Ask AI: "What Is the Most Efficient Way To Coordinate and Update Family Trees in Multiple Online Sites?"

I'm training myself to ask questions about my genealogy and family history research of the available Artificial Intelligence tools.  This is hard to do for an experienced male aerospace engineer!  But it is instructive!

1)  Today, my prompt was suggested by Genea-Musings reader Donna in a comment to an earlier "Ask AI" post:  "Please describe the most efficient way to coordinate and update family trees in multiple online sites, e.g.: Ancestry, WikiTree, My Heritage, Geni, FamilySearch Family tree, etc.; and keep a Master Tree on my computer."

I asked this question to the free AI tools on OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o, Anthropic's Claude, Microsoft's CoPilot, Google's Gemini, Meta's AI, and Perplexity.

(image created by OpenAI ChatGPT-4o)

2)  In my opinion, by far the best and most complete answer I received was from OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o:

Coordinating and updating family trees across multiple online platforms while maintaining a master tree on your computer can be challenging but manageable with the right strategy. Here's an efficient approach: 

1. Choose a Master Tree Program for Your Computer 

• Use a robust genealogy software program (e.g., RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, Gramps, or Ancestral Quest) to maintain a Master Tree on your computer. These programs allow offline storage of all your data, notes, media, and sources.
• Ensure the software supports GEDCOM export/import, the standard file format for sharing genealogical data, so you can transfer information between platforms. 

2. Set a Primary Online Tree Platform 

• Choose one platform (e.g., Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, etc.) as your primary online family tree. This will be the tree you update most frequently and treat as the base for synchronizing with other platforms. 

3. Sync the Master Tree with Online Trees 

•  Many genealogy programs offer built-in syncing with popular online platforms:

        ◦ RootsMagic syncs with FamilySearch and Ancestry.
        ◦ Family Tree Maker syncs with Ancestry and FamilySearch.

•  Use these built-in tools to automatically sync updates between your Master Tree and online trees, reducing manual effort. 

4. Update Other Platforms via GEDCOM 

• For platforms that do not support direct syncing (e.g., WikiTree, Geni), periodically export a GEDCOM file from your Master Tree software and upload it to those sites. Ensure each platform's data is accurate and consistent.
• Check each platform’s guidelines, as some require manual updates instead of GEDCOM imports (e.g., WikiTree prefers manual updates to preserve collaboration integrity). 

5. Document and Source Management 

• Keep all source documents and media in your Master Tree software, ensuring it is always the most complete and accurate version of your tree.
• When updating online trees, ensure the sources are also included (either by attaching documents or copying text details). If a platform supports multimedia uploads, include key documents like birth or marriage certificates. 

6. Regular Syncing and Updates 

• Create a schedule for updating all platforms:

        ◦ Weekly or monthly syncs for your primary online tree.
        ◦ Quarterly or bi-annual GEDCOM updates for secondary platforms like Geni,                 MyHeritage, and WikiTree.

•  Whenever new information is added to your Master Tree, follow your sync schedule or immediately update critical trees if the information is significant. 

7. Track Changes and Collaborations 

• Use a change log or a tool like Trello or Google Sheets to track changes made across platforms. Include dates of updates and the details of any significant additions or corrections.
• Collaborate with other family members or genealogists on platforms like WikiTree and Geni, which encourage shared trees. Ensure you regularly merge duplicates and resolve conflicts on these collaborative platforms. 

8. Backup Your Master Tree Regularly 

• Regularly back up your Master Tree to cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive) and an external hard drive. Keep multiple copies to  ensure you don’t lose your core data in case of software failure or file corruption. 

9. Review and Clean Up Periodically 

• Set time aside periodically to clean up your online trees:

        ◦ Remove duplicates.

        ◦ Merge profiles when needed (especially on collaborative platforms like                            FamilySearch or Geni).

        ◦ Correct errors or update incomplete information across all                                                platforms. 

By following these steps, you can efficiently maintain consistency across multiple family tree platforms while keeping a comprehensive Master Tree on your computer.

4) In general, I think the answers to the prompt are reasonable. While most experienced genealogists are aware of these methods and resources, many inexperienced and occasional genealogists are not.   

5)  What methods and resources did the answers to the question miss, or should be explained better?

I disagree with Point 2.  A user cannot synchronize an online tree on one platform with an online tree on another platform.  In my opinion, a user should add content only to their Master Tree in a desktop family tree program on their computer, and use that to synchronize to the online family trees using synchronization tools (TreeSync on Family Tree Maker to an online family tree; TreeShare on RootsMagic to an Ancestry online tree, or the Family Tree Builder desktop program can be used to synchronize with a MyHeritage online tree.) and upload a new GEDCOM periodically to other online family trees.  In addition, Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree and Ancestral Quest can share individual profile data with the FamilySearch Family Tree, but Geni and WikiTree need to be updated for each profile by user data input - the GEDCOM features are cumbersome in those collaborative trees.  This is complicated!

For Point 6, I choose to update my Ancestry tree on a weekly or monthly basis using RootsMagic TreeShare;  I choose to update FamilySearch Family Tree profiles using RootsMagic on an occasional basis;  I choose to add an updated online tree using GEDCOM to other platforms on a yearly basis.  I also choose use GEDCOM to upload a new family tree to Family Tree Maker and Legacy Family Tree on a yearly basis, or whenever I need to use program features that are better than RootsMagic.

I also disagree with the first bullet in Point 7.  If desired, tracking changes to an individual profile can be done in the Master desktop software program in a Research Log or in a profile Note.  There is no need to use a separate desktop program like Trello or Google Sheets to track changes by inputting data to those programs - it's duplicative and a time-waster.

6)  What other questions should I (we?) ask the AI tools for genealogy research?  Please tell me in comments.

7)  :  All "Ask AI" posts are listed in "Artificial Intelligence Posts" on this blog.  

Also see these earlier Genea-Musings posts about this topic:  

• How I Use Genealogy Software and Online Family Trees (11 November 2020).
• Dear Randy: "What is the Best Way to Refresh My Online Trees?" (20 March 2020) 
• Where Are My Online Family Trees? (13 January 2020); 
• Which Family Tree Programs Sync With Online Trees and/Or Have Mobile Apps? (25 September 2014)

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