For those researchers who use their iPhone and an online cloud storage service [like Evernote or DropBox] to scan and store documents, there is one main complaint. If you scan [or take a photo of] a document, you're not able to attach any notes to it or citation information. Well, I've found two apps that work together to help you with this process. So. This is a 2 app how-to / review. [Lucky you cuz it's a long post.. But? It has pictures.] The first app is a scanner app called GeniusScan+, and the second is GoodReader which is a PDF reader app with some pretty rockin' annotation capabilities. I'll go over the scanner first, then the PDF reader, which is the exact workflow you would use when you're out and about collecting documents.

Before we get started, this how-to / review assumes you have downloaded [bought] both of these apps.

GeniusScan+
This thing really is a genius. There's a free version but it doesn't support exporting to the cloud [boo], but the one that can export to the cloud is well worth it's price. Once you've uploaded the app here are the steps to scan a document, photo, or book:

• You have the option of either taking the photo of the document within the app itself or of choosing a photo from your iPhone library that you already took with the camera on your iPhone.
• Once you take the photo [or choose one from the library], you're shown a preview screen. Retake if you need to or if it's good, select Use.
• In the next screen you can tidy up the edges of the document just by using your finger to adjust the orange guide perimeter thingies [technical verbiage] then press Select.
• Then it automatically enhances the image for you, making the white areas whiter and the black areas blacker. It also seems to square it up as well.
• Then select the export button [rectangle with arrow] in the bottom right hand corner of the iPhone screen.
• On this screen, you can select whether you'd like to export it as a JPG image or as a PDF document. I went with the PDF route simply because I already know I'm sending it to a PDF reader. But? The PDF reader that I'm sending it to can take any type of file including JPGs. [It's beast.]
  
• Then since we want to export it to the PDF reader, GoodReader, select Other Apps [toolbox icon].
• In next screen, select Actual.
• Then you'll see a scrolling list of other apps that you have on your iPhone that you could export this PDF document to. We're exporting to GoodReader, so select GoodReader.
• The next screen shows your PDF document in the GoodReader app ready for annotating. Like magic.

Below is a gallery of screenshots. I tried to capture as many of the steps as possible. And they are in order from left to right. Just click on a thumbnail to see the full images with captions. =)

GoodReader
The document that I've used for this demo is a copy of my 2nd great grandfather's death certificate. I downloaded it from FamilySearch.org, but we're going to pretend that I scanned it. There are several things I know that are not correct on there, or at the very least things I need to look into. So. I want to mark them, write down a quick note, and place the citation info on the bottom of it so that I can go back later and create the full citation. [You know, to be a good little genealogist. =) ] Following are the steps to do this:

• When I tap the document with my finger, a screen comes up asking me if I want to annotate the document ["Save to this file"] or make a copy of the document first and then annotate the copy. I choose "create an annotated copy" because I want to keep a clean copy of the document. [And I'm a Photoshop kinda gal, and you never mess with the original.]
  
• [Note: At any time while you're annotating the document, there are 2 menus that you can access: the Main Menu and the Annotation Menu. By tapping the center of the screen quickly, you will pull up the the Main Menu. After a little while the Main Menu hides until you tap the screen again. By touching the screen and holding it down for just a few seconds brings up the Annotation Menu. Also, I found it easier to do everything with the iPhone in landscape mode.]
• You then can crop the document. But? We already did that in the GeniusScan+ app. So we're good to go.
  
• The first thing I want to notate is the discrepancy in the spelling of his last name. Visually, I want to circle his last name. By placing my finger on the screen and holding it down makes the Annotation Menu come up. I choose the oval shape on the right of the menu. I size it up to fit his last name Vaughn and center it over his name. When I'm happy with the placement, I tap Done with my finger.
• Now, I'd like to attach a note to it, but without writing over the document. I hold down my finger outside the oval [outside, not inside] and the Annotation Menu comes up. I select the Dialoge Icon and a yellow screen and my keyboard appear so I can type a note on it about his surname. When I'm done, I tap Save.
  
