tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post597186392035609910..comments2024-03-07T23:20:49.790-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: More Thoughts on the Monetization of Genealogy RecordsJames Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-75295975587804863062013-09-07T10:28:49.858-07:002013-09-07T10:28:49.858-07:00On the issue of monetization of genealogy, I find ...On the issue of monetization of genealogy, I find myself caught betwixt and between. While I am willing to pay a reasonable amount to access databases, I worry that the less fortunate will not have access. Should genealogical information be restricted to only those who can buy it? <br /> <br />My wife and I share an account on Ancestry.com. We have taken the DNA tests offered by Ancestry.com. We can afford it, and it yields us valuable information. However, if the information that could be provided by the poor is missing, is Ancestry.com giving me my money's worth. Are links being lost? If you claim your information is the best, I want it to be the best. If it fails, you should be saying that your information has holes in it.<br /><br />As far as the quality of the information is concerned: in the golden day of databases, the information from every record was required to be punched in twice. If the information didn't match. the keypunch machine took a bite out of the card. It is called quality assurance. Donald Lewin Nelsonhttp://www.donaldlewinnelson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-44988337736829856742013-09-07T02:32:57.951-07:002013-09-07T02:32:57.951-07:00"I bought into the idea of keeping genealogy ..."I bought into the idea of keeping genealogy free"<br />But I have to ask - which records went on-line for free at FS and are now behind a pay-wall? I have yet to see any identified.<br /><br />To take one potential example - FS and its volunteers indexed the parish registers etc for Cheshire (England). The images and the indexes are indeed behind a pay-wall on FindMyPast. The indexes REMAIN freely available on FS - I still use them because they are much more sophisticated than the FMP indexes. The images were NEVER intended to be made freely visible on FS, so nothing has been lost. I believe, though I've no access so can't prove it, that the images are freely available in FS Family History Centres, effectively as "payment" to FS for their work in the indexing. <br /><br />Adrian Brucenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-8904108617461809122013-09-06T20:00:39.934-07:002013-09-06T20:00:39.934-07:00I have to agree with verneahartmann. Like thousand...I have to agree with verneahartmann. Like thousands of other volunteers, my free labor put digitalized records online at Familysearch because I bought into the idea of keeping genealogy free. Maybe it is time for us all to rethink the value of our time. If we only provided our services for a fee, what would happen to growth of available online records? Unfortuately, we know the answer. If miniumn wage workers replaced us, the result would be like the old ASIS indexing of the census--frequently a garbled mess.<br /> kdduncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02324473106970005553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-16121501997049386412013-09-06T12:54:52.647-07:002013-09-06T12:54:52.647-07:00As a person who has indexed thousands of documents...As a person who has indexed thousands of documents for free (for familysearch and others!), why should I have to pay for access to the documents I helped index?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-81489371643480876592013-09-06T12:25:26.941-07:002013-09-06T12:25:26.941-07:00The usual complaint is that stuff that was once fr...The usual complaint is that stuff that was once free is now behind a pay-wall. I'd like to challenge anyone to describe a particular access that was once free and is now no longer possible. Murphy's Law says there will be some such records - but I've never found any yet. Microfilms that were once only available at the UK's county archives are still available there, albeit possibly on the web-site that's digitised them rather than on microfilm.<br /><br />As a former IT employee, I'd like to ask the complainants why I should have worked for free?<br /><br />Adrian Brucenoreply@blogger.com