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I got a very disturbing comment from a reader to my last post. My last post outlined recent changes and statistics to the FamilySearch websites. The reader said essentially that none of the comments on FamilySearch meant anything because he was not a member of the Church and did not have access to the program. Under no circumstances am I trying to be exclusive of anyone on this Blog. I have to admit, I have commented extensively on New FamilySearch, however, the program is rapidly (in the computer developers sense) becoming available to the general public and I wrote most of my commentaries for that very reason. That is feedback to FamilySearch and the present users of the program.
However, I am saddened if someone thinks that New FamilySearch should be ignored until it is generally available to the public. All of the FamilySearch websites except New FamilySearch are available to everyone free and with no "you will have to pay later" to get all of the functions and features. The family of websites is already a potent force in doing online research in genealogy. Look at how much there is available, not the one program that is still in Beta and not fully available. New FamilySearch and FamilySearch.org and the other sites are not the same thing at all despite the confusion from the names. The statistics I gave did not pertain at all to New FamilySearch. This misunderstanding is tragic.
The New FamilySearch program will become a monumentally important database once it is fully functional. This will happen in spite of any perceived flaws in the data. As has been pointed out many times, even bad data is sometimes better than no data, even if some haystacks don't even have a needle. Right now, I wouldn't spend too much time wringing my hands over the fact that I did not have access to New FamilySearch.
I'll own up, it was my comment he's talking about. And I'm not suggesting we ignore NFS until it's publicly available. What I am doing is expressing my frustration at being unable to take advantage of all this neat new stuff. I've been waiting since they announced it back last winter, and the wait is getting long...
ReplyDeleteJames, I do appreciate that you're informing your readership about the things they can expect, and how to use them when they can. In fact, I'm certain I will be digging through your archive and others to find that information when I finally get access. Just bear in mind that some of us are a bit frustrated by the protracted waiting. At least I am. In the meantime, keep up your excellent posts, I read them all!
I, too, am disturbed by the comment you mention. I have been following your posts and those of Randy Seaver in an attempt to be "pre-prepared" when New Family Search becomes available to us all. I don't know how much I have learned, but I'm grateful for the chance. I am not a member of the church, but I've watched comments on the development for the last 4? years, knowing that sometime it would come to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for keeping up informed.
Maybe an explanation might be helpful of the what will become available on NewFamilySearch that is not available on familysearch to those of us who are confused about what's going on with this whole re-design. What do LDS members have access to on NewFamilySearch that cannot be accessed on familysearch might clear up some questions some of us have. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe new FamilySearch will be available in the next several months. This is information that was put out by FamilySearch at the NGS conference.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand frustration at not being able to use it completely yet, it is coming.
I don't understand the frustration.
ReplyDeleteI'm not LDS. I've never given money to the LDS Church. How on earth could I demand that they ever give me access to anything of theirs? They paid for it, and its primary purpose is to help members of their church perform their rituals [that's not the right word, and I mean no disrespect at all, but I don't know what to call them].
If people are paying for something themselves and giving me access for free, it seems ill-mannered to complain that they're not giving it to me fast enough.