The Expert Connect program that has been a part of the Ancestry.com website is about to come to an end. This news comes as a shock to the genealogists who were taking part in the program, especially since the program has only been around since March of 2009.
Ancestry.com is one of the most popular genealogy websites, with millions of members who use the website to do genealogy research, and to build their family tree. The Expert Connect project was designed so that a member of Ancestry.com could connect with an expert genealogist, and hire that genealogist to help them with their research.
The member could choose from a variety of services through the Expert Connect system. An expert could help do the research that a member needed done in order to fill in more of their family tree. Or, a member could hire an expert to look for a specific record that the member couldn’t find. Another option was to have an expert genealogist go to an archive that was near the expert, and mail a copy of a record to the member who lived far away, but needed that particular record. Experts could also be asked to answer a specific genealogy related question, to take a photo of a gravestone, or to translate something from a foreign language into English for a member.
The expert genealogists who were part of the Expert Connect program would be paid for their services. When the member hires an expert genealogist to do some work, the member was to send money to Ancestry.com., who would notify the expert that the project had been funded. When the work was complete, Ancestry.com would pay the expert genealogist for their work. In other words, the Ancestry.com website was acting as a “go-between”, and allowing members and experts to connect. Members didn’t have to have a contract written out between themselves and the expert genealogist. The experts didn’t have to wonder how, or when, they would be paid for their services.
Recently, Ancestry.com announced that it will be closing the Expert Connect program, forever. They describe the Expert Connect project as “a positive experience”, but explain that they have “decided to focus on other business priorities”. There will be no more new project postings, bidding, or awards after February 3, 2011. Experts are encouraged to finish their current projects by March 13, 2011. What if the project cannot be finished by then? In those cases, the expert genealogist and the member who hired them will be expected to take it upon themselves to connect with each other, and work out an agreeable system of payment. As of March 18, 2011, the Expert Connect program will no longer be part of Ancestry.com.
Naturally, this comes as a shock to the genealogists who were using this system, and getting paid. It is worth noting that the new season of the American version of the television program “Who Do You Think You Are?”, just so happens to start on February 4, 2011. Ancestry.com has been involved with that television series since it’s first season.
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