Changes coming to the Indexing Program

By the end of 2013, the FamilySearch Indexing program will be revamped according to a blog post by Scott Flinders entitled, "The Future of Indexing." Quoting from the post:

We are happy to report that we are moving ahead on a new indexing system—and what’s even more exciting is that you will soon begin to see some of the results. A new indexing website will be launched later this year, followed by changes in the new indexing system in 2014. This new system will incorporate a long list of improvements, such as (1) enhanced project selection, (2) the ability to join multiple groups, (3) achievements and recognition, (4) Facebook integration, and (5) an improved beginner experience. Today we’re going to give you a sneak peek at three key areas that will improve the indexing experience for you.

Refer to the post for some specific examples of the changes coming to the program.

I see the benefits of the active Indexing program nearly every day. Although it may be possible to find your ancestors in a huge online database by simply working your way through the entire document, this may be nearly impossible with huge collections. Indexing provides a way to get into the documents without spending a huge amount of time. However, you should never rely entirely upon indexes. Failure to find an ancestor in any index, is not a conclusive indication that the person does not appear in that record.

Anyone can volunteer to index the records pouring into the FamilySearch.org Historical Record Collections. The Indexing Page gives specific instructions and aids to get you started.