A Pre-Announcement of WorldHistory.com

New innovations in doing genealogy research over the Internet are just around the corner, Web entrepreneur Paul Allen said Thursday. The co-founder of Ancestry.com and corporate executive officer for Familylink.com, Allen said his company is about to launch WorldHistory.com in the next few weeks. It will allow users to upload their family trees and then, coupled with historical data on the site, learn more about the environment in which their ancestors lived.

"It will bring history to life," he told attendees at the Conference on Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University. "It will be a time-travel experience."

You can read the entire story at http://www.mormontimes.com/ME_familyhistory.php?id=1647.

Comments

[S Robertson]

I am not a subscriber to your advanced area, but my question is how much more will Ancestry subscribers be charged for this addition.
Shirley

[Jim Crippen]

I agree with Shirley. The announcement is worrisome. Will this new facet appear in public library who are subscribers. The fact that someone sells history is almost gruesome. What next, extra charges for airline luggage?

[Duncan Ness]

Oh great! More unsourced and unsubstantiated trees online. This time with some "history" (which is going to be a bit shady if it is t be treated with the same scrutiny as is applied to genealogy).

[Michael Pollock]

Paul Allen has NOT been associated with Ancestry for quite some time. That said, I had high hopes for WorldVitalRecords when it was first announced, but the complaints I have with that and its related sites are the very same I had with Ancestry when Allen was still with Ancestry--poorly organized, thus extremely difficult to search. Though quality control at Ancestry leaves a LOT to be desired, has improved, if, as I had understood, Allen left due to disagreeing with the direction in which Ancestry was headed, I would take anything Allen says about how fabulous his site is with a lick, not grain, of salt. Indeed, I was one of the earliest subscribers as a result of being a subscriber to Everton On-Line and I became so disgusted with changes, in my opinion, for the worst, in components ported over from Everton that I canceled my subscription nearly 2 years before it was set to expire and I use the site only at my local Family History Center, and then only after I have exhausted most, if not all, other options.

My perspective is perhaps a bit different than most potential users of either Ancestry or WorldVitalRecords in that I earn my living as a genealogist. For anyone who is retired or an hobbyist, time often will not be a serious consideration, but as I bill my time to a client, I want, no, need, to be certain that my time is spent in the most effective manner, or I am not doing the job for which my clients are paying me, and at this time, I do not see most time spent with WorldVitalRecords and its related sites fitting that criteria.

[Dick Eastman]

---> how much more will Ancestry subscribers be charged for this addition.

None. They are two separate companies and are not affiliated with each other.

[Sherrie Barber]

I'm presently doing research for 2 future book publications and am absolutely appalled at the BAD, BAD, BAD trees on line. Everyone is copying everyone else and not only are names misspelled but dates are hashed, family lines trashed and now the enviroment in which they live? Unreal!

[Rose]

Here we go again. Am I WRONG or...isn't this just ANOTHER so-called helpful genealogy site that entices people to provide tons of information from their own family trees--only to have the site turn around and SELL access to that information to its subscribers? Never mind the notorious inaccuracy of the family tree information provided in this manner.

TSK. TSK.

[Marion Testart]

> I would take anything Allen says about how fabulous his site is with a lick, not grain, of salt.
LOL, I am sure you meant a truck load.

"New innovations". Yeah sure - and Eastman copies the text it to lure him as advertiser. Sigh. We need a trustworthy newsletter that does not suck up to vendors.

[Wizardluffy]

Thars gold in them thar unsourced unsubstantiated trees. At least there can be. That is if the researcher doesn't take all the data as gospel. I've busted brick walls with it and I'm sure others have to, and in doing so, substantiated the unsubstantiated. And the only way to correct bad info is to put the correct info out there. That means TRUSTING that some of the free sites, remain free.

[theKiwi]

>Sigh. We need a trustworthy newsletter that does not suck up to vendors.

Let me know when you've created it and I'll add it to the list of Genealogy sites I read multiple times a day.

Roger

[Nancy]

A pre-announcement.....how absurd!

[Pam Warren]

Thanks, Mr. Eastman, for sharing this wonderful news. I was at the conference on Thursday where Paul Allen talked about the advances being made in genealogical research. Quite amazing.

