Ralph Speaking as a British project admin I don't think there is a specific problem recruiting in the UK. In my experience there will always be people who don't want to have their DNA taken for one reason or another (eg, privacy, religious concerns, fear of an unwanted discover), but these issues are not confined to British people. With regards to UK marketing, for the past two years Family Tree DNA have attended the big three-day "Who do you think you are? Live" show in London, and on both occasions the stall was swamped. The feedback was very positive and there was a huge amount of interest in DNA testing. FTDNA only tend to advertise in journals when someone writes an article on DNA testing. Nevertheless there are some issues which are specific to the UK: 1) Fluctuating exchange rates. The pound has been very weak in recent years making the kits proportionately much more expensive. The 37-marker test costs about £105 now compared with about £95 a year ago. I remember when the 37-marker kits dropped in price from $189 to $149, and the saving was almost completely wiped out by a fall in the value of the pound. In contrast, I understand that the exchange rate for the Australian dollar is currently very favourable. 2) Lack of telephone support. It's quite a daunting prospect sending your DNA off to a foreign country. Not everyone is adept at using e-mail and the internet, but an expensive trans-Atlantic call would be out of the question for most people. I have two people in my Devon project who would not be there if they hadn't been able to pick up the telephone and call me so that they could have all their questions answered. I have suggested to FTDNA that they should set up a freephone number for UK enquiries but nothing ever happened. Perhaps it would have more effect if the suggestion is received from a number of people. FTDNA do have an arrangement with IGENEA. IGENEA have a UK telephone number, but their kits are almost 50% more expensive than buying direct from FTDNA in America. 3) The presentation of so many American DNA project websites is not conducive to the recruitment of UK participants. I get people who are interested in DNA testing and my heart sinks when I visit the relevant surname project website. Inevitably the focus will be on "connecting with cousins in the UK" or with sorting out the myriad lines in Virginia or New England. If the UK is mentioned at all it is only as an afterthought. You look at the results page and all you see is a long list of cryptic American state abbreviations for the most distant common ancestor. It is very difficult if not impossible to try and persuade someone from the UK to take a DNA test in such circumstances. 4) People take a DNA test in the hope of advancing their family history or understanding more about their surname. If you are in the UK and your line is from, say, Devon you will be interested in finding out if you have any matches with people with your surname from Cornwall and Somerset. You do not want to take a test to find out if you're related to the Smiths of Virginia or the Browns of Texas. With specific regard to the Taylor project, I think in the first instance you would need to sponsor tests for a few Brits as there is currently very little incentive for any UK Taylors to test. You would also need to take a proactive approach to seek out potential candidates. I would also suggest that you make the most of the few Brits that you do have, by moving them right up to the top of the Y-DNA results page. I had to scroll right down to group 24 before I could find a mention of a UK place name. Alternatively it might be an idea to establish a separate DNA Project for UK Taylors and restrict entry only to people with documented pedigrees to specific towns, villages or counties in the UK. Then at least they wouldn't be swamped by all the American lines. Another big problem is the sheer size of the American lines. One emigrant can have literally thousands of descendants. You often see American projects with huge matching groups of twenty or thirty people which you just don't get with the English lines. Incidentally, I note in your group 24 that you have Kit no. 84433 with a line from Holsworthy, Devon. Perhaps you could encourage him to join my Devon project: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Devon If you want to see a good example of an American DNA project that is doing a good job at recruiting UK participants I suggest you take a look at the Phillips DNA project website: http://www.phillipsdnaproject.com In this case they've made a conscious effort to ensure that the content has a global balance. These are just my thoughts. I hope they are of some use. Best wishes Debbie Kennett http://www.familytreedna.com/public/CruwysDNA