We have briefly looked at:

the family page;
navigating between family pages with the vertical tabs;
the children window on each family page;
the scrapbook as a container to store non-text data such as photographs;
editing images in the scrapbook, and;
drawing family trees.
 

Family Tree Maker is a very extensive database and, while this course uses FTM to illustrate the storage and display of genealogical data, the course is not about learning all there is to  know about FTM.  That would be another course at another time.

You do not need Family Tree Maker to do this course.  However, if you are planning to store the results of your own research then a quality genealogical database will be essential.  Other databases will do a similar job with storage and you are encouraged to consider these alternatives.

If you are thinking about purchasing Family Tree Maker then you should be aware of the various components in each version/edition.  Read the fine print on the software package in an effort to match the software to your computer's system.  (Family Tree Maker, Version 9.0, has been illustrated in this course).

If any of your relatives are active in genealogy and you anticipate sharing family trees then compatible software would facilitate the exchange of data, especially when it comes to including pictures in the exchange. This is where the same type of software is helpful because it makes sharing very easy. 

However, this course will be looking at the universal GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunications) process that makes it possible to exchange text data between any two reputable genealogical databases.  It is possible to import and export with GEDCOM.  So in effect you could use a completely different application to another person and exchange text data quite successfully.

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