Family tree shareware is family tree making software that allows you to test it before you buy it. The whole concept is based on a simple premise: every genealogy software developer wants to make the best software that they can, so that they can be the best in the market. They want to be competitive, and one way of doing that is buying your trust as someone who is interested in taking a look at their software with the possibility of purchasing it from them in the future.
They want you to test their product for a certain period after which you can make up your mind about whether it’s good enough or not. What they are trying to tell you is that they believe their product is so good that they are willing to let you test it for free because they believe that you will want to buy it after the trial period is over.
For you as a consumer, offering shareware is a great promise from any software manufacturer; they are taking the risk to let you use their product for free because they believe it’s that good. What it allows you to do is make a start with creating your own family tree by testing as much genealogy software as possible before you have to make a decision on which one is best for you. You will end up with the best in the market and the one that meets your exact needs by trying out as many as you can.
When looking at family tree shareware, look at it the way you would if you were actually buying the software.
Here is a checklist that will allow you to choose the best shareware:
- Does it allow you to connect to online genealogy databases so that you can upload and download data?
- Does it give you all the functionality you need to make the kind of family tree you want? For instance, how many different kinds of templates does it offer? Can you append photos and notes? Can you open it to others in your family so that they can assist you by finding and adding data?
- Does it come with product support? This is something that you should check with all software, not just family tree shareware. It can be extremely frustrating to buy software and have no one to turn to if you have questions or problems.
- Does it offer software updates? The web changes all the time and software has to change to conform to the changes. Software that doesn’t get updates will soon be unusable or have limited usability.
- Do the updates come at a price? Some software companies have a business model where they make their money off updates. They will send you their initial software for very little and then charge a lot for updates. Decide if this is something that you can accommodate, otherwise look for one that does not charge for updates or charges very little.
- How much does the actual purchase version of the software cost? The family tree shareware is free but what if you eventually want to buy it? Will it be too expensive?
If you make these considerations when choosing the shareware to get you started with your project, you should end up being able to compare only the best genealogy software out there. Then you will be in the best position to make a well-informed choice.
Another good idea when making your decisions about which family tree shareware is best for you is to join forums where people discuss family tree creation and the different types of genealogy software that is available. Get the opinions of other users; they are usually very candid in their exchanges about their experiences with the different products.
Margaret Ravenscroft has been a genealogist for over 20 years and has traced her family back to medieval times. If you have found this article helpful, visit Family Tree Shareware to discover more. Click Here for your FREE Minicourse http://www.genealogyandfamilytrees.com
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