(Article initially posted October 20th 2017, its been changed to help users find this information faster on the blog)

We caught up with Musical Family Tree website committee chair Justin Shimp (also a member of the art duo Brain Twins) to ask him how users can best optimize their MFT website experience.

Seth Johnson: If I'm having trouble using and/or viewing the MFT site, is it likely a problem related to my Flash Player?

Justin Shimp: It certainly could be. Chrome and other browsers are turning off Flash functionality as a default now, and you will have to enable Flash manually in order to manage a band page or write a blog post and post images/music.

SJ: What are some common signs that will arise if Flash Player and the MFT site aren't cooperating?

JS: Right now, we are mainly encountering issues on the uploading side of things. So if you are uploading a music file or photo, you could potentially not see the “browse your computer” pop-up that allows you to upload to the site.

SJ: What steps do I need to take in order to make sure that Flash Player and the MFT site cooperate?

JS: First thing you should do is see if you have Flash and see if it’s installed: https://www.whatismybrowser.com/detect/is-flash-installed

Once you confirm that, you need to make sure the MFT site is allowing Flash to be used. When you are on the site, you can navigate to the circle “i” icon, and navigate down to the Flash tab and make sure that it is in “Allow” mode.

All of this being said, if you are still encountering an issue, please let us know by sending us an email at support@musicalfamilytree.com, and we will get back with you ASAP.

SJ: Are there certain browsers that work best with the MFT site?

JS: We recommend Chrome and Firefox for optimum use with the site.

SJ: Do the above solutions and tips also apply to mobile devices? If not, do you have any suggestions for getting the most out of the MFT site on a phone or tablet?

JS: I can’t speak for Android phones, but you can only listen to music and read the blog on mobile. Eventually, we would love to give more functionality to mobile users but currently we are only in the planning and fundraising phase of doing those types of enhancements to the site.

In conclusion, thank you to everyone who uses the site, and please feel free to give us feedback on how things work for you. We are in the planning and fundraising phase of building a new site/improving this one. Any feedback on the current one will help us improve the next iteration. Remember you can email the website committee directly at support@musicalfamilytree.com.