Why are indexing numbers so low?

This is an interesting question. I try to spend 1 or 2 hours a day indexing. 

I adopted this as a personal project when my last FamilySearch mission ended 3 years ago.

But my circumstances are not typical. Most people do not have the available time that I have.

And I enjoy puzzles, and I am interested in other languages, and I can read most cursive handwriting.

Why is indexing low?

1. It has become much harder, as the easier projects are now done by artificial intelligence software. 

This leaves only the harder projects, which makes learning to index much harder and less motivating.

2, Cursive writing is no longer taught in many schools. Indexing is mostly cursive writing.

3, Indexing is no longer being emphasized. The larger emphasis is now being placed on attending the temple for our deceased relatives..

4, I don't believe that some of the newer "indexing-like" activities (such as verifying names identified by AI computers 

and improving place names) appear in the "Indexing" statistics. Yet these new projects are easier and more fun.

5. Indexing-like activities sometimes require a basic knowledge of other languages. (For the past year I have been indexing records in Afrikaans.)

6. Indexing ignores our own ancestral families. It is a service to strangers.

7. Indexing requires mastering complex software and interpreting handwriting that would challenge a pharmacist.

8. Indexing cannot be done on a phone. The mobile app does not support indexing.

In short. Indexing is REALLY HARD and not very rewarding. And the best training software I have found is out of date.

I do a lot of indexing and I think I have a good vision of its place in the larger picture.

Even so, I have to push myself to keep doing it. 

When I trained the youth in a nearby ward. They enjoyed the activities in Get Involved > Overview
They thought it was fun to verify the accuracy of the AI computers. 

To increase indexing, I would emphasize its role in helping us to love and serve others. The Good Samaritan was helping a stranger.

And I would suggest that members try a variety of indexing projects, looking for one that they can do successfully, 

Then stick with that one project until it is completed, usually months in the future.

And if that is too hard, to try some of the activities in Get Involved > Overview

(As a seasoned veteran of Extraction/Indexing, when I need to find a new project, I sometimes need to check many different projects to find one I can do.)

I wish you success,

Bill Buchanan

Stake Temple and Family History Consultant