An Updated Look at the FamilySearch Solutions Gallery

Securely hidden at the very bottom of the pages of the FamilySearch.org website is the revamped Solutions Gallery. FamilySearch changed its method and criteria for including "apps" in the Solutions Gallery with the transition from the old "App Gallery." Almost since the beginning of the world of personal computers (I bet you haven't heard that term in a long time) programmers have been hiding surprises in their code commonly called "easter eggs." The Solutions Gallery isn't exactly hidden, but it may as well be. For example, in this initial view, there are three featured apps in each category. Each featured app has a five-star system for ranking. Out of the 33 apps (including duplicate entries) there are 13 that have no ranking at all. In addition, the app with the larges number of "reviews or rankings" has only 14 and 13 of them have only 1 ranking participant making the total of those with 1 of none 26 out of 33. By the way, there is a total of 86 "Solutions" in the Gallery. By the way, if the featured apps are counted by the number of developers when there are different versions of the same app, the number drops considerably. For example, FamilySearch has a listing for the Memories app twice: once for Android and once for iOS. Some variations of the same app are listed four times. 

In addition, there is nothing mentioned in the Solutions Gallery about why these particular apps are there or how they might have been selected. 

Before I go much further, I need to explain that I think the idea of FamilySearch partners is a great idea. I also think that we all benefit from the apps (or programs or whatever) that are featured. As is the case with many of the "features" of the FamilySearch.org website, I wonder why, if there is a reason for including the features, there is no clear path for people to find them? The very small number of reviews clearly shows that putting this Solutions Gallery feature at the very bottom of some of the pages with very small type sends a message that these entries are "boilerplate" and not things that anyone should be interested in looking at. 

If you keep digging on the FamilySearch.org website, you might find a link to a "Developers" page. 

https://www.familysearch.org/developers/

Right at the top of this page, FamilySearch makes the following statement:

Learn About the FamilySearch Solutions Program 

The FamilySearch Developer Program is now closed to the general public; however, you may be eligible to become a FamilySearch Solutions Provider if your business is prepared to deliver innovative solutions to help meet the needs and challenges involved in today's family history industry.

Why would I want to learn about a closed program? But if I click on the link to Learn More, I can start to find out what the Solutions program is all about.

https://partners.familysearch.org/programs/s/sp-overview

One of the links from this page explains the "Solutions Gallery."

https://partners.familysearch.org/programs/s/sp-app-to-solutions-gallery

You can read what this page says from the image. I guess if I were a developer and had looked at the "Solutions Gallery" I would be wondering why I would want to spend my time and my money to simply be listed at the bottom of a page in a section of the website that seems to have little or no use?

I am very much aware of and have been involved in the FamilySearch Partner programs over the years. The real advantage to developers is the ability to connect to the FamilySearch.org website through what are called "APIs" or Application Programming Interface. These APIs are what allow some of the other third-party programs to connect directly to FamilySearch.org and in some cases, transfer information. Some very popular programs have used this connection to provide innovative solutions not available directly from FamilySearch's own website.

So, APIs are a big deal for both FamilySearch and a participating third-party developer. But many of the programs listed in the Solutions Gallery do not rely on connecting directly to the FamilySearch.org website using the APIs. If I keep clicking around, I find another page that seems to list the "Benefits for Solution Providers."

https://partners.familysearch.org/programs/s/solutions-program

Some of the major benefits are classified as Marketing Benefits. Hmm. Then why is the Solutions Gallery so hard to find and why does it receive so little use? I think the answer lies in the fact that FamilySearch is a non-profit and in essence, a charitable organization. It is not a business as such. FamilySearch's goals and objectives do not align directly with other businesses. It has only one sponsor and whether or not the Solutions Providers succeed or fail will not really affect FamilySearch. Granted, the Strategic Partners, such as Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, and Findmypast.com all benefit greatly from their "partnership" with FamilySearch, but the "little guys" are a different matter altogether. An API connection is an obvious and saleable benefit. But if a "Solutions Partner" has no such need then what is the benefit?

During the past few years, I have seen dozens of startup companies that have worked with FamilySearch that are now either out of business or no longer seeking a relationship with FamilySearch. A company such as Ancestry.com does not even need to mention a relationship with FamilySearch to do business. It can benefit from the connection and the partnership but has no need to advertise that it is obtaining a huge number of benefits mostly in the form of shared data from the FamilySearch microfilm collection. But for other smaller companies, the benefits as less definite and may even be undercut when FamilySearch incorporates features or programs that directly compete with the partner's core business.

But what about the user? Well, that is the question, isn't it.  We have benefited enormously over the past few years from FamilySearch's partners and that benefit is still growing and becoming more valuable. But if there is a benefit, then why doesn't that benefit extend equally to all of the partners rather than just those who have API relationships with FamilySearch? Maybe there are some changes that need to be made to actually incentivize smaller, also useful developers rather than ending up with competition from FamilySearch and other nebulous "benefits."