Ancestry.com rant!!

[Willow 4873]

I have just got to have a rant about this!

Everyone who uses Ancestry.com but doesn't want to pay their price will know that when you do a search on a name it gives you a list of the information found.

This includes the 1871 and 1901 census which you could then click on and find out some of the information relating to your name search.

OK not a lot but at least it gave you a list of people living at that address and their ages which was useful as a kick off point for further research

WELL NOT ANY MORE!!

To access that information you now have to pay for the membership.

I know Rootschat have always said they will not charge a fee for which I am eternally grateful but maybe if the gang could find a way to get access to all census details perhaps people might be willing to pay a nominal yearly fee to have access to the information?. Or maybe we could team up someone else who would be willing to provide the information and maybe they could be linked to the site. What does everyone else think?

Willow

[Adi1962]

Willow,

The big problem is that the information is not really in any useful format. Some Census have been indexed that allows searches, but you are at the mercy of the transcriber for errors. Other are just copies of the enumerator pages, which, depending on the condition of the origial document can be very difficult to read if not impossible.

FreeCen are trying to get the Census transcribed and available FREE on their web site, but as this replies on volunteers plus due to the difficulty in transcribing and the detailed after checks it takes time to get them available.

I would never pay to access information on line. If I can't find it free or  get help then I would rather buy the Census or PR's on disc (or fisch) at least you can look at it as much as you want.

Adrian

[Willow 4873]

I agree I would rather not pay a subscripition fee but I would rather the money go to Rootschat than some other company!

Willow

[suttontrust]

That "never pay to access information online" is a bit extreme.  Many of us don't have access to local information because our research isn't based where we live.  When I need BMD stuff that isn't on FreeBMD I could go to my local library and look up the fiches, but it's much easier to pay for 1837online.  If I want 1901 census info, or Scottish info, I wouldn't ask for a look-up when I can pay to look it up myself.  Certainly the future lies with sites like Freecen and Freereg, but it's a mammoth job.  

[leagen]

Whatever Rootschat decides about expanding this site I would like them to know that I have  the 1850 Franklin Co., Vt. and the 1880 Franklin Co., N.Y.  census microfilms  that I would donate to whoever has the ability to put them on here for all to use.   I bought them though a library but not having a microfilm reader at home and being Too lazy to spend hours at the local library using their reader these films aren't helping Anyone.  There are sites where one can find some of what I have but I have copies of the actual census, not just transcriptions and I personally like those better than someone elses transcription.    So, Administration, any ideas about  getting those on here?                          Leagen.

[sandiep]

which ancestry are we talking about

as far as I know Ancestry has always been a pay site apart from free trials it sometimes runs, and I personally have been very pleased with my subscription, it has helped me no end it keeps improving its information we can now have 1901,1891,1871 some 1851 2% sample and iot is going to start 1861 soon.

I have used this account to help lots of other people and think it is well worth the money. I would have to pay a lot more money to access the free census info at a centre. I use the site nearly every night... dont knock it  you might need help

sandie

[Hackstaple]

The way I see it is some people run a free soup kitchen and others a 3 star restaurant. Don't expect too much for nothing as the people are putting in a labour of love. Rootschat is an exception as it a lively information and chatter exchange "that works because it works". It defies the law of gravity.
There are other free sites around that are static and boring and others like the 1881 census that are informative. Genuki is wonderful but it exists only because a lot of folk have input a lot of data.
But, if you want people to put in mass, brute force then you will have to pay, one away or the other - there is no free lunch. you don't chip into Rootschat and it is a bit weaker, a bit poorer.
I feel the LDS has done an enormous service to family research. I  am quite sure they are nowwhere near recovering their costs - they would just like to lose a little less
Genes Reunited is an example of a static information exchange. some of the posts there are so angry and possessive that one is frightened away - and - the responses are quite few in proportion despite the annual cost. We are a bit more laid back on Rootschat.
Then there are others who provide no data at all like Lost Cousins and Curious Fox. They expect you to chip in some data and some cash and eventually that will coincide [1881 UK only] with someone else and Hey Presto you have found a relative. The odds being just a little better than winning lotto, by the way.
Can I sum this up? I would rather pay a decent amount for quality and service than a piffling sum only to be let down.

[GreySquirrel]

The stark truth is that everything costs. What we have to decide for ourselves is the value of something, which is not the same as its price.

This site which we all love is free to us users. It is not however a charity (is it?). There are those little links to other websites at the top and bottom, which I assume the advertisers are paying for. Correct me if I'm wrong but presumably this provides a revenue to cover webspace & servcer costs etc (who knows, maybe it even provides a profit for RootsChat). I don't mind, why should I: I enjoy the site and the interaction with other users. But let's not pretend that everything is free here or at, say, freeBMD (with its little Ancestry icons at the bottom of the page): free to users, yes, but not free to run and (presumably) subsidised by that big bad American corporation Ancestry.

The pay-per-view websites and subscription sites and CD manufacturers and publishers all provide a service and all charge for it. This is a fact of life. With pay to use websites you are paying for convenience, for the fact you can search at home in your PJs with a cup of tea and a biscuit at midnight. What is objectionable about that?

[trystan]

Ancestry.com is a valuable resource for tracing family history.

Naturally they have to cover their costs, and make money to keep it sustainable.

There is no such thing a "free webspace" for big companies - the reality is beyond a certain stage the more popular a site is the more it costs to run. The thing that costs money is "bandwidth" - this is basically paying for the amount of "data" carried to the users of websites. Images in particular are not very "slim" as far as data is concerned, so naturally companies have to cover their costs somehow. How much a website choose to go beyond covering their costs (or perhaps riding a loss for a while for the hope that things will improve)  to going into vast profit or even exploitation is up to whatever company.

RootsChat is not a registered charity, our motive is "not for profit", we have not broken into profit either as yet. We plan to add extra free services as we generate revenue that covers escalating costs. Our aim is simply to provide a friendly and universally approachable service for family history and local history, and to be strong enough to be around for many years to come, and with everybody's help we thank you that we (yes you!) are all pulling together in making this happen.

Trystan
RootsChat Caretaker