Memory Manager 101

Memory Manager is a media organization software that helps the user to sort, edit, find and tag photos, videos and even audio clips. There are other types of softwares out there which have been compared and contrasted for ease of use (fellow CM consultant) and I still find that MM is the easiest and most user-friendly software.

For my first lesson, I want to address your Memory Vault. Your MV is basically your 'safe' for your media. It houses all your photos, videos and audio clips in one area where it can be backed up, either manually or automatically, depending on your settings (action found under protect tab in your Media Library view). Manual backup is done on disks and only backsup the most recently added files (since your last backup) and if your computer crashes, EVERY disk will be needed to restore your MV. Automatic backup is usually used to 'shadow' your MV onto another hard drive, like an external and does this without prompting. Some people have multiple vaults, which I do not find to be necessary in most cases.

You can run 'health checks' of your vault by going to memory vault>manage vault. It gives you all the stats of your vault, including the name (which defaults to Sample Archive, but can be changed here), how many images are in your vault, how many need backing up, etc. It's worth checking out and knowing it's there. A great piece of info here is the back up size: it will help you decide what type of disk (CD or DVD) you will need and how many. DVD's hold more but some studies have shown that CD's are more durable and last longer...all the more important to have THREE points of backup for your photos. AND NEVER USE CD-R OR DVD-R, as this opens the door for erasing/overwriting mistakes, just from my experience.

So, to recap, your MV is your safe for photos and doesn't require anything except occassional backups and health checks. It can store all your media needs for easy reference and sharing with others.