Genealogy Jottings

When November rolls around, I begin my annual writing project for Christmas. Each year I focus my research on an ancestor or an ancestor couple. At the end of the year, I use my findings to write a biographical sketch for distribution to my relatives. This year my subject will be my great-grandfather, Samuel Harvey Reed.

Over the research year, I use The Master Genealogist (TMG) software for compiling data. You can create a report on someone in TMG, but the text is awkward, and you cannot edit it. In the past I have been able to use TMG to generate a report on my subject, and then export it to a Word file where I can edit it into final form.

This year, I encountered a problem right away. Earlier this year, I upgraded my Windows and Office programs, and TMG will no longer export to them. It will not even let me copy and paste the report into a Word document. The creators of TMG can only suggest waiting for their update to resolve this problem. When will that be?!!! We have been waiting for months for this upgrade. I find this completely unacceptable.

I have two choices:  re-type the report from scratch or use an old computer with older versions of the operating and word processing software. I am so disappointed in TMG over this. I have used this software for about 4 years, but I am seriously considering migrating to another program or the cloud. Difficulties like these will not keep customers loyal to TMG. They need to “get with the program”, so to speak, and FAST.