4,497
edits
FamilySearch Wiki:Introduction: Difference between revisions
tweaked the mission and funding section
(tweaked nonprofit section) |
(tweaked the mission and funding section) |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
People seeking research advice have to search many sources to find it. FamilySearch Wiki is a Website where the community can write and update research advice for any locality. Here's an overview of our vision and an invitation to join us. | People seeking research advice have to search many sources to find it. FamilySearch Wiki is a Website where the community can write and update research advice for any locality. Here's an overview of our vision and an invitation to join us. | ||
== Launched in 2008 == | |||
FamilySearch Wiki was launched on the Web in an open beta using [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki MediaWiki] software during the first quarter of 2008. Before that the wiki was available to a limited group of users on a [http://plone.org/ Plone] site. | |||
== Our mission and funding == | == Our mission and funding == | ||
FamilySearch is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide genealogical records and services to customers worldwide. Our services are free, as are most of our products -- including data sets online.<ref>FamilySearch occasionally offers products at cost, such as genealogical records on CD-ROM, and we sometimes charge a fee to recuperate costs, such as the price of postage for a microfilm sent to a patron at a Family History Center. We sometimes collaborate with commercial companies to provide indexes or digitized records, but we do not receive funds from them. However, 99% of our resources are offered to the public free of charge.</ref> We are funded by contributions from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). | |||
== Our customers -- and why serving every country is important == | == Our customers -- and why serving every country is important == | ||
| Line 40: | Line 44: | ||
*Knowledge of many genealogical topics | *Knowledge of many genealogical topics | ||
*Huge volunteer base (55,000+ family history consultants worldwide) | *Huge volunteer base (55,000+ family history consultants in 163 countries worldwide) | ||
*Many locations (4,500+ family history centers worldwide) | *Many locations (4,500+ family history centers worldwide) | ||
*Excellent international records collection | *Excellent international records collection | ||