As technology increases and the internet is utilized more often essentially every facet of our lives, it seems that not even death can escape. Genealogy.com is a virtual cemetery that allows users to upload their cemeteries and family history to be viewed by anybody else signed up on the site.
Essentially this program is everything we have done involving the collection and display of cemetery features. It allows users to upload pictures in anyway that they want related to gravestones, and markers. Multiple benefits in regards to searches related to death can be accessed through this site including ease of access in searches for deceased people such as family members, protection of photos by including them in a worldwide archive, and create an important resource for genealogists.
Searches can be made for particular family names via the Family Home Page Search which is located on the main page. This requires a registration to locate results but upon signing up, I was able to locate a few family graves, one in Maine, and one in New York both in the U.S.A. Photos of the grave was present which included text photos of the inscriptions, as well as, up close images that could verify conditions of the graves at the time the photos were taken. A user can create and edit their own family homepage or contribute to another on request.
The most interesting and efficient part of the site is the action of record keeping, and this site controls that aspect of the data collection process very well. What I find most important is the ability of a user to complete and incorporate their information into others' collections to correlate information. The collaboration process is a very important highlight to the site. The program provides free lessons for uploading and analysing graves, as well for contacting others' in relation to the collaboration process. Free Tips from experts and long time members are available throughout the site, making the ease of access more efficient when asking a question. Organization is key, as the site offers free organization brackets in regards to filing, time management records, photographs, and source documentation which is key.
In reference to our latest assignment, I found a great advantage for the possible use of this site. As most of our "participants" (dead guys) for our project were of Hawaiian decent, many of their names were changed to fit the Western style, or English formatting for a name. Something in a name like Palua became known as Pallow and so forth. This site has a subcategory titled "They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island" which allows users to locate histories of names, and grave places that perhaps were changed. This relies heavily on user correspondence but could be a very useful tool in regards to projects similar to ours, if the site is used properly.
To access the site please visit; http://www.genealogy.com/index_n.html
