Genealogy in 2015 - Online Up & Comers?

Recently, Crestleaf shared this detailed infographic on their blog and included the following:

"GenealogyInTime Magazine’s top 100 list profiles and ranks ancestral websites based on traffic estimates from Alexa; resulting in accurate, unbiased and comprehensive results."

And I have to admit, the findings didn't really shock me. The interest in genealogy has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, and the greatest addition to this "old-school" hobby is how quickly technology is being used (and created!) to help us in this industry.

Still, I took a closer look at this great graphic, and looked at the portion which mentioned 'Top Rising Stars'. (click the graphic twice for a large image of it)

As the child of a genealogist, I was bored stiff with what I saw as a jumble of names, dates and places.  I could not, for the life of me, understand why my mother was so involved and genuinely excited with this hobby for over 25 years.  In the days before the Internet, she would write letters by the handful - late at night on her father's WWII typewriter.  She would make out little checks for 50 cents, or a dollar or two, requesting copies of these names, dates and places from all over the world.  It was only when I became older, and really listened, and began putting pictures or historical events with these names, did I understand.  I was who I was, because of who THEY were. I got it. The stories were what mattered.

So with that in mind, I set out on my own genealogy adventure as an adult. And believe me, I've done everything from handwritten forms, handwritten letters, and out-of-the-way repository searches, to trying dozens upon dozens of online sites proclaiming to help me with my family tree.  As you all know, out there you'll find the good, the bad and the sheer ugly.  But back to this graphic - here are the four I wanted to talk about - all listed as 'Top Rising Stars':

Newspapers.com:  This site is owned by Ancestry.com - granted, it contains mostly different newspaper records than that which can be found on their main site; however, it is still behind NewspaperArchive.com in number of newspaper pages available.  That being said, it has really ramped up its collection in recent months and boasts nearly 88 million searchable pages.  NewspaperArchive.com boasts over 160 million pages. It's important to note that if you're an Ancestry.com user, (and a Fold3 user), subscribing to this service means you're paying three hefty subscriptions to the same company. Newspapers.com's monthly fee is $7.95/mo. and $79.95/yr - while NewspaperArchive.com is $99.95 every six months. GenealogyBank.com has fallen to a distant number three in the newspaper archive business.

Familytreenow.com: I seriously could not figure this site out.  It was the only surprise I found on this graphic.  This free site encourages you to list your entire family (including all living); and by all accounts I could find, and because there are no ads, they make their money by selling your information to third parties.  Sorry familytreenow.com, I will be staying away.

LostCousins.com: This site has been gaining some ground, and focuses on other users you may be related to. Frankly, I like the 'anonymous if you want to be' and optional usage of Ancestry.com's Member Connect service and in-site email system.  But the best part of this site may be its price: about $15 USD per year. Great value, lostcousins.com.

Crestleaf: This is the new, up and coming site that got me the most excited. Remember, it were the stories that finally turned my mom's passion into my own. The pictures, the relationships and how they all weaved into historical happenings.  And this is where Crestleaf really shines. You get a whole gig of space for your pictures for your tree with your free account.  If you wish to add more, you can upgrade for a fee.  As genealogists, we struggle with how to document the stories sometimes (not just the dates/places), as well as share our stories with family and friends.  I think Crestleaf has created the perfect site for just that.  It's a lot like Treelines, but better!

Today is National Inventor's Day, in honor of Thomas Edison's birthday, and it's also the date that RootsTech is holding their Innovators Summit & Challenge. Can't wait to see what's on the horizon, and how it may change the industry!

Cate.