Return to Mark & Cyndi's Family TreeA version of this article first appeared in the November/December 2001 issue of Ancestry Magazine
My credit card company simply adores the Internet. With a few clicks of my mouse, I can rack up very impressive charges denominated in a variety of international currencies in just a few minutes. The Internet has really been a boon to purchasing genealogical-related goods and services. Since I buy more than my fair share of genealogy "stuff" over the Internet, I thought I would share some tips about genealogy purchases online.
When buying from a web site, be sure that before you type in your credit card details, you have verified that your connection to the web site is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). You can tell this simply by looking at your browser - Internet Explorer will show a small closed padlock at the bottom right, Netscape Navigator will show a small closed padlock at the bottom left. SSL securely scrambles the information you provide and only allows the merchant with which you are doing business to unscramble it and process your credit card information. Netscape has a brief tutorial on SSL ( http://developer.netscape.com/tech/security/ssl/howitworks.html ) if you need the gory details. There are other forms of encryption used for securing credit card purchases by vendors. However, SSL is the common industry standard built-in to work directly with your web browser. Other forms of encryption which utilize Java applets, etc. may be as secure as SSL, but you really have no way of knowing for sure.
Contact the vendor by e-mail and ask if they will accept an e-mail order. If they do take e-mail orders, determine a non-e-mail method of transmitting your credit card payment particulars to them. Usually, they will accept this information by telephone or by fax. Do not send them your credit card information via e-mail. Send them your order details only in an e-mail and give them your credit card information via another means. This prevents the unlikely but possible interception of your credit card information carried in an unencrypted e-mail message.
Perhaps the best-kept secret in genealogy shopping is the amazing range of publications and products available from local genealogy societies. Who knows the territory and the records better than the members of the local society do? Over the years, genealogy societies have published a variety of records, maps, how-to books, and they are increasingly publishing their own CD-ROM data discs full of local records. Most societies still do not have facilities for online ordering, but this is slowly changing. One commercial effort in the United Kingdom is actually hosting online ordering facilities for dozens and dozens of local genealogical societies. GenFair ( http://www.genfair.com/ ) provides secure credit card ordering for U.K. genealogy societies' products by coordinating their online order facilities with the societies' existing order fulfillment process. GenFair handles the payment end of the transaction while taking a small fee for their service while the local societies provide the genealogical materials for sale. Everyone benefits because the local societies reach a wider market for their goods while genealogists around the world have a simplified way of obtaining the societies' products. It's a pity that more arrangements such as GenFair are not available for genealogy societies around the world.
When purchasing a subscription service such as Ancestry.com's ( http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribeplanstx.asp ), you will be asked to provide additional personal information besides your credit card particulars. In such cases, always read the associated acceptable use policy or privacy statement - see Ancestry.com's as a good example ( http://www.ancestry.com/legal/privacy.htm ). If the web site doesn't tell you what they will or will not do with your information, take care! If you are required to enter any personal data before receiving an explanation of how they will be using your data, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. Your time is better spent elsewhere. As you subscribe to services or purchase information on a one-off basis at pay-for-view sties, remember to ensure that your web browser is using Secure Sockets Layer before entering your credit card information.
Finding and hiring research services over the Internet is an entire topic in itself. There are some excellent resources online regarding how best to go about hiring a genealogist to further your research. The Association of Professional Genealogists has an excellent site on the topic ( http://www.apgen.org/articles/hire.html ). This site provides good advice for hiring a researcher on or off the 'net. Most researchers-for-hire these days have e-mail addresses and many have web sites as well. Most will accept work via e-mail but few take credit cards in payment. You usually have to send them a check or money order to pay for their services.
Finding the right researcher for hire can be a challenge. Check Cyndi's List - Professionals ( http://www.cyndislist.com/profess.htm ), the Association of Professional Genealogists' membership list ( http://www.apgen.org/directory/index.php ), or locality-specific professional organizations' membership lists such as the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives in the UK ( ww.agra.org.uk/page4.html ) for researchers-for-hire contact information. Local genealogy societies, libraries, and archives will often be able to recommend reputable researchers in their area as well.
When I commission a researcher for hire, I always have a very clear research objective in mind. Usually, I have already narrowed the research down to which record types over what period of years located at which repositories I want the researcher-for-hire to consult on my behalf. I hire them via e-mail by first asking them about their familiarity with the record types involved. By providing them with a tightly defined set of research instructions, I can comfortably ask for an estimate of the time and cost involved before I agree to have them undertake the research. If the estimates don't approximate my own estimation of how long it would take me with the same records, I take my business elsewhere. Make sure that both you and the researcher are clear on whether incidental costs such as postage, photocopies, and travel mileage are included in their hourly rate or are additional charges. Finally, it's a good idea to set a limit on how much money you are willing to pay the researcher-for-hire. Setting such a parameter manages the researcher's expectations and keeps a lid on the expense of the research.
When you find a genealogical product or service online which you wish to purchase, make a note of where you saw it and sleep on your decision to buy. A brief waiting period may cool your family history fever enough to let you re-evaluate your need for the item in question. Online shopping facilities often have shopping carts or baskets where you can store your as-yet-unsent order for later. This is a convenient way to allow oneself to rethink the purchase. If there is not a shopping cart facility, copy the web address and the name of the product into an electronic or paper note to yourself so that you can go back later and ponder your purchase decision. The obsession of genealogy needn't disrupt financial tranquillity so long as care is taken while shopping online.
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