I, too, am dismayed at the abundance of mis-information posted on some online trees, but as Wizardluffy says, "Thars gold in them thar unsourced unsubstantiated trees". It's always been that way (the misinformation) -- it just is more readily available now and you're not wasting time mailing letters back and forth like we did in the old days. There has been and always will be the casual genealogist who doesn't seem to care about the authenticity of data. Every now and then they come up with something that I didn't.

I'm grateful for the amazing new tools that Mr. Allen's latest company and others are making available. No need to subscribe to them if you are not interested.

I've been a subscriber to Eastman's for about 10 years (wow, can it really be that long?!), and think it, too, provides a wonderful service for serious researchers. I've never known him to "suck up" to anyone. Thank you, Mr. Eastman, for your important contribution to this field.

[Zinnchick]

I'm not sure how many of you took the time to read the article that Dick linked to his story, but I'd say that the crux of the matter is WHERE the Paul.s workers on his site that he (Paul) mentions in the article are getting their history information. Again: sources, sources, sources! If the historical information comes from a reliable source (put your favorite "reliable source" here), then being able to put historical context with a family tree on one site might be appealing. As for having unsubtantiated family trees on the site --- what difference will it make, having one more site with the same inaccurate stuff on it? Heaven knows there are probably hundreds or thousands worldwide already. And the vast majority of us know to take someone else's unsourced family tree as a mere suggestion of what may really be the truth. So I say, no harm done. And, if the historical info is fairly accurate, so much the better.

[Ruth Campbell]

Other than providing accurate data for misinformation, I have never added my thoughts as comments on a website, but I am compelled to do so today. I have subscribed to Dick Eastman’s newsletter since the first year of its inception and cannot imagine where I would be in my research without it. I’ve tried other newsletters thru the years, but each one has fallen by the wayside while I stick with my good old standby.

I have always found Dick to be knowledgeable, straightforward, and honest. In my opinion he generally offers a critique when it is called for. As far as “sucking up to vendors” that researcher must have been reading some other newsletter thinking it was this one.

Thank you, Dick Eastman, you're the best!

Ruth

[Elaine]

Here is a great FREE web site for putting your ancestors into history: http://ourtimelines.com/ You don't have to upload your family tree. Just put in a date!

[Doris]

Thank you, Dick, again, for being a fount of information. I for one did not see this announcement anywhere else but here, and that is worth a bunch. You certainly do have some cry babies among your subscribers. What do they think!? That correct information should be available at all times... and for free, and that it should be tailored to their particular trees. This is a hobby and, like sewing and knitting and skiing and reading and cooking, it requires diligence and effort. Genealogy is not a gift; it is a research project that has no end. I'm anxious to see what the future holds, and this may be a good precursor. I love all the competitive sites popping up, and a focus on history is overdue.

Doris

[Shane]

If any other unqualified people would like to comment badly about Paul Allen, I suggest you Organize your own genealogy company first. If not, shut up and let someone who is trying to help people, get on with doing just that. As for the so called Professional Genealogists making comments about website navigation, if you are really a professional genealogist, you should be able to learn how to navigate. If you think it sucks, why haven't you written to Paul Allen and told him how to come up with a better system? I suggest armchair hacks stop criticizing and suggest solutions that would actually help the Genealogy community.

Paul Allen actually has many records not available anywhere else. It is less expensive to pay his company instead of having to buy lots of airplane tickets.

History has everything to do with Genealogy. It smash's down the biggest of Brick Walls. Paul Allens idea is brilliant. I have met Paul and he is a great benefit to genealogists worldwide. I also happen to do research for one of the rare company's that charge only a flat rate. It is more important that a client get something of value. With an hourly rate, they sometimes get nothing. This does great damage to the Genealogy Community.

Shane.

[Gloria Ishida]

Part of important family research, in my opinion, is knowing as much as possible about the times in which ancestors lived. I wonder if the new site will be able to furnish more than basics that are easily available most anywhere (and thanks Elaine for that interesting site, ourtimelines.com - that is a good start without too much finger work or trip to the library). But really, is it possible to find out what was happening in Buffalo Springs when ggg grand-daddy was born? Or the governing system in Niederroedern, Alsace when ggg grandma was growing up? This is what makes networking so great - with armchair genealogists as well as professionals, for example on the rootsweb lists and others. And also the Internet! One might not get all the details but a lead to a publication, obsure or not, or some other historical source.

