Adventures in FamilySearch Indexing - Week 60

I am watching LDS Genealogy Conference while I am indexing today. It seems I can't just watch TV anymore without doing something with my hands. It is such a luxury to have a laptop and be able to work on it out here in the living room.

I checked the FamilySearch Indexing website for any messages and was not disappointed.

October 2, 2008:
Access to Indexes and Images

All indexes created by FamilySearch volunteers will be available free to the general public through FamilySearch.org. Access to any images with a “convenience fee” provided under FamilySearch affiliate agreements (e.g., with Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and Footnote.com) will be available for free through any family history center worldwide, to LDS Church members, and qualified FamilySearch indexers (a volunteer who indexes 900 names in a 90 day period will have 90 days of free image access).

FamilySearch is testing a validation system that will enable it to authenticate qualified FamilySearch members. It will be implemented in 2009.

To search indexes and images freely now at FamilySearch's pilot site, click here.

That makes me wonder if I am indexing enough in my current pattern to pay my "convenience fee"? 900 names in 90 days would average 100 records a week. Yes, that seems manageable to me. Though the death certificates do take longer to index and it would be harder to get the numbers doing those. To bad they can't even that out a little.

That reminds me that I received an comment from a reader on how to get some high numbers.

Renee,

I always enjoy your blogs, especially the ones about indexing. I was interested in the message for people in Utah to do returned batches. I live in FL, but wish I could help- I'd love to help get the Irish BMD indexes out. I am anxiously waiting for them to be released.

I've been doing the UK Cheshire Poor Law records lately. For anyone who is interested in getting high numbers, you do 5 to 30 records and get credit for the entire 50 in the table.

Keep up the good work! Pat Payne

I love high numbers and I would love to work on those records, but I need to do my New York batches while they are available. But, first I need to see if there were any messages for us in the My Messges area of the FamilySearch Indexing program. There are two places to look now for messages from headquarters and it gets a little confusing where to find them. We did have a seimimonthly message from Headquarters.

From: Headquarters
Subject: Semimonthly Message
Date: 02 Oct 2008

To all indexers, arbitrators, and group administrators:

Please take a moment to review and update your personal information currently stored in our database. You can see this information on your My Info page on the FamilySearch indexing Web site.

1. Open your internet browser and go to www.familysearchindexing.org.
2. Click the Sign On link in the top right corner of the page.
3. Type your user name and password (the same ones you use to sign in to the application).
4. Click OK.
5. Review your information.

• If you are a group administrator, you will need to click the My Info link in the top right corner of the page to see your information quickly.
  

6. Make any changes needed.

• If you need to change your Group or Stake, click the field and start typing the name. A drop-down list should appear. Continue typing until the name of your group or stake appears. Click the correct name.
  

7. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Accurate information is very important to our administrative efforts behind the scenes here in Salt Lake City. We greatly appreciate your help with keeping our database updated.

Sincerely,

FamilySearch Indexing

Well, maybe that's why I have never heard from anyone locally about my indexing. My Group or Stake showed as Utah 0008. I think I was just floating out there in cyberspace somewhere. At least everything is now up-to-date for me.

I was very pleased to see that the New York 1870 U.S. Federal Census Records were still available for me to work on. I did nine batches totaling 360 names. Making a grand total of 9097 records indexed to date. I feel like I could of indexed more but the program was running so slow. Maybe to many people were on line today at the same time as me. It was terrible when you needed to look at the previous record to get information for the page you were indexing. It seemed like I needed to do that on every batch.

Well, indexing is done for the day and conference is also over. I think I will go take a nice nap before I work on my own genealogy.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!