World Vital Records
Posted November 1, 2007 9:21amGenSmartsUser writes...
Has anyone suggested that this online database be added?
On 2007-11-01 1:29pm GenSmarts replied...
Yes, and it's one of the things that's actively in process, so we should have something shortly. It's not clear yet how generally applicable their databases will be... so what would be really useful would be to hear from people which specific databases that they themselves have personally/manually had good luck with. One thing we try to do is spend our time getting databases into GenSmarts that will benefit the largest portion of our customer base.
What hasn't worked well in the past is the following scenario...
Q)Hey, I just heard about this great new genealogy record site and signed up and I can't find anything... when are you going to add it to GenSmarts (so I can find some things and get some value out of what I just paid).
A)Ok, we'll get it added in the next update...
A few months later after we've added it) Well, I still can't find anything...
Moral of the story: If a website doesn't have any records pertaining to your family, having us add it into GenSmarts won't change that fact... we should have spent our time on something that would have added more value to your (and others) use of GenSmarts.
So... we have to try to and differentiate which requests we get are simply the result of marketing hype (the above scenario) or a campaign by interested parties to "stuff the ballot box" and get us to do something that acts as an endorsement for their interests (you can imagine that adding support into GenSmarts for another product/site will generate some amount of business for that product/site). Or, of course, the scenario you'd hope for, which is someone who has had good experience with a resource and thinks others would benefit from it's inclusion in GenSmarts. We've experienced all three scenarios multiple times over the years.
On 2007-11-01 10:38pm GenSmartsUser added...
I appreciate the answer you provided, and certainly understand.
As for me, I personally benefit from the Small Town Newspaper collection, as well as any birth/death info, and military info.
On 2007-11-11 8:40pm cmccartney added...
Yes, the newspapers are useful. I also find two of the Family Tree databases very useful, namely Everton Pedigree and Family Group Sheets and Meitzler Ahnentafel Pedigree Chart Collection.
On 2007-12-02 10:20am GenSmarts replied...
GenSmarts Version 2.1.1.25, just posted at http://www.GenSmarts.com/versionHistory.html has the start of support for World Vital Records (also footnote.com and genealogybank.com)
On 2008-04-28 1:32pm jmurphy added...
Just wanted to post a quick note about World Vital Records -- they have recently added international content and changed their subscription model, so that (like Ancestry) they now have a US subscription (which includes the international content that was originally on the site before the split) versus an International one, which has everything.
A great deal of the UK content is under license from FindMyPast.com, so to include suggestions for WVR's international data for England, I have told GenSmarts I have a subscription to FindMyPast.com as a work-around.
The data sets with most widespread coverage are the 1861, 1881, and 1891 UK census records, and civil registrations. 1901 and 1851 Census records are 'coming soon'.
A summary of the offerings can be found here:
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/world_collection.aspx
Jan
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