Podcast: An Interview with Simon Orde about Family Historian

Podcast: Version 3.0 of Family Historian was released a few weeks ago. This powerful Windows genealogy program is very popular in the U.K. and elsewhere. Family Historian is very graphics oriented and its visual representations of family trees extend even to the program’s data entry screens. In this audio podcast, Dick Eastman talks with Simon Orde, the owner of Calico Pie Limited, the company that produces Family Historian. Simon thoroughly describes the many features of Family Historian.

You can listen to this 38-minute, 35-second interview using any modern computer that has either speakers or headphones attached. It can also be downloaded to an iPod or other portable music player. To listen to the interview, click on the "play" button located to the left of the long bar below. To download, click on the link for "MP3 File."




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Comments

[Alf Rogers]

I have been listening to your blog interview with Simon Orde upon the subject of his Family Historian v.3.

First, I wish to congratulate you on your initiative in introducing this new medium to your personal battery of genealogical support ideas. I am sure that it is going to become a very acceptable extension of study and enquiry for many aspiring genealogists in the coming years.

Second, you are obviously one of those persons who is in the unique position of being the "generalist" who can bring together the experts in specific fields to interview them in such a way that their ideas may be better understood by the masses. To this extent you are following upon the lines of a call made by the Duke of Edinburgh who in 1947 (?) called upon the world's scientists gathered at the first Pugwash Conference to find generalists who could translate their various disciplines into a form readily understandable to the non-scientists.

Third, one of the problems that has to be overcome and this is common to all interviewers, is a balance between the voices of the interviewer and the interviewee. Part of this is your personal training which allows you to use the medium to best effect as opposed to the interviewee's unfamiliarity with the process of public speaking. That statement in itself needs modification: in this particular case Simon's voice was dropping away towards the end of sentences indicating he was reacting to you as the interviewer and your understanding without carrying through with the emphasis that he probably uses when addressing a larger audience "in the flesh." There were several occasions when I found myself having to query just what was the strength of a particular statement. As a user of his program, I found much to agree with: unfortuneately I did not find the answers to a few of the problems I have struck. Perhaps the telephone, or use of the internet, does not give the complete answer to an interviewing technique.

I look forward to further podcasts.

[Dick Eastman]

Thank you for the comments, Alf. I appreciate your taking the time to document your thoughts. I have read your words and will try to remember them during future interviews.

I will say that I certainly agree with your comment of "Perhaps the telephone, or use of the internet, does not give the complete answer to an interviewing technique." I doubt if there is any perfect medium for interviews. I see the audio interviews as one more method that supplements other, existing methods.

I also will say that my thoughts while interviewing Simon were more oriented towards introducing Family Historian to people who are not yet familiar with the program. I was not focusing on providing technical assistance to existing Family Historian users.

HOWEVER, that does cause me to think that there is an opportunity here that I have not yet explored: providing online tutorials for beginning, intermediate and advanced users of any program. I am not cetain if podcasts are the ideal vehicle for that or not, but it does make one pause and think.

Thanks again.

- Dick Eastman

[Patrick Harris]

Great interview with Simon Orde! You both did a good job - I found it very interesting and informative.

[jtaubman]

Good interview a great use of PodCast.
For help on FH, don't forget you can visit http://www.fhug.org.uk

[David Cecil ORDE]

Simon
Could you save me a lot of time in family history research, I am a direct descendant through my paternal grandmother of Sir John Orde, 1751-1824 ? Would be most grateful to hear from you.

David Orde

[SANDRA CLARKE(JAROSZ)]

DEAR FAMILY CAROLINE , SIMON HANNAH AND NICOLAS

FIRST OF ALL , I WANT TO APOLOGISE FOR NOT WRITING TO YOU FOR SUCH A LONG TIME.HOWEVER I WAS TELLING ABOUT YOU A LOT TO MY FRIENDS. I HOPE U FORGIVE ME.

SINCE JANUARY 2006 I VE BEEN LIVING IN AUSTRALIA AS I WAS DREAMING OF AND I AM VERY HAPPY HERE.

BOTH TRAV AND I GOT MARRIED ON THE 1ST DEC ACTUALLY 4 WEEKS AGO(BUT I M NOT PREGNANT YET)...MY PARENTS CAME OVER TO CELEBRATE WITH US AND STAYED FOR 6 WEEKS WHICH WAS WONDERFUL.THEY ABSOLUTELLY LOVED HERE AND THEY ARE DEFINATELLY COMING BACK.IT WAS VERY SAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO THEM AT THE AIPORT BUT WE MIGHT BE GOING TO POL NEXT XMAS,WE HOPE.

ANYWAY, MY MUM SENT ME YOUR WEBSITE TODAY AND I LOVE IT AND I CANT BELIEVE HANNAH AND NICOLAS LOOK SO GROWN UP NOW.THEY CHANGED SO MUCH. I LOVED THE SKING MOVIE , THEY MUCH BETTER THAN MY SKIING

SINCE I CAME OVER TO GOLD COAST AS I MADE MY COMMITMENT I STARTED STUDYING MASSAGE AND THAT IS WHAT MY JOB IS ABOUT NOW.I REALLY ENJOY IT.SOON WILL WORK FROM HOME AS TRAV IS NEARLY FINISHING MY MASSAGE ROOM IN OUR HOUSE ON GOLD COAST IN QUEENSLAND.
WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AFTER KIDS I M STILL DOING IT AS ONE OF MY CUSTOMERS WHO WAS PREGNANT WITH HER SECOND 11 MONTHS AGO , ASKED ME IF I M STILL UP FOR IT, AFTER TELLIN HER I WAS A NANNY IN UK. SO NOW EVERY MONDAY I GO TO HERS AND LOOK AFTER 2,5 YS OLD VERNON AND 11 MNTHS OLD BEATRICE.ITS A BIT FULL ON BECAUSE THEY STILL BABIES UNDER 3 BUT I STILL ENJOY IT.

TRAV IS AN ELECTRICAL ATTENDANT ,HOWEVER,HE JUST GOT BACK TO STUDY AND DOING APPRENTICE FOER ELECTRICIAN.
WE ALSO HAVE A CUTE BABY GIRL(OUR LOVELY 16 MONTHS OLD HUSKY"ELKIE")SHE IS SO ADORABLE AND SMART PUPPY.

TIME REALLY FLIES AS I KEEP MYSELF VERY BUSY WORKING 6 DAYS A WEEK, MIGHT DROP SATURTAYS THOUHG AS WE USUALLY DO LOTS OF 4WD TRIPS. WHILE MY PARENTS WERE HERE, WE TOOK THEM CAMPING FOR A WKND AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME.

AGAIN ,IT WAS SO DELIGHTFUL TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL, THAT YOU ARE OK, AND HAVING A GOOD TIME ON HOLIDAY.

I PROMISE TO WRITE SOON, AND SEND MORE PHOTOS.

MY HOME ADDRES MY OTHER EMAIL
m_sandy30@yahoo.com.au

SANDRA CLARKE
12 TATE COURT
CURRUMBIN WATERS QLD 4223
AUSTRALIA