• What is now on top of the document is a yellow dialogue icon and if I tapped it, it would take me back to the note. However, the icon is not in the correct place. I want it inside the oval. So press and hold down your finger on the yellow dialogue icon. What appears are options for the icon. I tap Move. Then I drag the dialogue icon to inside the oval and then tap Done Moving. [Not really rocket science & it's much easier than me typing these instructions. I promise.]
  
• I repeat the process for each note I'd like to make. [And they made quite a few mistakes on his death certificate.]
  
• Now. Because I want to place the citation directly on the document but in the margin, I drag with my finger the document so that I can see the margin. Then I place and hold down my finger in the margin area until the Annotation Menu appears. I tap the icon with 'abc' on it. Then I type the citation information and then press Save.  If I hold down my finger on the text, the text menu appears where I can change the font size, font color, etc.
• When I'm done making annotations, I tap the middle of the screen to bring up the Main Menu.
• I tap the Export Icon [rectangle with arrow], then a Select Action Menu appears. I choose Open In.
• The Open In Menu appears and I can either save the file 'as is' or 'flatten annotations'. I choose Flatten Annotations. [Why? Because I'm a Photoshop kinda gal & when uploading to the web, flattened files are smaller. And that's the way I roll.]
  
• Then a scrolling menu appears listing all the apps I could export this flattened annotated PDF file to. I scroll down and choose Evernote. [However, I could've just as easily have chosen Dropbox.]
• It then appears in my Evernote App right before my eyes. Then because my Evernote iPhone app syncs with my online Evernote which then syncs to my desktop Evernote, my annotated flattened PDF copy of my 2nd great grandfather's death certificate and the annotation notes that I added appear in all my Evernote places. Like magic. And what does magic look like?

Like this:

Below is another gallery of screenshots, but this time it's of the GoodReader App screenshots. Again, I tried to include as many steps as possible. And they are in order from left to right.

If I had just wanted to add citation information, I could have just done that. Also, I could've put the citation information in a sticky note. There are a lot of options with GoodReader and my example above is just one way you can use it. GoodReader has the following features:

• Able to import & view any type of media whether it be images, text files, documents, complete ebooks, audio, video, etc. from anywhere, like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Safari, an app like GeniusScan+ [like above], Evernote, Dropbox, Box.net, email attachments, etc.
• Speaking of complete ebooks, have a book that your family is in, but you wanna take some notes in the ebook? Yeah. Import that ebook and annotate to your heart's content.
  
• Been wishing you had some type of file system on your iPhone or iPad? [Cuz, wow. It's got a kinda anti-file system going on?] Look no further. GoodReader has an excellent file management system, and then the files are accessible to your other apps.
  
• A friend says, "Hey, can you take a look at this thing I wrote in Google Docs and tell me what I need to do differently? It's, like 10,000 pages about my life." No problem [OMG] with GoogleReader. Just import that puppy and tear it to shreds with the annotation menu. And? Do it in red. Then send it right back to Google Docs. Or anywhere...just because you can.
  
• Need to do some cropping? No problem, it can do that too. [In our example above, however, we cropped the black margins off in the GeniusScan+ app. Because why not?]
• You can do file transfers through iTunes, iCloud, wifi sharing, Apple idisk, Dropbox, SugarSync, GoogleDocs, FTP servers, etc.

Below are the features of the GeniusScan+ app:

• Scan any document, photo, business cards, receipts, etc.
• Auto-senses the edges of the document and then you can very easily correct it some more if needed.
• Auto-enhances the image ~ both black & white as well as color images.
• Auto-corrects the perspective so that your scanned image looks just like it was scanned the old fashioned way.
• Can convert it to JPG or PDF.
• Then can upload to email, Twitter, Facebook, Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs, Box.net, and Expensify.
• And it also supports Wifi sharing.