If the new site is helpful as a start, great. But I doubt if it will, in the near future at least, be a substitute for an airplane ticket or just plain digging by whatever means one has available. We shall see.

And Shane, sarcasm is no better than cynicism.

[Judith Arnn-Knight]

I am not a professional genealogist but I was a professional medical/science librarian; I hope I am aware of the value of verification of any information before it is treated as "gospel" This is the responsibility of anyone doing research about anything; you cannot whine about bad information if you accept it as truth without more work.

To dump on Dick about discussing this new source is ridiculous--why shoot the messenger??? The site may be good or bad--who knows; how would you have known about it if not for this newsletter??? I would give up several of my purchased subscription services before I would give up this newsletter.

As far as I know Dick provides the only comprehensive curent awareness site on the net; the number of useful sites he has pointed me to is innumerable over the years.

It seems as if so many people are whiners--if you cannot say something constructive why just blow smoke to get your name online???

[History Lady]

I'm disturbed by Testart's comment: "New innovations". Yeah sure - and Eastman copies the text it to lure him as advertiser. Sigh. We need a trustworthy newsletter that does not suck up to vendors.

Anyone who knows Dick or has read his newsletter knows how devoted he is to NOT suck up to vendors. In fact, he left a much earlier vendor-supported newsletter relationship simply because he refused to "suck up" to them.

I will read this trustworthy newsletter above all others simply because I know Dick tells it like it is. He holds true to his motto: The DAILY newsletter for genealogy consumers, packed with straight talk - hold the sugar coating - whether the vendors like it or not!

Keep it up, Dick!

[E Thorne]

I look forward to reading this newsletter. It keeps me up to date, and I check out many of the sites and make up my own mind on how useful it may be to my area of research. If a subject is not of interest, I just pass it by until the next newsletter. But I don't whine.
I have friends who complained about many family errors they found in various sites, and just this past month found out that there is a LOT of undocumented family connections and errors in the CHOISY family of Quebec, very frustrating, do I write to each person and offer the corrections? Or ignore them and watch errors climb?

[Whitney Ransom, Director, Corporate Communications, FamilyLink.com, Inc.]

I'm the Director of Corporate Communications at FamilyLink.com, Inc. and would like to respond to a few misconceptions I have found in some of the posts in this blog.

First, WorldHistory.com will be free to the public to access. It will be in a private beta form (meaning that it will be tested by a select number of individuals) before it is released to the public.

At the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, Paul Allen stated the purpose for WorldHistory.com, "Our primary goal is to broaden the interest in family history to millions of people of all ages. We want people to want to learn about their ancestors."

Second, the sources for WorldHistory.com will come from public domain content, FamilyLink.com, Inc. partners, institutional contributions, and user data.

Third, I have known Paul for several years, and he is an incredible person with many brilliant ideas. He wants everyone to be able to connect with their families, living as well as those who have passed on, through innovative tools. It takes a lot of time, effort, energy, desire, money, ambition, and help from others to make a product like this a success, and we appreciate your patience and support in this endeavor.

Paul has a proven track record with his companies. We're Related and My Family applications on Facebook currently have more than 7.5 million users. (Both of these applications are free to the public.) WebTree.com users have uploaded 10,496,023 names in the past 44 days. (This site is also free.) WorldVitalRecords.com has had more than 30,000 subscribers since its launch in October 2006. Paul also cofounded Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com, although he is no longer affiliated with these companies. Plus, Paul has founded many other successful companies.

If anyone has any further questions about WorldHistory.com, I would be happy to answer them. My email is whitney@familylink.com.

[Whitney Ransom, Director, Corporate Communications, FamilyLink.com, Inc.]

I'm the Director of Corporate Communications at FamilyLink.com, Inc. and would like to respond to a few misconceptions I have found in some of the posts in this blog.

First, WorldHistory.com will be free to the public to access. It will be in a private beta form (meaning that it will be tested by a select number of individuals) before it is released to the public.

At the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, Paul Allen stated the purpose for WorldHistory.com, "Our primary goal is to broaden the interest in family history to millions of people of all ages. We want people to want to learn about their ancestors."

