Some people eat, sleep and chew gum, I do genealogy and write...

Monday, January 9, 2017

The Family History Guide now linked from LDS.org

The Family History Guide has now been accepted to partner directly with FamilySearch.org and has appeared as a link on the LDS.org website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is a screenshot of the linked page:

Quoting from the page:
FamilySearch is now partnering with third-parties who produce training on a number of topics for individuals wanting to learn more about FamilySearch features and research strategies. This training also includes geography-specific research strategies. 
Partner: The Family History Guide 
The Family History Guide is a website that represents a best-in-class learning environment for family history. Its scope is broad, but its focus is narrow enough to help you achieve your goals, step by step. Whether you are brand new to family history or a seasoned researcher - or somewhere in between - The Family History Guide can be your difference maker.
Questions have been raised, at times, about the status of using The Family History Guide in a Church context. With the addition of the program as a FamilySearch.org Partner and by adding The Family History Guide to the Church's official LDS.org website, the status of the program for use by members of the Church for instruction in family history classes and training has been clarified.

Use of The Family History Guide is, of course, NOT limited just to members of the LDS Church. It is a free, structured and sequenced learning environment for anyone who wants to increase their understanding and skills in genealogical research. The website is operated by a non-profit, L3C corporation, The Family History Guide, L3C. The "L3C" designation represents its incorporation as a low-profit, limited liability company. The L3C is legal form of business entity in the United States that was created to bridge the gap between non-profit and for-profit investing by providing a structure that facilitates investments in socially beneficial, for-profit ventures by simplifying compliance with Internal Revenue Service rules for program-related investments, a type of investment that private foundations are allowed to make. Quoting from the Wikipedia article on Low-profit limited liability companies:
The L3C is designed to make it easier for socially oriented businesses to attract investments from foundations and additional money from private investors.[8]Unlike the traditional LLC, the L3C’s articles of organization are required by law to mirror the federal tax standards for program-related investing. [9] A program-related investment (PRI) is one way in which foundations can satisfy their obligation under the Tax Reform Act of 1969 to distribute at least 5% of their assets every year for charitable purposes.[7] While foundations usually meet this requirement through grants, investments in L3Cs and charities that qualify as PRIs can also fulfill the requirement while allowing the foundations to receive a return.[10] [Footnotes included]
The Family History Guide is actively seeking foundation sponsors. See "The Family History Guide looking for Sponsorships."

The Family History Guide will have a booth to demonstrate and teach about the website at #RootsTech 2017 from February 8th to the 11th at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. For some time now, my wife and I have been serving on the Advisory Board for The Family History Guide as unpaid, volunteers. As such, I will be teaching a series of classes about The Family History Guide at the website's booth on the Exhibitor's floor of the #RootsTech 2017 Conference. If you are attending the Conference, please take some time to drop by the booth and say hello. I will be dividing my time at the booth and at the Media Hub for the official #RootsTech 2017 Ambassadors. I will also be teaching two classes for MyHeritage.com at their booth.

2 comments:

  1. I LOVE the Family History Guide and use it all the time when training ward consultants. I would like to see it listed as a resource on the Family History Consultant Training page. https://www.lds.org/callings/temple-and-family-history/family-history-consultants?lang=eng

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