tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post191885906514083871..comments2024-03-21T19:08:05.737-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: #RootsTech and the fundamental shift in genealogyJames Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-63789233639531790432014-02-04T09:09:07.557-07:002014-02-04T09:09:07.557-07:00Yes, I agree. The operative word here is daunting....Yes, I agree. The operative word here is daunting. Thanks for the comment. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-23894652091928744192014-02-04T07:56:56.094-07:002014-02-04T07:56:56.094-07:00This is a very interesting dialogue about the futu...This is a very interesting dialogue about the future of genealogical research and the importance of those large database companies. As a geologist, I understand the comparison being made with plate tectonic theory clearly although I’m not sure we genealogists necessarily have a lot of antipathy toward online databases in the same way that scientists studying the Earth debate issues may have been anti-continental drift. <br /><br />I agree the big, new databases will be mainstays for researchers in the future. There will always be “family historians” who love to just click and add names but most of us are not concerned with them or with what they might do. In spite of it becoming easier to add those sources with the click of a mouse (or finger on a touch-screen) most serious genealogists will check the facts before adding the information. <br /><br />I have been considering adding my family tree to one of these large online sites. I believe my data is well-sourced and properly documented. What scares me is that, once my tree, with thousands of names on it, was on such a site as Ancestry, there would immediately be hundreds, if not thousands of suggestions for document fits announced to me. It would probably take the rest of my life, and then some, to check them all! <br /><br />These are great resources for those just starting out or who have not yet reached the levels of tree-building that many of us have who have been researching for decades. It’s daunting to think about having to go through it all over again when confronted with an enormous number of new records to review!<br />Wayne Shepheardhttp://discovergenealogy.blogspot.ca/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-17272949907445932282014-02-03T20:23:23.609-07:002014-02-03T20:23:23.609-07:00I got a good chuckle from your comment even though...I got a good chuckle from your comment even though I am a robot. I like how the comments are so opposite. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-43080629408625657262014-02-03T20:21:54.891-07:002014-02-03T20:21:54.891-07:00I hope I did not imply that computer algorithms wi...I hope I did not imply that computer algorithms will replace human intervention. What is the case however, is that computer matching will find all of the "easily matched" records such as census records and that will move the level of involvement in an unpredictable direction. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-66608303598364761042014-02-03T16:55:00.160-07:002014-02-03T16:55:00.160-07:00I agree James. The indexing of vital records and c...I agree James. The indexing of vital records and censuses and automation of their being attached to matching profiles in family history programs is fundamentally shifting how genealogy is done. <br /><br />I recall at a conference for professional genealogists a few years back, David Rencher told us that unless you learn how to solve problems for clients using indirect evidence, you will be out of a job in a few years. The computer will be able to piece together families when direct evidence exists without much human intervention. (end of Rencher thought)<br /><br />Many inanimate computers will be having "heart-turning experiences." Hopefully those computers will start sharing their experiences with us human beings. Oops, I forgot to prove to your blogspot software that I'm not a robot myself.Nathan Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16335989842820672777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-1624197003180735812014-02-03T16:39:05.016-07:002014-02-03T16:39:05.016-07:00Fundamental shift? Really? Computer algorithms c...Fundamental shift? Really? Computer algorithms cannot correlate the details between actual records with anything like the subtlety of the human brain. All of that database stuff out there is dependent upon accurate extracts and indexing rather than careful examination of documents. Ancestry.com can't figure out the distinction between geopolitical descriptions of residences/parishes and registration districts in British vital records.<br /><br />The programs cannot understand that a list of heirs in an application for administration on an estate was organized by family group -- even if the document were every-name indexed, which it will not be.<br /><br />The greater volume of material, more quickly available, does not really constitute a paradigm shift.<br />Geoloverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12050268303916428230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-36249443747068547552014-02-03T16:30:22.708-07:002014-02-03T16:30:22.708-07:00I agree entirely. The main difference will be for ...I agree entirely. The main difference will be for the very experienced genealogists. What I am already seeing is that the automating of the sources lets me gather many times more information than I could previously. The automatic accumulation of sources will only benefit those who are already prepared to understand what they have.James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-70816167148832971602014-02-03T16:06:59.578-07:002014-02-03T16:06:59.578-07:00Of course, there are massive changes in genealogy,...Of course, there are massive changes in genealogy, but it doesn't follow that the original disciplines will disappear. People will still need to be able to analyse evidence to avoid being taken in by the "Grandmother was a Cherokee Princess" claims. Will they want to stop and do that if they've been racing along just pressing the button? Surely if it's on the internet, it must be true... <br /><br />The supposed "new" genealogy rather puts me in mind of the Ancestry Insider's chasm (see http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/chasm.html ) Finding data through hints in database mining software is easy - assuming the hints are correct. But sooner or later the hints run out. Maybe the family emigrated? (The chasm there is both figurative and literal). Will the new genealogists have the knowledge of what questions to ask and what approaches to take? The disciplines learnt in the first, "easy" phase may seem obvious to us in retrospect but were probably anything but at the time. Life gets really tricky if both the data and the needed techniques go through a step-change of difficulty at the same time.<br /><br />Adrian BAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-7400170185848011202014-02-03T12:42:32.159-07:002014-02-03T12:42:32.159-07:00Thanks for the comment. There doesn't seem to ...Thanks for the comment. There doesn't seem to a vaccine against junk genealogy. But the programs do make you say yes or no to sources. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-25482297071013976932014-02-03T12:10:11.092-07:002014-02-03T12:10:11.092-07:00Thanks for good comment. This is a very good examp...Thanks for good comment. This is a very good example of many of the responses to finding a family tree online. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-34609649418603542562014-02-03T12:08:20.551-07:002014-02-03T12:08:20.551-07:00I do hope the pendulum doesn't swing to far, f...I do hope the pendulum doesn't swing to far, from trees with no sources to trees that have all the suggested sources attached, including the 90% that are for the wrong person.Gordon Colletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10501621351412089615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-90068183211151828542014-02-03T12:08:16.713-07:002014-02-03T12:08:16.713-07:00Well, you might have missed my blog post where you...Well, you might have missed my blog post where your Facebook family friends show up on your Public Member Family Tree on Ancestry.com. That future is already here.James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-53384394143972875722014-02-03T12:02:24.578-07:002014-02-03T12:02:24.578-07:00Loved the post. I have great concerns for those &...Loved the post. I have great concerns for those "beginning" their search. At first they seem overwhelmed and afraid to start, then they find something easy. So easy it doesn't require a second look. I am currently helping some members of the church coming from pioneer stock. Surprisingly, they have nothing recorded themselves, not on PAF or anything electronically. As they began putting their info on a desktop database and found that rather than type, all they had to do was click and all that info for their ancestors appeared on their program. Wow! That was easy! Now they are getting bored just clicking, but they missed the learning part. They have no clue where to look for info, or what to compare what they found to. Most importantly they missed the thrill of victory, that 2 am shout "Eureka" and most of all getting to know their ancestors.Grandpa Landmeierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18397287163921539683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-85413442420385955692014-02-03T11:45:28.278-07:002014-02-03T11:45:28.278-07:00James, Great article! Got me thinking. To take you...James, Great article! Got me thinking. To take your analysis one step further I can imagine in 2015 one "gets started in genealogy" by clicking on a button next to your name in Facebook who has just recently bought one of the Big Four online database companies. In a few seconds you not only see your own family history but also know if/how your FB friends are related to you. Genealogy + Facebook = genealogy for billions.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16229963702961511828noreply@blogger.com