NZSG – a way forward November 2009

NZSG – Strategic Issues The NZGDB project Possibilities for NZSG Joe: What you do? how you do it? Lynne: How we move the society forward, options, demos

NZSG Strategic Issues The NZSG’s present recipe is faltering –Books, magazine, meetings are less attractive to the Internet generation. –Increasing competition from new-technology sources –Dick Eastman: “Interest in family history is booming, but conference attendance and society membership is declining” The NZSG must change to survive, but it’s not clear what do to –Will “putting everything on the Internet” save the society? Or will it hasten its demise?

Internet Benefits 1 A better way of selling information? If NZSG “put its data on line” then –Reduced distribution cost compared to CD’s –Easier technology as Index grows > 640MB –Issues like Index V5’s privacy problems easily managed Would have been sorted in an hour, without withdrawal –Can reach a global audience more easily –Can keep updating databases continuously Not a big production like V5 index, but continuous improvement Can sell annual subscriptions

Internet Benefits 2. An attractive Internet presence will be a drawcard –A reason for joining NZSG –A reason to stay a member But:-

Internet Issues 1 Will people pay? Will people pay for information on line? –Perception “Internet sites should be free”. Resistance to Ancestry.com, WVR, etc. –However, FindMyPast etc popular, so people will pay where they see value What is “Fair price” for on line access vs CD? How much revenue can you expect? –Probably lower unit charge, but more revenue

Internet Issues 2. Existing Income Will this damage existing income? –Will people still buy CD’s? Very few: most not On the other hand, can sell as a subscription –So recurring income –My guess: lower price, but higher revenue But this is only a guess, won’t know until it’s tried And once tried, expectations will be set, difficult to change if you’ve got it wrong –With no CD currently in production, this is the best time to make the change!

Internet Issues 3 Security. Can information be stolen? –Properly done, more secure than CD’s But can’t totally secure the information with either medium –Can log access (demo of NZGBD log feature?) giving NZSG a tool to monitor lookup on behalf of non-members (endemic problem now)

Internet Issues 4. Cost. Requires a significant amount of programming to do properly FamNet development ~ 3 mths full time, and still not finished. And this was building on the NZGDB development, ~ 3 years, independently estimated at $700K if you were paying for it at commercial rates Requires a serious back-end environment Professionally managed server, security patches, serious database, etc. Requires ongoing systems management Does the NZSG have the appropriate skills for this? Only feasible option is a partnership –NZGDB, LDS, TGN, WVR, etc.

NZSG – Strategic Issues The NZGDB project Possibilities for NZSG Joe: What you do? how you do it? Lynne: How we move the society forward, options, demos

The Vision The best source of NZ Genealogy info The best record about an individual All important features of PC genealogy programs All the advantages of Internet-shared databases A vibrant, on-line community

The Concept (1) To combine features of your personal database –(FTM, Legacy, PAF, etc.) –Search, Update, links, scrapbook, etc. –Reports, charts, … With the advantages of web systems –Sharing –Collaboration and linking –Instant Publishing

Initial Thoughts. Genealogy is: - A work in progress – So must be easy to update – fact by fact A cooperative activity – So easy communication with record owners a must It’s the extras that make it interesting! – So not just GEDCOM, also pictures, narrative, etc

More Thoughts Privacy is important –Must manage privacy, not leave this to user –Must provide secure sharing of private information Ownership is important –Your data should not end up as somebody else’s No download facility Synchronize tools automatically create attribution –Nobody else should change your data Yet: incorrect facts should be correctable –Communicate with record owners –Post-it facility

The Concept (2) Search, Update Reduce duplication –Link as alternative to Copy

Demo Illustrates three key themes –Control –Publish –Communicate

Since release Database Growth –June 2007: ~ 600,000 –June 2008: ~ 6,000,000 –Now (3/11/09) : 14,140,706 Features added –Duplicate matching –Scrapbook –On line updating –Tree merging –Charts –General (user-defined) databases

User-Database Facilities Create database, with your table design –Instantly available on line, for data entry and update –Ownership: Group, Individual, or Hierarchical –Owner can control access Combined Database Search –Numbers of hits. Still have to go to DB to see records DEMO

Ongoing development Subscription and restricted databases –If/when there is a customer E-commerce and advertising “Vidtree” Family Show and improvements in charting Web 2.0 portal –Includes personal web sites, blogs, wikis

What do I do? How? Develop program with ASP.Net –Visual Basic –SQL Server –Technical advice from net –Often hours/week Job management database –Job recording, Time recording Server support – outsourced to IFM Ltd Joe: What you do? how you do it?

