Today's newsletter had a big ad, essentially, for a new website the NEHGS has set up for people who might be amenable to either joining (in order to use their databases to prove Mayflower descent) or hiring them to do some or all of the work involved. The site is Mayflower.americanancestors.org.
I tried it using both Firefox and Safari and found it very quirky. The images jumped all over, making it impossible to click on some of them. The big map where viewers are invited to "pin" their picture, name, and pilgrim requires a LOT of clicking. I didn't see a feature to list everyone in a particular state, whereas there WAS a feature to click on to see a list of descendants from a particular pilgrim. I guess the purpose is to make people feel good about themselves or feel connected, but it's not a great way IMO to reach out to someone for help with joining. I checked my own state, which had 4 people listed, only 3 of whom belong and the 4th must belong in another state. (If the person has a pink flower next to his/her name, he/she has proven descent to the GSMD's satisfaction and become a member.) Sometimes people think that a particular distant relative has joined and this would be one way to look for him/her except that you'd have to know which pilgrim they pinned to the map and then search by pilgrim, or know state of residence and start clicking on the markers one at a time. Data is all self-reported, too, so there are bound to be some misidentifications. (And how will they fit thousands (even dozens) of people onto a 3" long map of the US?)
On the plus side, NEHGS points out the databases that anyone can use for free, something not everyone is aware of. Overall, I would give it a halfhearted "somewhat interesting, but I hope you didn't spend a lot of my membership money on this." See what you think.
I tried it using both Firefox and Safari and found it very quirky. The images jumped all over, making it impossible to click on some of them. The big map where viewers are invited to "pin" their picture, name, and pilgrim requires a LOT of clicking. I didn't see a feature to list everyone in a particular state, whereas there WAS a feature to click on to see a list of descendants from a particular pilgrim. I guess the purpose is to make people feel good about themselves or feel connected, but it's not a great way IMO to reach out to someone for help with joining. I checked my own state, which had 4 people listed, only 3 of whom belong and the 4th must belong in another state. (If the person has a pink flower next to his/her name, he/she has proven descent to the GSMD's satisfaction and become a member.) Sometimes people think that a particular distant relative has joined and this would be one way to look for him/her except that you'd have to know which pilgrim they pinned to the map and then search by pilgrim, or know state of residence and start clicking on the markers one at a time. Data is all self-reported, too, so there are bound to be some misidentifications. (And how will they fit thousands (even dozens) of people onto a 3" long map of the US?)
On the plus side, NEHGS points out the databases that anyone can use for free, something not everyone is aware of. Overall, I would give it a halfhearted "somewhat interesting, but I hope you didn't spend a lot of my membership money on this." See what you think.
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