Already irate over new FamilySearch.org website?

As they say in the printing industry, the ink was hardly dry before the comments started coming in about the new FamilySearch.org website.  Surprisingly, the most negative comments came from volunteers at the Mesa Regional Family History Center who had been shown the new Beta.FamilySearch.org website multiple times in training. Of course the Blogs all lit up with the news. In case you have just turned on your computer, no, the Martians did not invade Earth, it was only a radio show. But FamilySearch did change to the Beta Site from the old familiar FamilySearch.org site. Here is yet another copy of the News Release for you further information:

Big Changes at FamilySearch.org

Updated Site Now Available; More Improvements to Come

SALT LAKE CITY–FamilySearch announced several changes today for its family history website,  FamilySearch.org. Online patrons will find millions of new records and images, over 40,000 helpful articles, over 100 interactive courses of instruction, and a dynamic forum to ask personal genealogy questions. The changes have been in testing for some time. FamilySearch will continue to implement the new website in phases to ensure all critical elements are functioning as desired. Once complete, the website will be promoted more broadly.

The new site offers the following free benefits to FamilySearch patrons:

•        Millions more scanned, historical documents and indexes that are published more frequently.

•        An improved search experience that looks through more content and gives more accurate results.

•        A thriving online genealogical community where patrons can give and receive help.

•        One user name and password for all FamilySearch products and services.

•        Responsive, reliable, and scalable hardware and software that will allow the site to grow and improve.

FamilySearch has published a helpful document called “Adjusting to the New Version of www.familysearch.org” and a video tutorial that summarizes the changes to the new site.  These new guides can be found under the “Changes at FamilySearch.org” link.

The prior version of the site will still be available through the transition period.

The first comment I received was "Where is everything?" I pointed out several links and then there was a disgruntled "humpf."  If you want to experience a conservative culture, try genealogists. If it were up to the majority of the people I deal with, we would still be walking and the new-fangled wheel would still be in Beta. 

Since I have been commenting in depth on the Beta.FamilySearch.org website (now FamilySearch.org) for the past months, I am particularly glad the changeover occurred. (Thanks to David Rencher at the Riverton Monthly Seminar and The Ancestry Insider for heads up on this change). 

I think the site is a tremendous improvement over the old website, both visually and functionally. When people get around to using the Wiki and the Historical Records Collection (together and separately) they will begin to appreciate this fabulous website and the premier resources now fully available. Check out the 507 collections in the Historical Record Collections and of course, the Wiki.

Here is the standard FamilySearch informational closing:

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.