Last September I expressed the opinion that there is very little coordination in research. There are competing and overlapping sites, trying to accomplish the same ends. Some are in it for the money. Others are sincerely trying to do what they think is best. There are countless hours and financial resources being expended.
I would like to promote a possible solution to much of the duplication: use the same site and help to build it. FamilySearch has been quietly building a records collection that is unmatched and under used. The search feature on the website has a records collection that grows literally every day. The paid sites have used the film from FamilySearch for many of their offerings. Ancestry.com is partnering with FS to fund projects as was the case with other large projects in the past, that can only be finished in that way.
A new feature on the FS site is the family Tree. It is now open to anyone who wishes to participate. It is possible to see an interactive fan chart on anyone in your family, to add photos and stories and many other features are in the works. They are encouraging documentation, which will make for better records. Also asking for families to work together to make the records as complete and accurate as possible. This is a safe place to store your family records where they will be available for other family members to view.
If you have not been to FamilySearch.org, I would suggest that you will be pleasantly surprised! Is it perfect? Absolutely not, but it gets better every day and needs more involvement. If you have data on the site that you have not verified, get it done and help to cut down the fragmentation!
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