The Four Pillars of Metadata

When testing metadata, you want to keep in mind the four essential pillars:

• Read
• Write
• Edit
• Export

To see how these pillars work, it’s best to start with a single test image. Add a variety of metadata fields—names, dates, places, and events—and then track what happens when you upload it to the platforms you use most.

My Example: A Birthday Party Photo

For my own test, I chose a photo from my grandmother’s birthday party. Since I was there, I know the people, place, and event, and can confidently add accurate metadata. This makes it a perfect test image.

Tools for Adding Metadata

One easy way to get started is with the free program Adobe Bridge. You can download it here.

Yes, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but it doesn’t require a subscription or purchase. For this example, we’re using Adobe Bridge only, but it’s not the only option.

Other programs genealogists use include:

• Vivid-Pix Restore
• Mylio
• Forever.com

Each has different strengths, but for this exercise, Bridge is simple and accessible.

Why This Matters

Before you invest countless hours tagging every photo in your collection, it’s smart to run a test. Some genealogy websites don’t retain all your metadata when you upload, and others may strip it out entirely. A test image helps you understand what stays, what goes, and how best to preserve your family stories. Upload your test image to your favorite genealogy site or program and run it through the read, write, edit, and export steps. What information is retained, what can you add/edit, and is it possible to export that new information or even existing information?

I’ll be diving deeper into what happens when you upload a test image to the big genealogy sites in a future post. Stay tuned!

Invite Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective® to Speak

Are you looking for a dynamic speaker who can make family photos, history, and technology come alive? I’ve presented internationally—both in person and virtually—on topics like:

• Unlocking the secrets hidden in old photographs
• Metadata as a preservation tool for genealogists
• Organizing and sharing family photo collections
• Using AI and digital tools to tell family stories
• Power of photos and family history to your audience.

Invite me to speak at your next conference, society meeting, or special event. Let’s bring the power of photos and family history to your audience.

Contact Me to Book a Speaking Engagement

The post Why a Metadata Test Image Is Essential for Genealogists appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

This week Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, is joined by Ariel Servadio, from Gaylord Archival, who helps museums and conservation professionals preserve our cultural heritage. Ariel developed YourStory (with Ronda Buck, Product Manager) a collection of the same archival-quality materials professionals use to make it simple for genealogists to preserve their own family history.

Save 25% on Gaylord products with coupon code PD25

Save $10 on a Single Photo Consult on MaureenTaylor.com with coupon code podcast

Related Episodes:

Episode 109: Portable Photo Preservation with Shotbox

Episode 103: Collect, Preserve and Share with Collectionaire

Links:

• YourStory by Gaylord Archival
• 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:

Ariel Servadio has been working in the preservation industry for over 10 years for Gaylord Archival, helping museums, archives, and conservation professionals to preserve our cultural heritage. She developed YourStory, a collection of the same archival-quality materials that professionals use, to make it simple for genealogists to preserve their own family history to share with future generations. She has exhibited and presented at NERGC, FGS, and NYG&B conferences.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

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

The post Episode 162: Preserving Your Life with Gaylord Archival appeared first on Maureen Taylor.

This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Amberly Russell, the Preservations Services Manager for the Permanent Legacy Foundation. Permanent is a platform dedicated to allowing individual users to preserve their photos, just as a museum would, through a digital platform. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 95: How to Save Your Family Archive with Permanent.org

Episode 92: What You Need to Know About Metadata with Christopher Desmond of MemoryWeb.me

Links:

• Permanent.org
• 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:

Amberly Russell is a Texas-based archivist and is currently the Preservation Services Manager for Permanent Legacy Foundation.

Amberly brings her lifelong passion as a photographer, videographer, and archivist to her work with clients. She is a United States Army Veteran who earned her Master of Science in Information Studies, Libraries,and Archives from The University of Texas at Austin. Amberly loves hiking, listening to live music, and honing her photography skills in and around Austin, TX.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, museums, conferences, libraries, and other organizations across the U.S., London and Canada.  She’s the author of several books and hundreds of articles and her television appearances include The View and The Today Show (where she researched and presented a complete family tree for host Meredith Vieira).  She’s been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Better Homes and Gardens, The Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, Germany’s top newspaper Der Spiegel, American Spirit, and The New York Times. Maureen was recently a spokesperson and photograph expert for MyHeritage.com, an internationally known family history website and also writes guidebooks, scholarly articles and online columns for such media as Smithsonian.com. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com

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

The post Episode 161: Creating a Digital Archive with Permanent.org appeared first on Maureen Taylor.