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Getting started with FTAnalyzer - ideas for guides

Alexander Bisset

Alexander Bisset

Administrator
Staff member
It would be useful to get ideas from seasoned users, novice users and definitely potential users as to what sorts of useful guides we could create to explain features (or themed groups of features) in FTAnalyzer.

These can initially be written guides with screen shots etc but I would like to try to create some videos themed around particular features as I think that actually showing people how to use something could be so much more instructive than just a written guide. That said having a written guide for people to download and to follow along with the video, something that could essentially form the script for the video would be even better.

So for now what would be useful is compiling a list of topics or themes.
 
I think you need a brief talk on what it is, what it does and how the viewer will gain from it.
You might need to talk about the download and installation.
You need to talk about gedcoms, what they are, and how typically to get one out of their FHS.
How to open a gedcom in FTA.
A brief chat about the 1st tab, Gedcom stats because this is where the screen defaults to after loading a gedcom.
And assuming these people are coming from a LostCousins site/NewsLetter/Forum, a talk on the LostCousins Tab and everything it helps with.
And finish with that the other tabs will be covered in separate videos.
 
I'm thinking that initially a "Getting Started" document/video needs to cover the first 5 points you made. As well as things like setting the root person (vital to ensure the reports give correct results), then perhaps a quick overview of the tabs and their function with no details. Perhaps Getting Started needs to be in parts - eg: Part 1 Installing and loading your first GEDCOM, Part 2 an overview (includes your point 1 as well as what the tabs are for).

I'm thinking that by having two part getting started then the overview would be stand alone and could refer to "Installing and loading your first GEDCOM" if people haven't done that yet. This would allow people who have got the program loaded and are thinking "now what" to start with the overview and those that want to know how to get started and load their GEDCOM would have a guide too.

That's would be enough to get started with, so now its a case of grabbing some screenshots and writing some text to act as a script. Once that's done and we have a document to work from I can do some recording of videos using the script.

Then its a case of future topics so I'm thinking
  • Sorting your data errors (although this is quite a big topic)
  • How to Find People on a census
  • How to connect with Lost Cousins
  • Locations and Maps
  • Loose Births & Deaths
  • etc
 
I mean using FTAnalyzer to identify people on a census who are missing finding them (with a double click) as well as changing search providers (using free ones as well as paid). I was thinking it would also cover entering census facts (as opposed to notes), census reference handling etc.

In particular the overcoming of the issue of old unreliable programs storing census data as cut n paste text which is of limited use vs proper census facts. One of the first things people entering data into Lost Cousins will need to do is to identify who they have entered on a census. If they haven't got census facts this will provide the first challenge.

The thought was similar to getting started the entering data to Lost Cousins would consist of two parts, identifying people on a census (with the relevant census refs) and part 2 entering them onto the Lost Cousins website and tagging them as entered.

I would expect each video to be no longer than 2-3 minutes so as to be to the point and useful.
 
Sorry to have kept away from the discussion so far but my other involvement(s) are mentioned elsewhere.

May I briefly make one or two suggestions?
1. Don't assume that the reader/viewer has an experienced knowledge of genealogy and census searching, etc. Those that do have such knowledge can probably manage to get stuck in to FTA relatively quickly with just a few hints/pointers. My original concern was that one or two forum members have already asked for help being somewhat 'overawed' by the size/scope of the program. Then without an overall understanding it is very easy to feel 'lost'.

2. Keep descriptions simple and lead the user in small chunks/chapters from an overview down into more detail. If a user has to learn a process by committing to memory then it will seem too big a task to get involved with. The aim should be to introduce what needs to be achieved and how that can be done, in small steps, to avoid complication. It is all too easy to expect newcomers to keep up with the developer's train of thought but that is based on months of gradually obtained experience.

3. (ok, a bit like Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition - yet another thought) Like program development, it is better to spend most of the time up front deciding exactly what the requirements are and mapping out the whole package before starting down into the detail.

4. A few still screen shots would probably be useful as guidance at the higher levels of explanation with video demonstrations kept for the more detailed aspects on specific points.
 
I think the intro should be quite brief and specific. Gets the file downloaded, open a gedcom, set root person, and a basic report or 2.

Next instalment video can then expand on that to introduce more topics, and more complex functions. Maybe a video per tab, to future proof against changes?
And have the screen shots duplicated in the documentation.
 
Thanks for the feedback Bryman. As you say small digestible chunks will be better which is why I favour creating documents I use as a script and making videos that are 2-3 minutes long that expand on the document without getting too bogged down. More along the lines of explaining the "WHY" rather than the how. Show the how explain the why.

If we don't do documents first there is every chance the video would meander and go off on a tangent, as I have a bad habit of not sticking to the point :(

Thus to start out I'd like to aim simple and create two documents with screenshots - mostly screenshots not a lot of text. They should show how to click once to install the program and then how to get a GEDCOM from various family tree programs. Then how to load the GEDCOM into FTAnalyzer and see the stats on the GEDCOM stats page. Part two would pick up where part one left off and would show how to set the root person (vital for everything else to report correctly) then would show the basic reports, individuals, families, surnames, locations, occupations, facts, sources. With a brief intro to data errors (and duplicates), loose births/deaths, census, Lost Cousins, colour reports, tree tops and world wars tabs.

