Will familysearch always be free?
Will work I might do for an indexing projects always be freely available, not monetized?
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The answer is no. The results of indexing can sometimes be viewable to only some users- e.g. only those who are Latter Day Saints, or those who are at a FHC. I think it's also possible (but I'm not sure) that FamilySearch can sell the Indexes to partners such as Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.
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It depends on the indexing project and you can determine this by checking the project details:
A year ago or so I ran across one project for records held by a state government and the project stated something along the lines of "these are confidential records, they will not be posted to FamilySearch or anywhere else, do not take screen shots, do not share views with others, if you can't promise to do this, don't do this project." I assume that FamilySearch agreed to index those records as part of an agreement to have access to a bunch of other records the state has.
To summarize all of the above statements in this topic:
- The FamilySearch website will always be free.
- All indexes on FamilySearch will always be free.
- Not all indexes on FamilySearch will be visible to everyone.
- Not all images linked to indexes on FamilySearch will be visible to everyone.
- Not all indexing project will be posted on FamilySearch when completed. (I assume this is a very tiny percentage.)
- Any indexes shared with websites requiring payment to view them will still be free on FamilySearch. (And I think we can assume there will always be something of value in return for us users of FamilySearch.)
Feel free to only help with indexing projects that will not have restrictions.
Just as a side note, the collaboration between FamilySearch and subscription sites can be very valuable. In March of this year, FamilySearch posted the collection "Norway Church Books" which contains nearly 18,000,000 records. This was an indexing project taken on by Ancestry, My Heritage, and FamilySearch for the Norwegian National Archives in 2017 at no cost to the archive. That is a massive project to complete in just four years. The resulting index is freely available on FamilySearch and on the Norwegian archives site, Digitalarkivet, and always will be. You have to have a paid subscription to view it on My Heritage and Ancestry.
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Hello, Here is a link to free indexing, if you would like to check them, I hope you find the answer you are looking for. If you would link any more information, Please Message me.
Here is another link that may be of some help. Kind Regards, Sister Dawson
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Hello , If you check the link above you will find that Family Search is free. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides Family Search free of charge to everyone, regardless of tradition, culture, or religious affiliation. Originally intended for Church members, Family Search resources help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and connect with family members. Also indexing is free to everyone. Hope this helps. Regards Sister Dawson
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It is simultaneously true that FS is free and never charges subscription fees, AND that some records cannot be viewed by some users due to contracts with record owners. It is also my understanding that FS Indexing collaborates with commercial websites and that both sides share Indexes and digital images with each other.
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I will have to look into this and get back to you. Thank you for you comments. I will do my utmost to answer you as soon as possible.
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FYI
Regarding ...
That is All CORRECT
So ...
That Said ...
There is NO problem/issue there ...
Brett
ps: And, on another 'tack, in relation to your initial 'Comment' in this post ...
I SERIOUSLY doubt "Doubt", that 'FamilySearch', would "Sell" ANY "Indexes" to Partners ...
"Share", 'Yes', of course, ...
Otherwise, WHY would 'FamilySearch', NEED to REMOVE, the 'Access' to Records, ALREADY in 'FamilySearch'; when, "Access" to such Records, have been (later) "Bought" and "Paid" for, from the "Record Custodians", by those "Commercial" Websites!
Regardless of what one thinks ...
Doing "Indexing", in 'FamilySearch', SHOULD always be, a SERVICE that WE provide to others, WITHOUT the EXPECTATION of, BENEFIT; and/or, GAIN; and/or, RECOMPSESE; and/or, ANY form of REMUNERATION, whatsoever ...
That is the plain and simple, 'nature', of DOING "Indexing", in 'FamilySearch' ...
Like it or not ...
.
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@thechapters , the FamilySearch Indexing Program Terms and Conditions (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/legal/familysearch-indexing-program-terms-and-conditions?lang=eng) say that any indexing you do become the property of FS. It follows therefore that FS could sell, lease or monetize the Indexes in any way that want.
This blogpost (https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/familysearch-partnerships-some-questions-and-answers) by FS about their partnerships with Ancestry.com, FindMyPast and others is useful, and includes the quote: "Under some circumstances, FamilySearch may deem it advisable to allow a commercial partner to offer records on their site that have been keyed by volunteers in order to make other records held by the partner freely available on FamilySearch.org"
So, the answer to your question is, as I said earlier, no. Indexes created by you and other Indexers can be used by commercial websites such as Ancestry.com, and this increases the value of their company by making it more attractive to subscribe to them. If you do not agree with this, then there are other online Indexing programs and websites you could consider volunteering for instead, such as FreeReg, who index UK church records.
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