NZSG – Strategic Issues The NZGDB project Possibilities for NZSG Joe: What you do? how you do it? Lynne: How we move the society forward, options, demos

NZSG and the Internet Why do people join (and remain in) the society? –The magazine?The library? –Access to CD’s?Meetings? –Social?Habit? –The website?Access to other sites? e.g. Gale Newspapers Will this attract the next generation? (In my opinion) The NZSG needs to use the Internet as a reason to join the society –Should rank in importance with the magazine, perhaps more, with appropriate budget. –Offer databases on-line, making the members-only web site a reason to belong

NZSG databases on line I believe that NZSG MUST partner with somebody to achieve this –Has neither budget nor skills to go it alone Significant development and systems management required – could easily turn into a black hole for $$ –Only affordable way is to piggyback on an existing development: a company with an existing Internet family history presence Options: –NZGDB, TGN, WVR, FindMyPast etc

NZSG revenue options To offer NZSG CD databases to Subscribers –And to put other collections on-line, e.g. Certificate Collection Revenue options –Premium subscription Say $40 more than standard? –Charge individually for each database –Pay per view I strongly favor a premium subscription –Simple to program and to manage –Can charge annually –My opinion: more attractive to members, will bring in much more revenue

NZSG Cost-Saving (and service improvements) Electronic Communication with members –Substantial cost savings from partially replacing magazine –Better service: monthly distribution –Services like “Information Wanted” etc electronic only More immediate, searchable Remote presentations –On-line video presentations. Free or ppv?

Why NZGDB? 1 Only credible Australasian partnership option –Others are U.K. or U.S.A –NZSG will not be important to them, you’d be lost in the noise Only one where you can influence priorities –Also, probably the only one that will support your own branding, while also giving you the advantages of a larger presence. We will be the cheapest –Like Bunnings, we will beat any comparable offer by 10% We have the facilities –NZSG’s entire CD collection = approx 20% extra database space. GDBServer would still have 95% free disk space Ben Franklin: “We must hang together, else we shall surely hang separately”

Why NZGDB? 2 We can start putting your data on line tomorrow I can complete the programming that you will need within days of “go” –Further programming to make it easy to manage projects on-line, supporting Diane etc, is easy We can handle electronic newsletter distribution etc immediately Data remains yours, you do not lose control –Recommend annual contract – leaves options open for the future Can take advantage of NZGDB’s developments to offer exciting services to your members and branches. Ben Franklin: “We must hang together, else we shall surely hang separately”

Why NZGDB? 3 Brings further revenue options –NZSG could sell discounted NZGDB subscriptions and earn commission –NZGDB could sell NZSG memberships (commission) –NZSG databases will appear in NZGDB combined- database search, driving non-members to NZSG subscriptions –NZSG could earn revenue through introducing other organizations to NZGDB (ongoing commission) –NZSG could sell NZGDB advertising (commission)

Why NZGDB? 4 Brings further data (service) options –Could be added to the NZSG site in minutes (just paste a link) Free: - –Shipping database –Biographies –Useful Web Sites –Publications (including E-books) Subscription –NZGDB E-Commerce options –Sell books, CD’s, etc through NZGDB site

Costs Could be on basis of: - –Annual Fee –%age of premium/direct revenue –Payment for development time –Payment for specific services –Or some combination Doesn’t need much if approached in a spirit of honest partnership.

Issue - Trust How can I trust the society? –History of hostility, misrepresentation, even outright lies. Explicit “No apology” in spite of evidence. How can the society trust NZGDB? –Recent NZSG_LST traffic shows that Richard Stedman, and presumably council members, STILL believe that we have stolen the NZSG’s data How can NZGDB get a fair hearing?