I have mixed feelings about the issue of privacy. I agree that privacy must be maintained for the "living". I also know that access to records that have been most valuable and meeting 'cousins', however distant along the tree or geographically based, has been as a direct result of open records, open forum, open trees etc etc etc. This makes privacy problematic. The platform we are seeking must then reflect the boundaries that we are willing to agree to as a collective, not as an individual. Things like do we use our real names, are we obliged to do look ups or research for fellow members in our own locale, what is the cost of maintaining the site, what are the rules for sharing information that we consider 'personal', how do we decide who can join, who is willing to moderate (decide the difference between a good or bad controversy and/or flaming) or or give tech support. Most importantly, what is our goal or philosophy: to trudge the paths of our ancestors in an effort to link ourselves to family and to history and to flesh out the stories, documents and photos to be shared with future generations.
Speaking for myself, I have been a member of both paid and unpaid sites for many years. Most of the "information and the "contacts", I have enjoyed have been through ancestry.ca and .uk, roots, LDS Family History Library, Griffiths, PRONI, etc
For my nickle, I would like to see how we could use sites *like* ancestry because they are user-friendly and willing to expand the genre. Let's face this fact, as new records become available, genealogy sites like ancestry will provide the technology to let patrons add-to, link and cross link the records. Moreover, anyone 'new' researching is going to hit the big sites at one time or another for a free trial and it will be our duty to bring them into the fold for general Pentland intro, exchange, education and to support them in their search because... eventually one individual's energy and their family search will pull the final thread between Ireland and Scotland.
The other best nickle I have spent is taking online course(s) through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies in partnership with the University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada). The basic course support analysis, record keeping, electronic and paper sources, methodology, but most important to me it stresses the need for proper sourcing. Sourcing allows other people to review the record and to decide for themselves whether it has merit. Hey, I am an anthropologist so truths to me are subjective!! Further sourcing gives proper attention to those who did the work or those who maintain the right to certain original property such as family photos etc.