Comparing Family History Websites Part 1

1. Part 1: What should we be looking for?
Family Search’s Partner Websites

2. Alternative Perspectives:
Complimentary
vs.
Critical

3. Evaluating Genealogical Web Sites:
Some Basic Considerations (See http://genealogy-websites.no1reviews.com/buying-guide.html)
• Information & Records
• Updating & Information Quality
• Searches & Filters
• Focus & Geographical Locations
• Family Trees—Creating and Uploading
• Expert Help and Additional Services
• Community and Member Support
• Navigability
• “Powered By”
• Help, FAQ’s & Support

4. Always a Concern:
Wormy Invalid Data
Uncritically Perpetuated

5. The Partner Sites:
Who and How

6. Accessing Partner Sites:
https://familysearch.org/partneraccess

7. General Review of Partners:
See http://familytreemagazine.com/article/best-big-genealogy-websites-2014
• Ancestry: Buying up other sites and has more than 32,000
searchable databases. The gorilla in the room.
• Findmypast: …grown in value beyond collections of UK censuses,
vital and church records and UK and Irish newspapers.
• MyHeritage: expanded to become a major player …with
partnerships, acquisitions and its own databases. If you have
Scandinavian roots, take note of its recent addition of millions of
records from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
• FamilySearch: in a genealogical arms race with Ancestry.com, adding
databases and online extensions at a feverish pace

8. Scoring the Partners:
Editor’s rating from no1reviews.com
Ancestry FindMyPast MyHeritage FamilySearch
Search Effectiveness 5 3 4 3
Navigation 4.5 3 4.5 3
Features 5 3 4 3
Tech Support 4 3 3.5 4
Help Files 4 3 3.5 3
Ease of Joining 4.5 3.5 4.5 4
Value for Money 4.5 3.5 4 NA*
Overall Rating 4.5 3 4 3.5
User Ratings
*We think this rating should be a 5
3.4 1.4 3.9 3.1