Second, the sources for WorldHistory.com will come from public domain content, FamilyLink.com, Inc. partners, institutional contributions, and user data.

Third, I have known Paul for several years, and he is an incredible person with many brilliant ideas. He wants everyone to be able to connect with their families, living as well as those who have passed on, through innovative tools. It takes a lot of time, effort, energy, desire, money, ambition, and help from others to make a product like this a success, and we appreciate your patience and support in this endeavor.

Paul has a proven track record with his companies. We're Related and My Family applications on Facebook currently have more than 7.5 million users. (Both of these applications are free to the public.) WebTree.com users have uploaded 10,496,023 names in the past 44 days. (This site is also free.) WorldVitalRecords.com has had more than 30,000 subscribers since its launch in October 2006. Paul also cofounded Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com, although he is no longer affiliated with these companies. Plus, Paul has founded many other successful companies.

If anyone has any further questions about WorldHistory.com, I would be happy to answer them. My email is whitney@familylink.com.

[Sharon]

One thing that interests me in reading blogs and the "perceptions" of others just blows my mind. You're all entitled to your own opinions! We all have one, but how much thought have you really put into it before you jump in and post a comment? You could'nt even tell that Ancestry.com and FamilyLink ARE TWO DIFFERENT companies Come on, so quick to judge before you even know the facts of what your whining about ? It seems to me, people are to quick to jump on the nagging wagon?? I've read blog after blog of a society that likes to whine.. for them nothing is ever good enough or ever cheap enough, bottom line is we are forgetting what the real issues are, my thoughts are that Ancestry.com is one of the only companies I know that takes its tree's, remind you~ user submitted information and turns around and sells it. remember "User" submitted and then claims to have addtional billions of names for one to search, when a great portion of them were provided by the very customer who pays $300 dollars to view them. tisk.. tisk .. and let's talk family trees , why complain about the error's in the information? come on ....has anyone heard of human error ? just like the census takers in years past, some not highly educated nor required to get it right ... and because of that made error's that effected history forever. So with that said I'm amazed. I support Paul Allen and his vision to provide a cost efficient one stop shop where one can have a new light on research not only their family history but history in general as well
--

[Jean Campbell]

I agree with the comments re the poor quality of many online trees. My comment is grounded in fact. I was delighted to find someone else "researching" one of my lines. The Australian information was basically correct. However, the individual corrupted the spelling of the surname to "make it fit" what he/she wanted/needed. Thus the Australian family became descendants of an "old" American line who lived in Virginia in the early 1700s. Todays Aussies went directly from Ireland to Australia!! (I'm not saying that none came to America. They did but not until much later) Now, because this lineage is posted online, it will be copied and recopied as the truth by individuals who don't want to do the "real research." I have contacted the individual but never got a response.

My other HUGE concern is not with the concept of worldhistory.com but with services and/or softwares in general. Call me parinoid but when FTM 2008 took the ability to publish your book out of the software, and make it so you can only publish by uploading one's material to their server, alarm bells went off in my head. I am not prepared to give anyone access to my research! In my mind, the objective here may well be to gather more material. Remember what happened to researchers who gave their material to FTM for free so they could meet others researching the same families?? Not to mention, out of the goodness of their hearts! The trees ended up on CDs for sale by FTM! It remains to be seen how worldhistory.com will be designed.

PS....FTM is not the only organization making a profit from donated research but is one that I have personal experience with. Up until FTM2008, I was a very loyal customer! We'll see what FTM2009 brings. I'm looking forward to checking it out!

[Richard Hunsinger]

I advise anyone not to post their data on this site. I did post my data and when I tried to remove it all it removed was the contributor’s name. They state you have complete control over your data and can remove it at any time. They have not delivered any of the things they promised fo the site. When I wrote to them this past week I received the following response; “We are replacing our management team and along with that our development team is not yet in place. We’re sorry that
this hasn’t been removed yet as we are getting a new development team. ”
Seems to me some sort of scam is going on and they have received a ton of Genealogical records for free that they ae going to do who knows what with. BEWARE

[Richard Hunsinger]

Just an update on my previous comment about WebTree.com not removing my data. Since my post the data was completely emoved without any comment or additional e-mail from hem.