[Did you see that? It's integrated with Twitter! Woo-hoo!]


The Bottom Line
These are some pretty awesome apps that can really help a researcher out when they're on the go. [And who's not these days?] However, they aren't free. But? They're cheap. Here's the lowdown on where you can find them, how much change you need to look for in your couch [or sofa if you're a sofa person. I'm not, so...] cushion so you can purchase them, and what kind of devices you can get them on:

GeniusScan+

• Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. And it requires iOS 4.0 or later.
• Can be bought in iTunes or the App Store on your device.
• Costs a whopping $2.99.
• You can check it in iTunes Preview for iPhone and iPad.

GoodReader

• Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. And it requires iOS 4.0 or later.
• Can be bought in iTunes or the App store on your device.
• Costs a whopping $4.99.
• You can check it out on the iTunes Preview for iPhone or the iTunes Preview for iPad.

~Caroline

Just Clear It

I don't believe I've ever played with a simpler app for my iPhone.

Even it's name is simple.

Clear.

And yet the name says so much. It takes a very mundane and much-hated task ~ List making, especially To-Do lists. Yuck. ~ and makes it fun.

Okay. "Fun" might be too strong of a word. Perhaps pleasant would be better. Or makes it not-so-bad. And? It's intuitive. Very easy to use. No need for a 500-page manual to get the hang of this app. No siree. After downloading it, it took me all of 1 minute to learn the ins and outs of it.

• Title a list.
• List the items.
• Rearrange the items according to priority.
• Swipe it clear when the task is done. [Which is quite satisfying. Swipe! "Die task! Die!"]

[That last one is probably why they named it Clear. Great marketing. "The App that clears your life."]

That's it.

Makes your handy-dandy iPhone that much more handy and dandy.

But don't take my word for it. Here's the video:

A Word or Two About the App Store Reviews

Now. I've read the reviews in the App Store on Clear. The main complaint is that it's too simple. In fact, someone listed this whole list [go figure] of things it doesn't do. Seriously? Do people really do all those things to their lists? Really? No wonder the lists aren't getting done. Cuz if they were getting done, you probably wouldn't have been looking for a new app to take care of your lists. [Just a thought.]

You see, I'm a procrastinator. I got it from my Dad. And if given the chance [like with a whole bunch of list features], I could spend all day on my To-Do lists. I could make them pretty. Alphabetize those suckers. Color code them with, like 50 different colors, number them, letter them, letter the numbered list, number the lettered list, set-up monthly tasks to tackle larger tasks, break those monthly tasks into weekly tasks, take a sledgehammer to those weekly tasks and come up with daily tasks, pound those tasks a little more to come up with hourly tasks, and yet pound them some more into tasks by the minute.

Then? I'd schedule a break from all that task-organizing.

Then I'd take that break.

Then I'd feel extremely guilty for not getting anything done, except for my awesome To-Do list.

Yeah. So. I need my list making to be easy. Simple. So, if you're one of those task-mastering champions, then more power to you. And? This app is SO not for you.

Who Can & Can't Get The Clear App

Sorry Android. It's not available for y'all. [Or Microsoft 7, but I think that's probably a given. No?]

Apple products that it IS compatible with:

• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 4S
• iPod touch (3rd generation)
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPad
• Requires iOS 5.0 or later

It's available in the App Store for .99

Gasp! It's not free. But? Go look in the seat cushions of your couch. Scrounge together the buck and buy this app. It's HOT. And not just because it has that 'heat map color coding priority thing' going on either. It's the App of the Week in the App store. The description of the app indicates to get it now while Clear is cheap.

Note: I've no connection whatsoever to the developers of the Clear App or to Realmac software. I just thought it was pretty darn nifty. And easy. And cheap. So I thought I'd pass it along. Kinda like a public service announcement.

~Caroline

The Rootstech 2012 App is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android.

