In an article from the Deseret News published Wednesday, April 2, 2014, this morning, there is a confirmation that while progress is being made whereby members of the LDS church will obtain free access to certain certain databases later the is year, it is reiterated that

"Free access to two of the commercial family history websites is already available to the general public at more than 4,700 FamilySearch-owned family history centers and libraries worldwide. Ancestry and FindMyPast currently offer free access to all patrons at the centers. MyHeritage will begin granting free access later this year...".

This article came to my attention when I was getting my morning dose of Dick Eastman and his online genealogical newsletter. 

While we all dream of being able to do everything genealogy-wise from the recliner in the living room, occasionally, much good can result in getting up and out the door and going down to the local Family History Center.  

I enjoy, very much, the opportunities I have to do just that, probably because the opportunities are few and far between.  I enjoy being able to use "for-profit" databases (like Fold3 and FindMyPast), for free.  I am inspired to see others at the Family History Center who are dedicated to finding their ancestors.  I am enlightened by the staff members and their combined pool of genealogy "how-to".  The staff is eager to help and the resources at FamilySearch.org are growing every day.

As in any "breaking news", take the time to read the article, ...all of it.  

Finding Family History Through Social Networks - NYTimes.com

Finding Family History Through Social Networks - NYTimes.com

Look for information on the Internet about:

Social Networking [for genealogy].  

Social Networking for Genealogists - Family Social Networks & Online Family Trees

Social Networking for Genealogists - Family Social Networks & Online Family Trees

I appreciate this article and wonder how up-to-date it is.  Nevertheless, I am a little overwhelmed in preparing for my presentation coming up on Saturday, April 12th, at the Genealogical Society and any web site that mentions Social Networking is going into my "arsenal"---wish I could think of a better word---I'm certainly not planning an attack!

Originally, I was thinking that "Social Networking for Genealogy" had more to do with Facebook, Twitter, and Piinterest; now I realize that there are many web sites that have been created for the purpose of genealogy networking, specifically.

Actually, we've had "social" networking for genealogy since the days of Bulletin Boards and "soc genealogy".  Okay, I'm totally still getting my ducks in a row, (is this a hunting reference?), and whittling down the material to 45 minutes will be a challenge!  What do you get out of social networking for genealogy?  Have you located collaborators, family members. or distant cousins?  Let me hear your stories.