Genealogy Chat

Has anybody else read the article in this months Your Family Tree.....Mainly regarding Friends purchase of the 1901 census.....Basically saying they want to make this site a one stop shop like ancestry with all the census and other records available......Methinks the whole dynamics of this place will slowly be eroded....How are they going to keep these boards if they are trying to sell us these records????. Also apparently they now have 3.2 million members.....Diane

how much longer will they allow people to do 1901 look ups, every free one is 50pence they lose, maybe they will not like that now they own the 1901 website.

My thoughts exactly, if the article is to be believed they will have to stop it all eventually.

Haven't read it, but from a business point of view, why stop at the 1901, i can defo see that happening, but 3.2 million members no way, in total since the site has opened yes, but people have come and gone since then. I would say its much less than that personally. :-)

how does one get a 'FREE' 1901 lookup?as I understand it, searching, is free anyway.........looking at images, is what costs, surely? unless you are referring to the good nature of some looker-uppers.......... Bob

If you look at it like this, if you ask for a look up on here it is free someobdy is doing you a favour. If they want you to use the 1901 site but you aren't they are losing the money you would have spent on there by allowing the look ups on here. At the end of the day I think reading between the lines if they want to make this the site described in the article, on a par with Ancestry they will stop the look ups at whatever time they like so that you are buying their services instead of getting freebies!

I can't see that they'll be able to stop people doing lookups. If they close these boards down, then there are plenty of other sites which offer similar facilities, and no doubt more will spring up - market forces and all that! And how will they be able to prove whether you're using their version of the census to do the lookup or one provided by another company? Also I can't see how they stand a hope of catching up with Ancestry - which already has 5 England/Wales censuses on-line, all transcribed and linked to the images. With the 1851 promised in the very near future, and with much of the 1841 available on BritishOrigins, then another site offering the same info (and nothing else) would be about as useful as an udder on a bull. Who's going to take out subscriptions to 2 sites if both have the same content? And even if GR did manage to get all 7 census transcribed & online in record time, you can bet that their subscription fee will be substantially higher than the current £7.50! About the only way that GR could remain relevant (and therefore retain their subscriber base) is if they were able to offer info that was not available online elsewhere - otherwise, if these boards go then there will be nothing left. Richard

the only reason I subscribe to GR is because I enjoy the 'boards' mainly tips, if they were to change I would certainly not be renewing my membership. Maybe it would do GR well to remember that the site has only become so tremendously popular because of all the lovely people that use it at present and the friendly helpful lookups and information given so freely by the MEMBERS. Too much change could possibly see a decline in membership and to the subsequent popularity of the site. Without the friendly exchange the site to me is nothing, and emailing the management about anything, well forget it as one very rarely gets a reply. Grace

I would say if you get a chance read the article.