In this episode of “The Photo Detective,” host Maureen Taylor welcomes Kendall Hewlett, CEO of Storied.com, to discuss the revolutionary platform that fills a crucial gap in the family history industry by emphasizing the importance of storytelling over mere data collection.

• Inspiration Behind Storied.com: Kendall Hewlett created the platform to focus on the storytelling aspect of family history, inspired by research showing that knowledge of family stories increases resilience in children.
• Unique Features: Storied.com offers an end-to-end family history platform where users can build family trees, document stories, and produce hardbound books.
• Storytelling Focus: The platform emphasizes creating bite-sized, engaging stories that are easier to digest and more appealing than lengthy tomes.
• Community and Relationships: Storied.com maps out not only family relationships but also significant non-blood connections, enhancing the storytelling experience.
• User Engagement: Users can create private or public groups, share stories, and invite family members to contribute, making it a collaborative effort.
• Advanced Tools: The platform includes AI-assisted writing tools, audio transcription, and a growing database of historical records and newspapers.

Related Episodes:

Episode 235: Exploring Ancestry.com’s New Photo and Storytelling Features with Crista Cowan

Episode 221:Permanent Digital Storage Solutions with Tammy Kirby of Forever.com

Links:

• Storied.com
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.

About My Guest:
Kendall Hulet is the CEO of Storied, is passionate about the power of family stories to strengthen us and bring us together. Earlier in his career, Kendall led product management at Ancestry, where he oversaw the search engine, international growth, mobile app, AncestryDNA features, and where he co-created the iconic “shaky leaf” hint and family tree.Kendall has an MBA from Wharton and lives in Provo with his wife, Carolina, and their 3 kids

About Maureen Taylor:
Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveTM helps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pa

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations.

Support the Show.

In this solo episode of Ask Maureen, I’ll address a common genealogist’s dilemma: managing and organizing digital photos, including handling duplicates. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or a beginner, mastering photo organizers and duplicate detection tools can simplify your work and enhance your family history projects.

Key Topics

• Importance of photo organizers for genealogists
• Key features to look for in photo organizing software
• Popular photo organizing tools and their benefits
• Strategies for effective photo organization and duplicate detection
• Tips for maintaining an organized digital photo collection

Related Episodes:

Episode 234: Transforming Photo Organization: Insights from Mylios Founder David Vascovich

Episode 221: Permanent Digital Storage Solutions with Tammy Kirby of Forever.com

Links:

• Ask Maureen
• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveÒhelps clients with photo-related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations.

Support the Show.

Today, I am thrilled to have Crista Cowan, Ancestry.com’s Corporate Genealogist, also known as “The Barefoot Genealogist” on YouTube, as our guest. Crista has been a pivotal figure at Ancestry, helping countless people uncover their family histories.

• Introduction of the “Memories” feature, previously known as “Storymaker Studio.”
• Details on how users can share and collaborate on photo albums.
• Privacy settings and sharing options on Ancestry.
• Integration with Family Trees
• Overview of Pro Tools features: Error Checker, Fan Chart, Charts and Reports, Map Feature
• Explanation of privacy settings for trees and photos.
• Crista’s upcoming podcast, “Stories That Live In Us.”

Related Episodes:
Episode 184: Byte4Byte: Permanent.org’s Grant Program for Non-Profits

Episode 180: Photos, Memories, and English Genealogy with Emma Jolly

Links:

• Sign up for my newsletter.
• Watch my YouTube Channel.
• Like the Photo Detective Facebook Page so you get notified of my Facebook Live videos.
• Need help organizing your photos? Check out the Essential Photo Organizing Video Course.
• Need help identifying family photos? Check out the Identifying Family Photographs Online Course.
• Have a photo you need help identifying? Sign up for photo consultation.

About My Guest:
Crista Cowan has been employed by Ancestry.com since 2004; her involvement in family history, however, reaches all the way back to childhood. From being parked under a microfilm reader at the Family History Library in her baby carrier to her current career as a professional genealogist, Crista has spent thousands of hours discovering, documenting, and telling family stories.

During her time at Ancestry, she has been a European Content Acquisition Manager, the Digital Preservation Indexing Manager, and the Community Alliance Manager for the Ancestry World Archives Project. For the past several years she has been the Corporate Genealogist, with responsibilities for speaking and teaching at genealogy conferences around the world and helping with family history research for public relations stories. Known online as “The Barefoot Genealogist” with a weekly internet show designed to help people discover their family history.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveÒhelps clients with photo related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others. Learn more at

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations.

Support the Show.