don’t care that you absolutely must have the name of that small (I mean, small.) village in order to go back any further.
• They don’t care that you queried on Twitter with a Twit Pic a Photoshop-enhanced copy of his passport application hoping that someone could see what you had not.
  
• They don’t care that you only received 2 responses, one of which was a good-hearted person from Germany who was unsuccessful at identifying that small (And I mean, small.) village.
  
• They don’t care that the second response led you to a site that led you to another site that had a database that allowed wild card searching of names of current and former cities and villages of the former Prussia and what is now Poland, where that small (And I mean, small) village was found.
  
• They don’t care that that village is so small (And I mean, small.) it probably only exists today because it’s an archaeological site.
  

Basically? They don’t care about all those details. And let’s face it. We do what we do because we love those details. We don’t just live in those details. We revel in them. For us, the difference between generations is in the details. The difference between failure and success is in those details. 

And our loved ones? What do they care about? I’ll tell you what they care about. 

• They care whether this same great-grandfather’s son, Big Paw Paw, fathered any other children with his many mistresses and/or wives.
  
• They want to know the details of Big Paw Paw’s will, and why he wrote it the way he did.
  
• They want to know why, if she’s still living, you haven’t contacted Big Paw Paw’s last mistress. (Awkward, much?)
  
• They want to see Big Paw Paw’s photos, and, wow, wasn’t he good looking?
  
• They want to know every last detail about each of Big Paw Paw’s divorces.
  
• They want to know why Big Paw Paw sued his sister.
  
• They want to know why Big Paw Paw was kicked out of his family.
  
• They want to know why Big Paw Paw was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
  

That’s right. While you’ve been carefully crafting research work that would (in your dreams) be worthy of The History Channel, your loved ones just want to know how the family compares to an episode of Jersey Shore.

So what to do? Don’t force the details on your family. Give them what they want in the format they’ll appreciate. [Yes. Give them 'Snooki' and 'The Situation.'] Give them the stories, the photos as well as a chance to add to all of that in a way they can understand. By engaging family members in a non-technical way, you’re more likely to get their input, their stories, their rumors, their secrets, and – dare I say – their details that may be just what you need to find the parish your great-grandfather was more than likely baptized in near that small (And I mean, small) village ~ all without that glazed-over look in their eyes.

Are you going to the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference next week in Springfield, IL? Join 1000memories.com Thursday morning, Sept. 8th at their Engaging Your Family in Genealogy breakfast panel. I’ll be in attendance, but if that doesn’t do it for you [grin], D. Joshua Taylor (Co-chair 2011 FGS Conference), Dear Myrtle (Pat Richley), and Jonathan Good (Co-founder 1000memories) will be on the panel. Space is limited and you must RSVP. For more information please visit the 1000memories.com blog.


~Caroline

Raise your hand if you like a good story. [That's what I thought.]

There's a new company and website that has recently been brought to my attention called 1000memories.com.
 The company states on its website, "1000Memories is a transformative social media site dedicated to changing the way people remember and are remembered." Basically, memorial pages can be created for a loved one that give the feel of an online scrapbook with the user being able to enter in stories, photos, quotes, videos, songs, and documents ~ all in an effort to share a loved one's story.

I love the idea that their focus is on the story ~ the family story, and I love the layout of their memorial pages. I think they describe it as a "quilt" and I think they're exactly right in that description. I'm not done playing around with their website, but I am in the beginning stages of a memorial page for my infamous grandfather, Big Paw Paw.  [Who else, right?] You can take a look at his memorial page here. The memorial pages are free to create and look at, and the company maintains that through the help from angel investors, they will always remain free and secure. However, they do plan to add premium features in the future.

The other cool tool that I've started playing with is their new Social Security Database Search that they just debuted on their blog this past week. When you enter the name of a loved one that has passed away, it populates an interactive map and list of all people with that name who had a social security number. Using the interactive map you can then narrow down the search by state. When you select the correct person, you can start a memorial page for this person, and it automatically starts the page for you with their name, date of birth, and date of death. I think this is a great tool especially for the beginning family history researcher. You can take a look at this feature here.

For those who have been working on their family tree for a while, the website indicates that it accepts GEDCOM's by email. I haven't tried this feature yet to see how this works, but certainly with this ability, starting memorial pages will be a lot easier for those who already have data on their ancestors.

As I mentioned previously, I have just started out using this website, but my overall impression of it is that it is a website that is perfect for those interested in sharing the story of a loved one's life story with friend's and family. With its collaborative features, you can truly get the their story from different points of view. It's interface makes it very easy for a family member to share their stories, photos, etc. without feeling like they have to know a lot about the ins and outs of family history and genealogy, which means family members are more likely to share. [And that's a very good thing.]

As I work with it and develop Big Paw Paw's memorial page as well as other's pages, I will share more about it in upcoming posts. However, take a look at a video of Jonathan Good, one of the cofounders, speaking in San Francisco about 1000Memories.com's vision: 

[If unable to watch video here, then watch it here: http://youtu.be/sGE4HMvDe-Q ]

~Caroline

[Disclosure: Other than the fact that  I was contacted by the company to take a look at their site, I have no connection to 1000Memories.com.]