What can you do with the app?
I just took a quick look, but here's what I found:

• Create and keep your conference schedule.
• Refer to the Exhibit Hall map and the Salt Palace map.
• Refer to Developer, User Events, or All Events.
• Refer to Speaker Bios.
• Consult Conference PDF documents for additional conference information.
• View conference photo gallery.
• Watch conference-related videos that are already found in the app.
• Access, view, and tweet from the app. [It's like they had me in mind when they added this one. LOL.]
• Make friends / contacts and connect with them through the app.
• Access the RSS feed for official conference news.

Did I get everything? I dunno. I'm going to go play with it.

The app is available for the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad in the App Store on your device or I found it here: http://www.ifreeware.net/download-rootstech-2012.html

Also the app is available for Android in the Android Market.

~Caroline

_August 7 1906
"cloudy misty day we went to Collins looked at city property 75"
August 8 1906
"showery Ray commenced to fall plow it is Rays birthday he is 20 years old today 75"
August 9 1906
"clear the shocks are too wet to thrash 80"
August 10 1906
"clear Mary and Willis went home 86"
August 11 1906
"clear cool day we went to Baxter talked to Mr. Arnold about buying his farm property" [no temperature entry]

The above entries were taken from the daily farm journal of my husband's 2nd great-grandparents, Daniel and Lovina [Logsdon] Haley whose farm was just outside of Collins, Iowa. The entries were made by Lovina, and the 2 journals that my father-in-law now owns span 1 Jan 1900 through 31 Aug 1907. Like many farmers' journals of that time period, the entries include a short description of the weather, the temperature from the hottest part of the day, and what was done on the farm. However, there is personal information included at times as is evidenced above by Lovina including their son's birthday in the 8 Aug 1906 entry.

So what does this have to do with technology and genealogy? Well, it made me think about the journaling of today and who is doing it and how. Clearly Daniel and Lovina needed this information about the farm in order to reference it in later years, but Lovina included personal items in it as well. I think I like it more than if she had written detailed accounts of their days. It leaves me to dream about those small details that managed to be significant enough to her that she included them in her brief entries.

I know my old calendars are full of mundane things like,

"Take kids to BBall practice C-5:30pm R-6:30pm."

"Go to store. Don't forget T.P."

"C's birthday - take out to eat."

"R's birthday in 2 wks ~ what to get?"

I think they're mundane, but will my descendants? Will they wonder about what I didn't write? Will they care? Will they be able to decipher my handwriting?"

Then this line of thinking made me think of my iPhone and how I could be journaling there, and, of course, that led me to apps. <grin>

I found an app that looked interesting to me. Originally launched in November of 2010, the Path app was relaunched December of 2011. They've dubbed it the "Smart Journal" and it's key features are as follows:

• Each user is limited to 150 friends making it a more personal sharing experience
• Able to post entries without you having to do it manually by using technology that learns about you as you use it [it's not as creepy as it sounds & you can turn this feature off]
• Able to post photos, short videos, music, text and share with friends
  
• When you so desire and it's appropriate, you can post to bigger social networks
  
• Meant to be a more personal network for close friends and family members

Here's a video about the Path app:

And here's a demo of the Path App:

_I know the Smart Journal feature may sound a little creepy to you, but isn't there a reason why Lovina's and my journal entries are so short? Moms are busy, but the one thing that many people have nowadays in their pocket is a smartphone that is able to do amazing things with technology. What would have Lovina written about if she had had something like this to help her? Would she have written at all? Would it have been about more personal thoughts and feelings? It's something to think about. Additionally, while there is no automatic way to download the data from their site, you can contact them and ask for your data.

Also, I know people often say that we're too busy working going here and going there, that we should slow down and be more like our ancestors, but I've found many kinfolk who traveled here and there for their occupations. They were gone for a lot longer time periods, and how wonderful it would've been if they could've been able to keep in constant contact with their loved ones. It's something to think about, especially when you're sitting there trying to figure out where your ancestor was in 1914 and lamenting the fact they didn't leave a journal or diary behind for you.

