Ancestry.com RootsTech 2012 Keynote

Here are some notes I took from the Saturday, February 4, 2012 keynote speakers.  I hope that you find my notes as interesting as I found the speakers.  See also the full keynote at: http://rootstech.org/#

Ancestry.com. 
Moderator:  Tim Sullivan, CEO, &
Panelists:  Eric Shoup, SVP of Product, Scott Sorensen, VP of Development, Johnathan Young, SVP of Technology and Ken Chahine, SVP of DNA.

Ancestry.com has 1.7 million subscribers
The data content is the foundation of their business.

Ancestry.com accommodates various needs of researcher; from beginner to experienced.  Since various groups of researchers use Ancestry.com the site must must need the needs of a vast range of users.

What is happening in DNA?  
It is in the "mist of a revolution."  There have been great improvements.  However, so far, the use has been modest.  Hopefully in the future, DNA will be able to narrow down the place where they, ancestors, were from.  The DNA community is dealing with massive amounts of data.

Mobile Genealogy:
  • There were over 2 million downloads of the mobile application Ancestry.com.
  • There have been over 2 million "hints accepted"
  • Mobile browsing on the site is up 12 percent
  • Mobile capabilities allows users to have a digital hub
  • New products will be built for mobile customers first, because it is growing so fast
  • Mobile is the future of family history

Social Websites:
  • Facebook is important to family history
  • There are over 800 million users over the world
  • It is massive and global
  • Facebook can be used as a sharing mechanism for family history

The Future:
  • Genealogy has usually been an individual pursuit, but Ancestry.com is hoping to include more family members sharing their discoveries.
  • Technology is the key to making the company better.  There are currently 300 technology specialists at Ancestry.com, and this next year they are hoping to add about 80 more.
  • Competition keeps Ancestry.com energized and focused to come up with their own ideas.

Note:  Full disclosure:  These are from my IPad notes taken from the live meeting.  I have no personal interest in Ancestry, and as of current am not a subscriber, and have received not compensation from them.  I do use Ancestry.com for my research at the FHL and at the Riverton FHL.  For individual quotes and accurate numbers and statistics, please go to http://rootstech.org/# and watch the recording for Saturday, February 2, 2012.

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