I have decided to give a bunch of personal and even some financial information away to internet startups. I know, could be a very bad move. But I love the products these companies have created and the only way to really understand them is to press forward with my own data. Both seem to be attentive to the security issues, so I’m betting all will be OK. Still, here’s to the future, it is a bit edgy.
What are these two products:
(1) I want to escape Quicken, and Mint looks like an interesting candidate for doing that. It is a beautiful web app with no-brainer setup and clear infographics. The one flaw (for me) is that it does not include any bill paying feature, but I could move that to my bank anyway. We’ll see how that goes.
(2) I’ve tried programs like the lovely MacFamilyTree for building our family tree. It is not bad, but the tree goes stale quickly because I’m the only one editing it. I’m in the process of moving all the data I have in MacFamilyTree over to ItsOurTree, a very simply designed family tree builder on the web that (I think) will let me share the task of maintaining that tree with many “friends” (in other words, other family members). It looks good so far, but I have not tried the friending part yet. This app comes out of Germany, so I can even invite the Austrian side of the family into the fun if it works out.