There are more journal apps that I'll blog about later, but this one is kind of neat. It's different, and it seems so easy. Perhaps easy enough to persuade reluctant and busy family members and close friends to join and share.

I guess only time will tell the path.

Like the path that Lovina and her Haley farm journals reveal.

Journals that were written on paper in pencil over 100 years ago.

Here's  the 'skinny' on the Path App:

• It's FREE.
• It's available for the iPhone and Android.
• Path.com has a very nice FAQs page.
• Path.com has a blog.
• You can find Path on Twitter @Path.
  
• You can find Path on Facebook.
  

~Caroline

Wouldn't it be nice if we could exchange contact info at Rootstech without worrying about business cards?

Wouldn't it be nice if I took this awesome photo at Rootstech & I was able to share it with you quickly and almost effortlessly?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could, like, quickly share with you at Rootstech this great app that could help you find more of your dead people efficiently so you don't have to find it online to download?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could quickly share with you at Rootstech an event from my calendar?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could quickly connect on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn?













Guess what!?! We can With the Bump App. Take a look:

Did you see how happy everyone was when they Bumped? I wanna be that happy at Rootstech. Don't you? I want to Bump at Rootstech. Don't you? I've had it on my iPhone since right after I first bought my iPhone, but I noticed at our conferences nobody Bumps. Why don't we Bump? Don't we want to be happy at Rootstech like they are in the Bump video? [Bump. Smile.]

The Bump app is available for the iPhone, iPhone Touch, iPad, and Android. Now, not all the newest features of the Bump app are on the Android version, but they're working on that. The contact info is definitely on there.

And? An iPhone can Bump with an Android phone too. That's right the Bumping is cross platform.

And? It's free.

They even have a short Bump video for the iPhone:

And a short Bump video for the Android:

For more detailed information, take a look at their Frequently Asked Questions page.

So download it. For iOS, get it from iTunes or App Store, and for Android, get it from the Android Market.

Fill-in your contact info.

Then let's Bump at Rootstech.

So we can be happy. [Bump. Smile.]

~Caroline

[Note: I am not affiliated with Bump Technologies nor was I asked to review their app. I just wanna get happy and bump at Rootstech. For more disclosure information please visit my Disclosure Page.]

_If You’re in a Hurry, the Quick Version

• App: How To Write Your Family History - a family history writing course tucked into an app for iPhone and the iPad.
  
• Website: The Professional Writing Academy; on Twitter, @profwritingapps, on Facebook
• Cost: $5.99
• Platform Availability: iPhone and iPad
  
• Where to Purchase: The Professional Writing Academy; iTunes / App Store
• My review: 2 Thumbs Up [Out of 2 thumbs because I only have 2 thumbs.]

If You’re Not in a Hurry, the 'Get a Cup of Coffee and Get Comfortable' Version
I’ve been asked a few times, “How do you write your family stories?” And I’m always at a loss as what to reply because I don’t know how to explain it. I always start with pre-writing. You know, that boring writing exercise no one wanted to do back when they were in school? Yeah. I brainstorm on paper. But before that, I think about an ancestor and their life. I try to liken them to something in modern times and try to make them real for my readers. [You see, at this point, they’re already real for me. I’ve poked around in their lives. I’ve learned some of their secrets. I’ve brought to light things my ancestors never thought in a million years would be made public knowledge. I’ve even conversed with them. But I digress.]

I definitely look for an angle, usually a humorous one. Okay. I’ll admit to adding a little sarcasm as well. [So sue me.] And there is, of course, a beginning, a middle, and an end. And I kind of tie it all together. [No, not with a ribbon. I’m speaking metaphorically.] And I definitely try to play up the aspects of the story that I think are interesting. Then I add my two cents into the mess [usually in brackets], and I try to talk about the setting and try to explain what was going on at the time. All in a conversational style like we were sitting at a local café talking about family stories over a cup of coffee [or two] and a slice of cherry pie. [And our waitress is Flo from that old T.V. show, Alice. You know the one with the tall hair who was always callin’ everyone ‘Honey’ or ‘Sweetie’ and tellin’ everyone to ‘Kiss my grits!’ when they upset her?]

