I added the databases from Kindred Konnections (a.k.a. MyTrees.com) to the Live Roots Catalog. And for those longer searches, there is now a progress indicator so that you can see that the site is still churning through the catalog to locate resources.

The collection of articles from GenealogyToday.com, including the subscription-based GenWeekly, have been added to the Live Roots Catalog. In addition, press releases from commercial genealogy companies are now included. The rapidly growing database collection from FamilyRelatives.com has been cataloged. The Resource Results now include matching listings from the Genealogy Knowledgebase developed by John Lacombe, Jr. The similar resources section now does a better job matching longer titles that start with common words. Live Roots was mentioned on the Web Site Host Directory blog today.

I enhanced the Live Roots search to recognize when the keyword(s) you enter are a .com or .org (i.e. domain name) and conduct a web address search if the standard document search yields no results. I also implemented a common misspelling process that will prompt you if the search thinks you misspelled a word (this includes misspellings when you enter in a web address). An interesting collection from the Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta was added to the catalog today. There was a post today on the Clinton Public Library blog about Live Roots.

A bunch of website links and transcriptions were added today. Live roots was mentioned by M. Diane Rogers on here Canada Genealogy blog, and on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog by Genealogy Blogger (a.k.a. Lorine McGinnis Schulze).

I updated the database today. This version has fewer duplicate web addresses as I've improved the matching logic and a filter that weeds out inappropriate links (yes, some people have nothing better to do that submit viagra links to a genealogy site). This version also introduces more internal linking between resources. For example, take a look at the Wilmer Atkinson Company, a publisher of rural farm directories. The Live Roots system is now linking together resources with the same publisher, which gives you another view into common information, particularly useful when the titles vary significantly. I've also included a web address change process, so if you are aware of a page that has been relocated, you can update the database and help other visitors.

Another batch of icons came in from our designer today, and they were uploaded to the site. I updated the Subscription Data help page to clarify what the special offer covers. An exciting new feature will be released next week! And Kim Powell mentioned Live Roots on her About.com blog today.

I made some minor changes today, including making the pages printer-friendly, adding a navigation section on the bottom of page called "Getting Around Live Roots" and more tips to the Search page. Live Roots was mentioned on Dick Eastman's blog today.

The index fix completed this evening, and is now live on the site. Document results should now be alphabetically sorted. Additional catalogs are being added this evening, including FindMyPast.com. Dae Powell selected Live Roots as his Tip O' the Dae for 11-Oct-2008.

Well, launch day finally arrived. The fix for the index issue is still running, hopefully this will finish by Saturday morning. Randy Seaver blogged about Live Roots on his Genea-Musings. The catalog of Family Tree Legends is being loaded into Live Roots.

I added a % match feature to the search results, and now allow paging through all results (if you have cookies enabled). I've begun compiling frequently asked questions, and will continue doing so on an ongoing basis. There is a problem with the sort order in the Document Results. A fix is running now and should complete by Saturday.

I made some improvements to the search engine... it now attempts to automatically include surname alternate results (like "Mac Donald" if you search for "MacDonald") and the document search will revert to a simple title search if your query includes too many common words. There is now a discounted package bundle for all of the databases accessed under the Subscription Data heading.

Today I added more links from a variety of sources, including Family History Online and Blacksheep Ancestors. I received an additional feed from Ancestry.com that listed the free databases on their site, and I updated the Live Roots entries accordingly. The free databases on Footnote.com are already marked properly. The advanced search forms for name searching were completed -- you may now narrow your search by first name, year and/or location.

The to-do list during the final days of any project seems to grow rather than shrink. I've been polishing up many of the features, adding help text where needed. Many thanks to those who have been previewing the site and giving me there feedback. Most (if not all) of the suggestions have been implemented.

Today I added the ability to preview the recent titles from a variety of blogs right from within Live Roots. You may now also subscribe to the major genealogy magazines directly through the site. On Friday, I added the icon legend feature, and optimized the icon images to reduce their download time.

I received the monthly catalog update from Genealogical Publishing Company and it has been added to the catalog. Also, the entire NARA microfilm collection has been included, and cross-referenced with databases from Ancestry and Footnote. There is now a different icon for CD-Rom based products (previously they were displayed with a book icon), and the new resource submission process has been completed.