Issue 36.15
Part 1
I am sharing Paul Nauta’s information about FamilySearch because it was so informative.
Fifteen years ago Apple was a beleaguered tech company. Today, it is a transformative leader across multiple industries (computers, smartphones, music, movies, wearable technology). Robert Kehrer, senior product manager for FamilySearch.org’s search experience, believes FamilySearch is also undergoing a fundamental transformation. He knows because as a manager at Apple for most of the last decade, he participated in the change and clearly sees the similarities. Brother Kehrer was a keynote speaker at the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference Thursday morning, July 30.
“[FamilySearch] is a different organization today—focused on the customer and quickly delivering value,” he said. “Companies that change the fastest to meet customer needs today are the most effective.” Brother Kehrer said that FamilySearch is seeking to change the very landscape of genealogy.
He received generous “oohs” and “ahs” and applause from attendees as he outlined FamilySearch.org’s priorities for the near future and pointed out some of the latest features on the website. He explained the current focus of much of the product development is focused on the following customer needs:
- Providing more records—faster.
- The ability to preserve and share personal family records online.
- The ability to do more on cell phones and tablets.
- Creating a more accurate and full-featured search.
- Allowing patrons to easily and completely gather online sources right at their fingertips.
- Ensuring the FamilySearch Family Tree is “genealogically sound.”
- Expanding to work with partners and industry leaders to tackle the ominous needs of the marketplace.
Since 2013, FamilySearch.org has seen a 234 percent increase in its LDS patrons and a whopping 1,035 percent increase from the non-LDS segment. He believes these increases are due to improved patron experiences. Record collections on the site have nearly doubled since 2012 (1,033 to 2,019), and the searchable indexed names have grown from 750 million in 2010 to 5.2 billion today.
FamilySearch is expanding its 293 digital camera teams worldwide, and the effort to digitally convert the microfilm in the Granite Mountain Records Vault is forging ahead—adding new content online at an impressive rate.
Continued next week.
For more information, contact Shanna Jones shannajones@msn.com