See? Not very helpful, is it? I’ve never really broken my writing process down to try to explain it to others. I just do it. The creation of it starts in my head, and it keeps growing and growing and growing until my head is about to explode. And I quickly start writing ideas down ‘cause heaven knows I don’t want my head to explode. [I’d just have to clean it up.] Then as I write down the ideas, a story starts to emerge. No, not like a phoenix arising from the ashes. Nothing grand like that. But more like a lost and beaten up soul tripping its way through the murky forest and finally stumbling out of the fog and into the blinding light.

And this is why I’d never suggest to someone who was trying to develop a writing process that they follow mine. However, it looks like I don’t have to worry about trying to explain my writing process, or any writing process for that matter, because someone has already done it. And there’s an app for it as well. That’s right. A writing course tucked into an app that can be accessed with your handy dandy smartphone anywhere you and your smartphone might happen to be.

_Now, I’ve played with the How to Write Your Family History app for several weeks. [And you thought all I was doing was making heritage craft videos over the holidays and messing around on Twitter. *snort*] I wanted to actually take the course, run it through its paces, and compare it to my writing process.

And I’m very pleased with the outcome.  Developed by The Professional Writing Academy from the UK, the How to Write Your Family History app is cleverly designed to help the family history researcher learn to write their family history as well as publish it. The course takes you step-by-step through a very sound writing process.  As family researchers sometimes we get bogged down in the amount of research we have, and we simply do not know where or how to begin the task of writing. We want our family history to be recorded in an interesting way ~ more than just a ‘who begat who’ tome that no one but the geekiest of genealogy descendants will read, but how do you accomplish this?

Well, with this app, you begin at the beginning. There are 8 main sections of the course:

• Getting Started
• Planning Your Story
• Developing Your Story
• Further Research
• Formatting Your Story
• Get Writing
• Editing Your Work
• Publishing

They are further broken down into bite-sized steps with information that will guide you to your goal of writing your family history. For example, in the ‘Getting Started’ section, there’s an overview of this step that includes links, or prompts, to more information and activities that work to further your understanding of the step or concept.  The links in the ‘Getting Started’ section include thinking about what or who you want to focus on in your writing; gathering and analyzing your information and research; identifying further research to be done; and organization of all your research material.

After every concept is discussed in every section, a ‘Learning Checklist’ is provided so you can evaluate if you are ready to go to the next concept or section. With each point in the checklist, if you are not sure or ready to go on, there are ‘Questions to Ask Yourself’ in order to give you additional information to prepare you for the next section.

Additionally, throughout the app you have the ability to take notes, bookmark, consult the additional reading recommendations, and track your progress through a ‘Course Map’, or outline.

_My Impressions
This app is definitely for beginner to intermediate family history writers. In app form, the course is convenient for those who are on the go, but who still have made it a goal to write about their family history in story form. Moreover, it does discuss and help the user to explore the different ways to publish their writing in all its forms. Compared to taking a writing course at a community college or compared to buying numerous books on the subject of writing one’s family history in all its different forms, it is quite affordable at $5.99.

At first glance one might feel some sections could be strengthened with more information. However, as I glance at my large stack of books that fall within the genre of ‘how-to write your family history’ sitting on my bookshelves, I’m not sure if this really is a con in that more information does not necessarily translate into writing. At some point, the writer must make the jump and begin writing, and it’s my opinion this app gives the complete information and suggestions that are needed to learn the writing process and to complete the writing process, and does it in such a way so that it does not intimidate beginners.

