-----Original Message----- From: Melissa McCoy-Bell <mbell@netten.net> To: MSTIPPAH-L@rootsweb.com <MSTIPPAH-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, January 03, 1999 8:54 PM Subject: BE AWARE! >Hi, >I am forwarding this to you all to let you know how things are >progressing with family researching on the internet. The main concern >is that one of Rootsweb corporate sponsors was bought by Mattel and may >be irreplaceable. So if you were thinking of becoming a Rootsweb >sponsor, now is the time. > >Melissa > > >Any comments? I got this sent to the Stark County Ohio List >that I run. >------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- >Date forwarded: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 09:48:59 -0800 (PST) >From: "Joyce Lund" <lundway@rockisland.com> >Date sent: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 09:43:47 -0800 >Subject: [OHSTARK-L] BE AWARE! >To: OHSTARK-L@rootsweb.com >Forwarded by: OHSTARK-L@rootsweb.com > >I felt this was important enough to post. Hope you feel the >same........ > > >>As we enter this New Year of 1999 I am a bit concerned about the future of >>genealogical research on the Internet as we now know it. I am concerned >>that we could be falling on hard times when it comes to the sharing and >>FREE exchange of data including our mailing lists, GenConnect Boards, US >>and World GenWeb and the Archives for these projects, IIGS, and many other >>projects run largely by volunteers. >> >>The developments over the past few months and years in which Banner Blue >>AND Parsons were swallowed up by Broderbund, and then Broderbund was >>swallowed up once again by The Learning Company, who also gobbled up >>Palladium Interactive (producers of Ultimate Family Tree); and The >>Learning Company just now being taken over by Mattel--all serve to put us >>in the very bad situation in which approximately 85% of the >>genealogy-related programs and data are falling into the hands of of this >>one huge company. In addition Ancestry (another for- profit business) >>just sold 30% of their company to CMG (a venture capital company) for >>$10,000,000. This is money on top of the $60/year they get from "tens of >>thousands of subscribers" (from the Wall Street Journal). The venture >>capitalists will be expecting a large return for their investment--which >>will be paid for by us genealogists. >> >>All of this puts both Ancestry and Mattel in a very powerful position of >>being able to buy datasets of information (thus acquiring exclusive rights >>to those datasets) and sell them at inflated prices to the public who >>believe this is the only way things can be done. This move is already well >>under way. The more people paying top dollar for the information either >>through subscription, or the purchase of CDs, the more money the powerful >>for-profit companies will have to again purchase the rights to additional >>records and books. >> >>The longterm goal of the many volunteer workers, and of RootsWeb which >>hosts many of the projects, is to provide free access to genealogical >>information. I know it has the folks at RootsWeb VERY troubled right now >>that they do not have the resources to stop this avalanche of vital >>records and publications being purchased and removed from FREE public >>access for all time. In order to stop the flow of this information into >>the hands of the large companies it would be necessary for RootsWeb to >>purchase them and then offer them for free access to all of us on their >>Web space. They would like very much to accomplish this before it is >>forever too late to do so. While the access to the information is FREE, >>it is far from FREE acquiring the rights to the information in the first >>place. All of the mergers and acquisitions of the past year or so create >>a very serious threat to the continuance of genealogical research on the >>Internet as we now know it and as most of us believe it should be in the >>future. We are no longer playing on a level playing field. I think >>everyone needs to give this matter serious thought as we start the New >>Year. Everyone needs to decide what they want the future of Internet >>genealogy to be and then support what they feel is the correct approach. >> >>We need to examine our goals and what we would LIKE to see for the future >>of Internet genealogy. Do we want to see a future where all genealogical >>source materials must be bought and paid top dollar for, or would we >>rather see the information put online at non-subscription Web sites so >>that future genealogists can access them freely? It may already be too >>late with the recent mergers and acquisitions creating such large powerful >>companies with deep pockets that are very difficult to match on a dollar >>for dollar basis. I think everyone doing genealogical research on the >>Internet needs to consider whether they would like to support the efforts >>of RootsWeb with a small contribution of $12 (more would be even better) >>or whether they would like to see the world of the future of genealogy >>dominated by the large for-profit companies who can sell the same data >>(and hold exclusive rights to it) at whatever the market will support. >>Some serious food for thought for the coming New Year! >> >>I will now get off my soapbox and promise not to be so "preachy" again >>very soon, but I feel this matter is an important one to us all and today >>seemed the appropriate time to discuss it with all of you. >> >>Happy New Year! >> >>Joan M. Young, Administrator >>Geiger GenConnect Boards >>Queries: >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/Geiger >>Bible Records: >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerBibl >Bios: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerBios >Deeds: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerDeed >Obits: >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerObits >Pensions: >http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerPens >Wills: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/FamilyAssoc/GeigerWill >Visit The Geiger Connection Webpage: >http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~geiger/ >List Moderator, GEIGER-L@rootsweb.com >Editor, The Kiger Kounter newsletter >HELP MAINTAIN FREE ACCESS TO GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET IN >1999 >BY SUPPORTING ROOTSWEB: >http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to->subscribe.html/ >