Video available in case that is your preference!
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In my last post, I described the fact that though I absolutely LOVE using a desktop genealogy software program (RootsMagic is my software of choice), I absolutely do not store my corresponding photos, documents, and files in it.
Long story short, I don’t do this in desktop genealogy software because I want better organization, long-term security, and easy access—genealogy software just doesn’t cut it. Instead, I created an online Family History Archive that gives me the absolute best in terms of flexibility, organization, and ease of use for the multimedia files that document my family’s lives.
For my family history archive, I use FOREVER - which offers a complete ecosystem for managing my digital memories. It’s not just photo storage, it is a system for organization, searchability, storytelling, sharing, and preservation.
Here are 5 highlights to describe why I use FOREVER:
⭐ Tagging/Labels - for every file, whether photo, document, video, or audio, I can add multiple tags (or labels) to indicate the topic, location, people, and more.
⭐ Avoids duplicate organizing - you know my main problem with desktop folders for organizing? An item can either 1) live in one folder or 2) you have to duplicate it to put it in more than one folder. Not the case with my family history archive. I can place an item in multiple albums without taking up duplicate space. Sweet!
⭐ Album hierarchies - so… I’m a librarian by training right? I LOVE hierarchies for organizing. I enjoy categorizing everything and need to be able to have albums within albums for most efficient organization. I used to have Google Photos as my primary photo storage, but the fact that I could not have an album within an album was always frustrating!
⭐Meticulous metadata - if you care about metadata, which are the details, facts, and information about your photos and other multimedia, you may like knowing that FOREVER does metadata better than most. In fact, this was my #1 reason for choosing the platform and now, almost 6 years later, they are still a top player in the game on this. If you would like to know more about why metadata is important, comment below because I have a talk coming up in March where I’ll talk about exactly that!
⭐Sharing with family is easier - while you and I may be obsessed with our family history work, how committed are your family members going to be when it comes to accessing your database? Even if you have a tree on Ancestry, the multimedia experience at online family tree sites could be better enhanced in ways that make it easier to share with family members. FOREVER gives me multiple options for doing just that. The platform is intentionally designed for long-term access and has a sharing system that is more akin to digital estate management than any other solution available.
Here is a screenshot of my top-level album organization. I keep it to a minimum at this top level to make it easier for my family to browse, yet know what they will see when they make a selection.
One of the albums in the “Our Photos” section takes you to the archive of my husband and I and our nuclear family - one album for each year.
There is a “People” feature that makes it easy to associate files with a specific person - which is amazing for timelines. We love timelines in genealogy right? This is a snapshot the Person page for my grandmother, where I can sort the files a number of ways.
And, here is a detail of a specific photo, where you can see the metadata properties - file name, description of the photo, who is in it, tags, and the album(s) it is in. Notice that I’ve tagged myself as a person in the photo even though my face is not actually in it - but I’m definitely IN this photo 😂!
In addition to this organization, I do have offline backups of my family history archive too. Definitely following a 3-2-1 backup philosophy. Also, my work is ongoing, I have so many more items to add, so many items to organize, but I have so much fun doing it!
I invite you to try it out too! If you are interested, I can do personalized training sessions to show you around - just let me know if you would find it helpful.
If you’ve ever struggled with scattered files or worried about what happens to your research long-term, it’s time to think beyond just genealogy software - creating a robust digital family history archive is key.
What do you think?
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