Doing Research in Real Time

A presentation given by FamilySearch staff "Doing Research in Real Time-An Exhilarating Collaboration Experience!" (F308), at the National Genealogical Society 2010 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. , presented by Alan E. Mann, AG®, Robert Raymond, and David E. Rencher, AG®, CGSM, FIGRS, FUGA .

This session illustrates how to do research collaboratively in real time using off-the-shelf products and services to accomplish more in less time and (we think) better results. FamilySearch has produced a video adaptation of this session. In the Learning Center, see "Doing Research in Real Time: A Collaborative Approach."

Collaboration

While our presentation focuses on the tools and benefits of real-time collaboration, the research process benefits from both real-time and non-real-time collaboration. Consider choosing real-time tools that give all the collaborators time for later absorption and analysis of the results. Hypotheses can then be added, reviewed and discussed asynchronously, leading to richer, fuller analysis, and eventually sounder conclusions. For example, an online research log allows for real-time sharing and assigning of research tasks, but also enables further collaboration.

Tools for Real-time Collaboration

We've divided real-time collaboration tools into three types: communication, artifact storage, and aggregation.

Communication

These tools are used for "command and control" of a real time research session. This allows coordinated research activities. Assignments are given, results are reported, and a research log is produced. With this ability, the group is able to account for expected and unexpected results.

Artifacts

Artifact tools are used to share the documentary evidence that supports the research. These artifacts may include, but are not limited to: original vital records, probate, land, tax and other supporting evidence; photographs of tombstones, newspaper clippings – especially obituaries; summaries of oral interviews, etc. These artifacts need to be organized to tell the story and provide the evidentiary materials in such a way that other researchers have access to the materials for their own interpretation.

Aggregator

To aggregate the information streaming in from the various sources, an aggregation tool is necessary. This allows everyone to see the results of the research and to monitor progress. It also provides a critical analysis function by allowing visibility into the whole of the genealogical problem as it develops.

Tool Tables

Additions and corrections to these tables are encouraged. To qualify for inclusion, a tool must either be free or FamilySearch Certified. Since the printing of the syllabus, MyFamily.com eliminated a free offering, so it has been removed from the table.

The tables in the conference syllabus use the term Tree Results instead of Aggregator. The tables here have been corrected. The conference syllabus only includes aggregators that provided their own collaborative tree. However, products certified to update the new FamilySearch Tree may be added to the tables below.

Collaboration Tools from Google

Tool	Purpose	Cost	Notes
Google Blogger	Communication, Artifacts	Free	HTML and images. Picasa has 1 GB free storage space.
Google Groups	Communication, Artifacts	Free	Provides messaging and a file area for any file type. Uses upload throttling and 100 MB storage space.
Google Drive	Communication, Artifacts	Free	Store any file type. 5 GB storage space.
Google Gmail	Communication, Artifacts	Free	Messages are private. Free storage space is 10 GB.
Google Blogs	Blog Communication	Free	Up to 100 blogs per account.
Google Hangouts	Chat, Voice, Video Conferencing	Free	Cloud Storage supplied by Google Drive, YouTube
Google Picasa	Artifacts	Free	1 GB storage space.

Collaboration Tools from FamilySearch

Tool	Purpose	Cost	Notes
FamilySearch Wiki	See notes	Free	Textual information about locations and records can be entered into the wiki. Information about individuals and families can not.
FamilySearch Forums (beta)	Communication, Artifacts	Free	jpeg file size limited to 976 KB, other image formats are limited to 620 x 280 pixels.
new FamilySearch Tree	Aggregation	Free	Gradual release to the general public sometime in 2010.

Collaboration Tools from Certified FamilySearch Affiliates

Tool	Purpose	Cost	Notes
Ancestral Quest NetFam	Aggregation	$29.95	Online tree uses check-in/check-out to a desktop application.
Appletree	Artifacts, Aggregation	$59.40/yr
Arcalife	Artifacts, Aggregation	Free or $250	Limited or 10 GB storage space. [This site can no longer be found.  The last reference to it on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is September 2012.]
FamilyPursuit	Communication, Artifacts,† Aggregation	Free or † 59.95/yr	1 GB storage space. † Storing artifacts requires a subscription of 59.95/yr.
Mobiletree	Artifacts	$9.99	iPhone application. Requires an account for the new FamilySearch tree. Accounts will be available to the general public gradually, starting sometime in 2010.
One Great Family	Artifacts, Aggregation	$80/yr.
Photoloom	Artifacts	Free or $39/yr.	Users may store up to XX photographs for free.
Other affiliates	Aggregation		Needed: Someone needs to add the other NFS update certified programs.

Collaboration Tools from Ancestry.com, Inc. and RootsWeb

Tool	Purpose	Cost	Notes
Ancestry.com Member Trees	Artifacts, Tree results	Free	Collaborators must be invited to make changes to the tree. Files can be up to 15 MB of types: text, MS.doc, PDF, jpg, png, gif, tiff, and bmp. No known storage space limit.
Ancestry.com/ RootsWeb Message Boards	Communication, Artifacts	Free	Supports attachments of GEDCOM and some image files up to 4 MB. No known storage space limit.
GenForum	Communication	Free

Other Collaboration Tools

Tool	Purpose	Cost	Notes
Facebook	Communication, Artifacts (low resolution), Aggregation	Free	Needed: someone to check the storage space available on Facebook. Also see
FamilyLink.com	Communication, Artifacts?, Aggregation	Free	Needed: someone to check this row of the table.
Flickr	Artifacts	Free	100 MB storage space.
Fold3 People Pages	Artifacts, Aggregation	Free	File types: jpg, gif, tif, png upto 10 MB in size. No known storage limit.
Photobucket	Artifacts	Free	10 GB/month download bandwidth limit. 500 MB storage space.
Skype	Communication	Free	Needed: someone to check this row of the table.
Twitter	Communication	Free	Text only with 140 character message limit.
Yahoo Groups	Communication, Artifacts, Aggregation	Free
Various free screen sharing and online meeting tools	Communication	Free	Needed: Someone needs to add the various free screen sharing and online meeting tools.
Various online, free collaborative trees	Aggregation	Free	Needed: Someone needs to add the various free online collaborative trees.

Post Project Followup

Following a research project, participants will want to go back through the results of the project, proof reading information, checking conclusions, and offering further research suggestions to the primary participant.

Examples From Our Session

• Our research log. This is the log of what we had scripted to do, not what you saw happen.
• Results of our research using Footnote person pages. Any registered user can make changes to these pages. We invite you to extend our results.
• Results of our research in an Ancestry.com member tree. To see the results, you must have a subscription or you must be in the Family History Library or in a public library. Only members of our research project team can make changes to these pages.

Summary

The desired outcome for this presentation is that you will take away the knowledge that research can be conducted in dramatically different ways than you may be used to doing. More people can participate, producing more artifacts and results in less time, making your valuable research time more productive.