Further, it has thought-provoking prompts that would be helpful for the intermediate family history writer to brush-up on their skills and tweak their writing process. I especially enjoyed and appreciated the lists of further reading for the different types of sub-genres of family history.  I have always advocated that reading in the genre in which you wish to write is imperative to becoming a better writer. It’s what I like to call the ‘what goes in, comes out’ reading-writing phenomenon [which obviously needs a better title].

This app does what it advertises by teaching the user to write their family history and publish it in the myriad of forms that exist to publish such a history, and I will be incorporating certain aspects of the course into my writing process so that my writing resembles less a lost stumbling blind soul and more a phoenix rising from the ashes. A flying family story sounds more fun than one that stumbles. Does it not?

Additionally, I highly recommend visiting The Professional Writing Academy website. Along with this app, they offer online writing courses for all genres, mentoring, and support for those writers of all levels who would like their writing to not only fly, but soar.

_Recap

• App: How To Write Your Family History
• Internet: The Professional Writing Academy; on Twitter, @profwritingapps, on Facebook
• Cost: $5.99
• Platform Availability: iPhone and iPad
  
• Where to Purchase: The Professional Writing Academy; iTunes / App Store
• My review: 2 Thumbs Up  [Out of 2 thumbs because I only have 2 thumbs.]

~Caroline

Have a genealogy-related app, family history-related app, or an app that can be used for genealogy or family history research in some capacity and need it reviewed? Please contact me.

Disclosure Note: I am not affiliated with The Professional Writing Academy. I was contacted by them to review the app and I received a complimentary copy of the app from them for me to review and keep. However, as always, my opinions based on my use of the app are just that. My opinions based on my use of the app. For more disclosure information please visit my disclosure page.

Okay, dear readers, we're going to take a bit of a break from all this crafting and videoing, and get back to an actual written post. But? I'm not writing it. No, I haven't forgotten how to write. [Duh. I'm writing this, aren't I?] Today, I'd like to introduce you to Jennifer Shoer the author of the blog, The Scrappy Genealogist. Jennifer is also my Official Family Stories Blog Stalker. [How many bloggers have one of those, eh? You're jealous. I'm sure. *snort*] Anywho, Jennifer has a fantastic blog, and if you haven't read it yet, then I suggest you do. And then stalk it. Nicely, of course. [Perhaps leave a kind comment or two?] So, let's give a warm welcome to Jennifer! [Applause.]


Do you have trouble remembering your user names and passwords? It's no secret that in order to do genealogical research online, you will have to join many sites, both free and paying. For each site you will create a unique log in combination. If you are blogging, you will have even more combinations to remember.

Hi, Jennifer here from The Scrappy Genealogist to tell you about the one app without which I would be completely lost. RoboForm is the app and remembering passwords is its game. I have 188 saved password/user names combinations. Even if I wasn't extremely forgetful (I have to write everything down!), I would have trouble remembering that many combinations. The little RoboForm guy explains RoboForm best:

_
Isn't he cute? Seriously though, RoboForm will not only remember your log in information, but will also help you bookmark websites and fill in forms. If you want to create random and more secure passwords, it will do that too. The best part? RoboForm Everywhere will sync your logins and bookmarks on all of your systems and will play with everyone. No favorites here, it is available for most operating systems and browsers; including IE, Firefox, Chrome, Mac OS X, Opera, USB, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Blackberry and Biometrics.

RoboForm isn't free, but it is reasonable and gives me peace of mind. Your first year is a deal at only 9.95. The second year is 19.95. They do offer a 30 day money back guarantee. This sounds like a sales pitch and in a way it is. I have been a happy user for almost two years and I just signed up as an affiliate. That said, none of the links in this blog post are affiliate links.

An important piece of advice: When you sign up for RoboForm online, write down or save your user name and password. The first time I used their service I did not do this and RoboForm will not retrieve this information or offer you a way to change it. It is probably a security issue, which they take very seriously.

Thank you, Caroline, for giving an Android user the opportunity to share an app with your readers.

