Technology – The Family History Guide Blog

April 4, 2026

Precision Inquiry: The real core of using AI for research

Note: This article appeared previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. When the current wave of generative AI came out, the main draw seemed to be the Natural Language Interface (NLI). The NLI is not Voice Recognition. Voice Recognition is the “ears” (turning sound into text), while a Natural Language Interface (NLI) is the “brain” (understanding what that text actually means)....

artificial intelligence/Research/Technology Comments: 0

October 12, 2025

Finding Records Lost Online in the AI Universe

Note: This article was published previously in the Genealogy’s Star blog site. FamilySearch.org‘s Full-text Search capability is an overwhelming change to way genealogical searches are conducted and may well modify or replace any current way of searching historical documents. At the heart of using a previously unavailable tool for genealogical research is an artificial intelligence supported handwriting recognition. Currently, the...

artificial intelligence/Country Research/Research/Technology

September 28, 2025

Full-Text Search and FamilySearch Records

At the end of August, FamilySearch released full-text search as a feature on their main website. In a nutshell, full-text search enables you to search for keywords in the actual text of the record, even if the record has not yet been indexed. Previously, unindexed records could be quite difficult to work with due to large amounts of scrolling or...

artificial intelligence/FamilySearch/Technology/What is new at The FHG

September 21, 2025

Exploring the Family Circles Diagram

Recently we learned about a new type of free online family tree diagram, authored by Michael Fagan. This diagram is unlike traditional ancestor and descendant diagrams: it uses a circular approach to show and print your relatives, from living back to deceased ancestors. The website is called Family Circles, at https://faganm.com/diagram. To make a family circle diagram, you supply a GEDCOM...

Technology

September 14, 2025

Learning about Chrome Flex OS

Chrome Flex OS is a lightweight operating system from Google that can give new life to older computers. It’s oriented towards streaming and internet browsing, and so it doesn’t have a lot of the storage and processing capabilities included with the Windows or Mac OS. However, Chrome Flex OS can be an attractive alternative for users who may not be...

Technology

August 4, 2025

The FamilySearch Together App

Recently FamilySearch introduced the Together app on its website. Here’s a brief description from a FamilySearch Help Center article: “Together by FamilySearch is an exciting new way for youth to connect with their parents, grandparents, and other family members. Users will find ways to develop stronger family bonds and create lasting memories through interactive games and activities.” Here are the...

Family History Activities/FamilySearch/Technology

June 20, 2025

What AI Says about The Family History Guide

I recently asked Microsoft Copilot this basic question: “What Is The Family History Guide?” Here is the response I got: “The Family History Guide is a free, comprehensive learning system designed to help people explore and document their family history. It offers step-by-step guidance for using popular genealogy platforms like FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. What makes it especially useful...

artificial intelligence/Technology/The Family History Guide Association/What is new at The FHG

March 23, 2025

Update: Google Translate Buttons

For a number of years, we have had Select Language buttons for Google Translate on the website. This allows you to translate the site into any of the 100 or so languages that Google Translate supports. Recently there has been an issue on the site with the buttons not always behaving reliably. Sometimes they were switching to horizontal view instead...

Technology/What is new at The FHG

October 27, 2024

Some Common Steps to Online Security

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site. Security is one of the major concerns of the day. You can regularly read about huge websites and databases being hacked and the information stored compromised. Security on your computer or your smartphone should be as automatic as locking your door at night (or during the day...

Technology

September 29, 2024

Miles Ahead: Catching Up with Miles Meyer

Miles Meyer, our Education Director for The Family History Guide Association, is not one to let the grass grow under his feet—even in the Florida Everglades. Here’s a brief look at what he has going on, taken from recent blog post on his genealogy blog site: 1) I am finishing up my first set of classes at the International Institute...

Technology/The Family History Guide Association/Training

The Family History Guide Blog

Category: Technology

Precision Inquiry: The real core of using AI for research

Finding Records Lost Online in the AI Universe

Full-Text Search and FamilySearch Records

Exploring the Family Circles Diagram

Learning about Chrome Flex OS

The FamilySearch Together App

What AI Says about The Family History Guide

Update: Google Translate Buttons

Some Common Steps to Online Security

Miles Ahead: Catching Up with Miles Meyer

Subscribe to The Family History Guide Blog