Hi all If I have found a family member whose details are on Geni, can I easily import those details to my TMG database? Regards Jacquie

Hi Jacquie, No one seems to have replied, and I don't use Geni so can't answer your specific question. But... After many problems caused, I never import other's data directly into TMG. I always simply view the information window and enter it myself into TMG using my data entry standards and conventions. This has regularly saved me lots of grief and mix-up in my data. Just my way of working, Michael

At 2/4/2019 15:28, Michael J. Hannah wrote >Hi Jacquie, > >No one seems to have replied, and I don't use Geni so can't answer >your specific question. But... > >After many problems caused, I never import other's data directly >into TMG. I always simply view the information window and enter it >myself into TMG using my data entry standards and conventions. This >has regularly saved me lots of grief and mix-up in my data. Like Michael, I also do not use Geni, but having looked at it, the only way that I see that data on GENI can be shared is through export via a GEDCOM file. And, yes, TMG can import a GEDCOM file. Having said that, there are many downsides to using GEDCOM. The basic problem is that there is no GEDCOM _standard_. The LDS Church developed GEDCOM as a method of transferring genealogical data. The idea was well-accepted by the community. However, the GEDCOM specifications have not been written in such a way that genealogy program vendors can implement the protocol unambiguously. This is primarily due to the fact that many terms used by genealogists are not precisely defined. In most cases, GEDCOM can be used to transfer _basic_ data (name, sex, date/place for birth, marriage, death, burial). Beyond this, some data may be lost on import. The better program will output an "error" report describing the non-imported data. One thing to keep in mind is that imported data from a GEDCOM import will always go into a new data set (you can make it a new project). I seldom import GEDCOM precisely because such files are subject to data loss as well as often containing unreliable data. However, it is a way to import large amounts of data with a minimum of typing. Once I have the GEDCOM file imported then I massage each and every pieve of data. The end result is almost as much typing as just hand-entering the data. Still, there is some advantage to having it in TMG so I can verify the data and insure that each and every piece of data is documented with Source Citations telling where I got the data from as well as adding other confirming Source Citations. After this verification and associated "clean-up" (making sure the data is entered inaccordance with my data-entry standards (see <http://www.tmgtips.com/datentry.htm>). I _may_ then decide to merge the resulting data set into another data set and then make any further merging of people and added connections. There are times that I do not add the cleaned-up data set to another for a variety of reasons. Notably, I don't because I have found that the data from the GEDCOM is flawed, not related to anyone in my own data, or just isn't worth the bother. On the other hand, one piece of data that I find in a GEDCOM is whose entered the data in the first place. Using this as a contact, I can often meet a new cousin and that usually geives me much new information about another branch of my family. Lee

Thanks so much, both Michael and Lee - very helpful. Regards Jacquie -----Original Message----- From: Lee Hoffman <azchief@bellsouth.net> Sent: Tuesday, 5 February 2019 8:13 AM To: The Master Genealogist Rootsweb Email List <tmg@rootsweb.com> Subject: [TMG] Re: Adding people from Geni At 2/4/2019 15:28, Michael J. Hannah wrote >Hi Jacquie, > >No one seems to have replied, and I don't use Geni so can't answer your >specific question. But... > >After many problems caused, I never import other's data directly into >TMG. I always simply view the information window and enter it myself >into TMG using my data entry standards and conventions. This has >regularly saved me lots of grief and mix-up in my data. Like Michael, I also do not use Geni, but having looked at it, the only way that I see that data on GENI can be shared is through export via a GEDCOM file. And, yes, TMG can import a GEDCOM file. Having said that, there are many downsides to using GEDCOM. The basic problem is that there is no GEDCOM _standard_. The LDS Church developed GEDCOM as a method of transferring genealogical data. The idea was well-accepted by the community. However, the GEDCOM specifications have not been written in such a way that genealogy program vendors can implement the protocol unambiguously. This is primarily due to the fact that many terms used by genealogists are not precisely defined. In most cases, GEDCOM can be used to transfer _basic_ data (name, sex, date/place for birth, marriage, death, burial). Beyond this, some data may be lost on import. The better program will output an "error" report describing the non-imported data. One thing to keep in mind is that imported data from a GEDCOM import will always go into a new data set (you can make it a new project). I seldom import GEDCOM precisely because such files are subject to data loss as well as often containing unreliable data. However, it is a way to import large amounts of data with a minimum of typing. Once I have the GEDCOM file imported then I massage each and every pieve of data. The end result is almost as much typing as just hand-entering the data. Still, there is some advantage to having it in TMG so I can verify the data and insure that each and every piece of data is documented with Source Citations telling where I got the data from as well as adding other confirming Source Citations. After this verification and associated "clean-up" (making sure the data is entered inaccordance with my data-entry standards (see <http://www.tmgtips.com/datentry.htm>). I _may_ then decide to merge the resulting data set into another data set and then make any further merging of people and added connections. There are times that I do not add the cleaned-up data set to another for a variety of reasons. Notably, I don't because I have found that the data from the GEDCOM is flawed, not related to anyone in my own data, or just isn't worth the bother. On the other hand, one piece of data that I find in a GEDCOM is whose entered the data in the first place. Using this as a contact, I can often meet a new cousin and that usually geives me much new information about another branch of my family. Lee _______________________________________________ Email preferences: http://bit.ly/rootswebpref Unsubscribe https://lists.rootsweb.com/postorius/lists/tmg@rootsweb.com Privacy Statement: https://ancstry.me/2JWBOdY Terms and Conditions: https://ancstry.me/2HDBym9 Rootsweb Blog: http://rootsweb.blog RootsWeb is funded and supported by Ancestry.com and our loyal RootsWeb community