Jennifer
www.scrappygenealogist.com
@ScrappyGen
Jennifer Shoer on Google+
on LinkedIn

Sent From My iPhone
I used to hate getting emails that had that phrase at the end of the email. Not because it was generic and unprofessional. Nope. It was because I didn't have an iPhone [but I desperately wanted one], and that irritating phrase just reminded me that I didn't have one. However, other than making people jealous of your iPhone-ness, it's not the best phrase to have at the end of your email after just your name in a boring font. If you have a business, you'd rather have some information conveying that. And even if you don't have a business, you could at least advertise your email, your blog [if you have one], your social media hot links [And that phrase sounds like fun, eh?], etc.

Well, you're in luck. There's an app for that. Email Signature Lite is a very easy-to-use app and makes your email signature look very cool. Oops, I mean professional. [You know. Like you have it all together?]

Once downloaded, you have 4 main selections: Settings, Insert Signature Into New Email, Copy to Clipboard, and Edit Signature [see photo above left]:

_Edit Signature
This will be the first one you need to select. After you select it, you then select the section where you'd like to add/edit information. In this screen, the app is very intuitive. In EDIT, you can:

• Name the signature profile [Don't put your name here. This is just the name of this signature profile. I named mine "Main" cuz I'm plain vanilla like that.],
• Add an icon [premade or no icon at all]
• Add primary and secondary information [Your name, address, email, message, etc.] 
• Space to add 6 hot links, like your website address, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, RSS feed, just to name a few.

_Insert Signature Into New Email
Selecting this option allows you to create an email within the app using your already existing email interface. The app indicates this is the fastest way to create the email so that's how I have it set up. However, the app says you can change this under Settings.

Copy to Clipboard
This option allows you to copy your complete signature to your clipboard [I know. Duh.] so that you can use a signature for replies in your own Mail app, which is nice because some free email signature apps do not address this issue at all and it's a big gripe of mine. I do a lot more replying on my iPhone than I do composing new emails, and this little feature makes it convenient.

_Settings
Under settings, there are 2 options. You can toggle on and off whether you want a copy of the signature automatically on the clipboard, and you can toggle on and off whether you want to compose a new email inside the app. I have both set to "On". You can also take a tutorial on the app under settings as well.

That's it! Simple pimple.

There is also an Email Signature Pro app for $4.99 with a lot more functionality and customization available. It has the following additional features:

• Multiple signatures
• Text fonts, styles, colors & sizes
  
• Custom banner image and footer text
• Backup & restore features
• Export to desktop
• More hotlinks
• More branding
• Ability to add vCard

Basically, you pay five bucks to have an email signature on steroids. *shrugs* [Email Signature Proids?]

The app is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and operates on the iOS 3.1.3 or higher and can be downloaded onto your iPhone through the App Store App or in iTunes on your computer. You can also take a look at the Email Signature Lite iTunes Preview page.

And the Android and Windows Smartphones? It's not available on those platforms. I checked in Android Market and Marketplace to see if they had any email signatures in general. Android Market had some that were close. Maybe. And Marketplace for Windows had nothing available when I searched.

_So, do you use an email signature for your Smartphone? If so, which one? Do you like it? Any favorite features? Let me & everyone else know in comments below. Please. [I love comments!]

You can also remove your "Sent from my iPhone". Navigate to your iPhone's Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Signature

And just so you know. I kept the "Sent from my iPhone" signature. It's after my fancy signature to annoy people with my iPhone-ness. And? I do want the email recipient to know that I'm on my iPhone. It's saying, "Please understand why my response is brief. It's not that I don't want to type a long response to whatever it is you said in your dissertation. Oops, I mean, email, and please excuse any typographical errors cuz, Duh, it's a small screen and keyboard and it's hard to edit when you have to scroll so much. And? I have an iPhone."

I bet you didn't know that phrase said all that, did you?

~Caroline

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

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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