For example coverage in part 2 of census tab might be simply "On the census tab there are lots of options to see various census and to filter on various things, for now lets just accept the defaults and see who in my tree I am missing an entry for the 1881 UK Census". Click show census report mention click can search on various sites. "Census reporting will be covered in detail in a later guide". That would be all for the census tab, a brief into showing the major features. Other tabs would be similar.
 
Alexander Bisset said:
. . . and would show how to set the root person (vital for everything else to report correctly) . .
Click to expand...

Such simple things would be the very essence of the guide.

I have just run an offshoot tree through FTA and was surprised when the Colour Census Report only had a couple of entries even though there were dozens of individuals present in the GEDCOM. It took a few moments and then I realised that the root person was the husband but all the relatives were on the wife's side. A quick change and all was revealed.

If that had happened to a new user, without this proposed guide, they could be lost to ever making use of FTA.
 
I've written a first draft of Part 1 of an introduction to FTAnalyzer. I'd appreciate comments and suggestions for improvement.

Note I am a mathematician and computing scholar not an English scholar (plus I'm Scottish not English ;) ) so my style may well be too technical or not grammatically well structured. Thus I welcome feedback from those who are better at the literary side of things.

Especially useful would be feedback from anyone who hasn't used the program yet. Did this guide help you get it installed and setup?
 

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Looking at it from a Welsh perspective, I've added a few commas and changed a few words and added a link to the documentation website. :)

All changes are in Red, and a pipe has been added to the left of the line to show you were changes have occurred. You can step through the changes from the Review tab, and accept or reject as you so wish.

And I should say that I thought it was very good.
 

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Thanks Tim, I've accepted all your tweaks apart from the spelling of documentation :) I've also noted that on my laptop spelling and grammar checking is turned on which apparently it isn't on my desktop PC on which I wrote the original. Thus a few more tweaks have been made.

How about the length. I was going for something not too involved so that each part is a bite sized chunk to try to be user friendly.

If I have some time I'll try my hand at a Part 2 tomorrow. Which would leave sections on Mapping and Census entries as follow ups.
 

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Lol, couldn't see the spelling error because it was in red, underlined etc, sorry.
 
I have just seen this Part 1 (441.1 KB) and think it is very good. It should help those unfamiliar with FTA and give them confidence to install and start to use it. The length is fine and short sections at an overview level make it easy for new users to understand without feeling overawed by size/complexity.

I do have a few suggestions which I have not added to the document as I still use an old version of Word which does not recognise .docx format. I have managed to read Part 1 using the Office Word Viewer but that does not allow me to insert updates.

1. Might it be useful to mention at the start that FTA is a tool which runs in a MS Windows environment, rather than MAC or Linux?
2. A little more explanation about the .NET environment might avoid the sort of difficulties that some of us encountered when we first started to use the early versions of FTA, ie what version needs to be installed, how, and what problems have been seen in the past.
3. Removal of an old/invalid version of FTA is mentioned but not that it should be done using the standard Windows uninstall facility. Many people do not install programs frequently and extra help/hints can lessen doubts and uncertainties. Incorrect removal can lead to further difficulties with subsequent installs.
4. Inexperienced users of FTA are unlikely to need to use a beta test version of FTA but a mention that such may be required at times would be good, with a pointer to a separate section for further information/use. This would give the less technically minded confidence to install and use a test version when they have requested the inclusion of a new capability.
5. Creation of a GEDCOM file is mentioned as a test file but not where it should be saved or how it can be looked at using Notepad or other similar reader. I also think that a brief introductory explanation of the typical contents, in a separate section would be helpful. Examples shown could also be referenced from some of the detail to be included in Part 2 (?).
 
Thanks for the suggestions Bryman I'll incorporate into next version later today. You make a good point about word versions the released version will be a PDF.
 
If you're trying to keep the document "Lite" and simple, and easy to use, then I would not go into any details about using notepad or any other viewers for the gedcom.

I would however have a note to say if you have errors during installation, then redirect to a separate document. This way the vast majority of people who won't have any issues won't be put off by explanations that they don't need. It should be written in the style of a new user to FTA and the installation will be simple. Just pointers to another doc if they have issues, where you can be more specific.

So item 1 is good, item 2 should state what the minimum version requirement is, item 3 - does this topic need to be in here? redirect to the installation issues help doc, item 4 well I think new and normal users should not be directed to or use the beta versions, its asking for grief., item 5 yes discuss gedcoms in a different file if required.
 
Tim said:
If you're trying to keep the document "Lite" and simple, and easy to use, then I would not go into any details about using notepad or any other viewers for the gedcom.
Click to expand...

I was not intending to suggest any details at this point in the document, just a mention and pointer to elsewhere for further information if needed at some point. Hopefully, users will learn to not be put off by the GEDCOM file as being something worryingly complex.

Tim said:
I would however have a note to say if you have errors during installation, then redirect to a separate document. This way the vast majority of people who won't have any issues won't be put off by explanations that they don't need. It should be written in the style of a new user to FTA and the installation will be simple. Just pointers to another doc if they have issues, where you can be more specific.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Keep initial document short and simple but include a few pointers to elsewhere for oddball situations so that users do not feel left high and dry if the worst happens.
 
It looks good to me also but it would be good to get confirmation from a new, or fairly new, user too.

Just one slight wobble, in my Word Viewer anyway.
The example GEDCOM snippet on the last page appears to be too deep and covers the following text.
 
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