Friday, September 9, 2011

FGS2011 - Introducing HistoryGeo.com




In the FGS2011 exhibit hall, I had a chat with Greg Boyd of Arphax Publishers, the makers of the Family Maps wit which genealogists are so familiar. On September 8, Arphax unveiled a new online genealogy tool: HistoryGeo.com.

Boyd was kind enough to give me a demonstration. In short, HistoryGeo.com combines the detailed maps genealogists appreciate in the Family Map books with social networking components.

HistoryGeo.com includes a viewer that allows you to examine land maps by location or surname (of the original owner of the land). From the view perspective, subscribers can “tag” the land with custom markers that include photos, links, and pertinent details of your ancestors. You can make this information private or public. Sharing it with others increases the chances of connecting with potential cousins and others who descend from the families near your ancestors.

Right now, Boyd is looking for charter members to subscribe to their service. Though the site is new, it continues to grow. It has the potential to be a very cool genealogy tool.

I’ll play around with HistoryGeo.com some more and let you know how it goes. I just wanted to share about it with you because it’s a new toy and I know how much genealogists love new toys.


[I wasn't compensated for this blog post. I just like maps.  --Amy]

4 comments:

  1. I subscribed to the 500-map collection thinking that I would be limited to 500 maps in general. It appears (unless I'm misunderstanding) that the maps which are available at the two levels are pre-determined and you can't view the more detailed maps, i.e., they aren't part of the 500 pre-selected available maps at that subscription level. ??? If that is the case, it would be nice to have a way to bump the subscription up to the other level rather than just offering the two levels.

    I love maps, too. Thanks for posting.

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  2. Patti, you should contact the folks at HistoryGeo.com. They are still improving the product and are really open to feedback.

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  3. Well, I figured they'd be watching your blog, and I thought it could let other people know there may be a limitation which I hadn't thought of before choosing subscription levels.

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  4. Hello Patti,

    Sorry for the misconception. You absolutely have your pick of ANY 500 maps you choose. There are no limitations.

    Three quick points:
    1) we'll soon be sending you (by email) a better explanation of how to add those maps to your collection [hint: it all starts by logging in, then going into our "Map Library"],

    2) we're going to give all our Charter Members at least one extra month free while you wait for us to get better explanations of how to do things up on our site, and

    3) watch out for both a growing Knowledgebase AND upcoming Webinar/Videos).

    We're committed to providing not only a wonderful research tool, but a good value for your money. Please do not hesitate to voice any concerns to us at info@historygeo.com.

    Thanks for your patience as we get things fired up in earnest.

    Sincerely,
    Greg

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