Dropbox vs. Google Drive vs. OneDrive: Which Cloud Storage Is Best for You?

Dick Eastman · March 22, 2017 · Cloud Services · No Comments 

 

I have written several times about the wisdom of keeping backup copies of your more valuable files. You can keep local copies or off-site copies but the important thing is to always have copies available someplace. One popular option is to keep copies in “the cloud,” using one of the file storage services, such as Dropbox or Google Drive or OneDrive.

Actually, there are dozens of available cloud-based file storage servies to choose from but Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive seem to be the three most popular, if not necessarily the best. 

Joel Lee has published a side-by-side comparison of the “big three,” pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each. If you are thinking of using a file storage service, you might want to read the article on the Make Use Of web site at: http://bit.ly/2mRQmyW.

The Big 4: Comparing Ancestry, Findmypast, FamilySearch and MyHeritage

Dick Eastman · February 21, 2017 · Online Sites, Video & Television · 26 Comments

You may have asked, “Which is the best online genealogy service for me to use?” Or perhaps you want to know the best two or three services. Sunny Morton gave a presentation about these four online powerhouses at the recent RootsTech2017 conference that may answer your questions.

The one-hour four-minute presentation was videotaped and is now available as a video on the RootsTech.org web site. I suspect this video will answer most of your questions. Topics covered include cost, record types, geographic coverage, genetic testing, DNA matching, search flexibility, languages supported, mobile-friendly, automated matching, and a lot more. Sunny provides the most information about these four sites that I have ever seen in any other one document or video.
As Sunny states, “No site has it all.”

This is a keeper! I have been using all four of these web sites for years and yet I learned several new facts about them, thanks to Sunny’s online video presentation. I suspect you will learn some things as well if you watch the video.
The Big 4: Comparing Ancestry, Findmypast, FamilySearch and MyHeritage with Sunny Morton is available at https://www.rootstech.org/videos/sunny-morton.
Also, look at the size of that audience!

How Accurate are DNA Kits used for Testing Ancestry?

Dick Eastman · February 22, 2017 · DNA · 21 Comments

Millions of people are purchasing and using home DNA kits to determine their ancestry. The television program Inside Edition enlisted the help of two sets of identical triplets and one set of identical quadruplets to investigate the accuracy of the at-home tests. The ancestry of each group should be absolutely identical since they all came from the same egg.
Test kits from 23andMe, FamilyTree DNA, and AncestryDNA were used.
The results are surprising.

The medical experts were confused and disappointed because of the varied results. Does this indicate that some of our our beliefs about DNA are wrong?
You decide. You can watch the television program’s tests and the results at https://goo.gl/Kz5ODH.