RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: downside on Thursday 17 January 08 15:37 GMT (UK)
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I just added someone to my GR tree who was born in 1902 and a little icon appeared to tell me that I had 1 match in the 1901 census.
How crazy is that?
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No comment ;D ;D
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;D ;D ;D
Precognition ::)
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I wish I could say I don't believe it ::) ::)
but sadly I do ;D ;D ;D
Kerry
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;D You are not alone downside ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Crystal ???
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I have decided that I'm not renewing my GR membership in April. After the last debacle I thought I'd give it one more chance.
I did, and once again I ended up contacting someone I wasn't related to (or atleast I couldn't find the connection). We had 4 matches in our tree, and they were proper matches. She had about 3000+ on her tree. I daresay that my entire tree has now been entered on her GR tree...
(Glad to have gotten that off my chest). ;D
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I have finished with GR. My subs ran out and I kept getting lots of messages concerning my tree which I couldnt answer, So against my better judgement I renewed.
Needless to say I answered the few genuine messages. I got loads of requests to see my tree. When I enquire as to specifics they dont bother to reply. Hot matches? what a waste of time, space and energy.
Lots of HOT matches like Ann b 1800 or Thomas b 1780, no surname, just the forename, oh that be a match then! duuuh.
Now my subs have run out again and I cant renew anyway as they dont accept Maestro, and I dont have a CC,[ see other thread concerning this]
So I wont be bothering them with ny money.
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Gensleuth and Windsor
Don't be too sure about ending it all. I stopped subscribing 3 years or so ago and they still send me hot matches and contact e-mails.
"Who will rid me of this ...." (or whatever the quote is)
::) ::) ::)
Gadget
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I've not been on GR for a while and I've just had a look at my 'hot matches', there are 14 pages of them :o
But, if they are genuine hot matches then why haven't I been inundated with messages from other researchers?
Bee
:)
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Be grateful that all 14 pages-worth haven't! ;D
meles
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Gadget -
..."troublesome priest"...
Troublesome - fine, excellent, most appropriate; a different noun at the end is required however - and no doubt someone will come up with one!
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was it poor Thomas :-\
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I think Henry would have liked to have taken a hot match of his own to him.
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My GR subs ran out yesterday and today I've had an email saying would I like any help as I have tried to access something today that only paid up members can see.
I have not been on there today perhaps they are getting worried by lack of renewals?
Wendy
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Is anyone going to defend them ::) ::) ::)
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they're indefensible ;D
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Is anyone going to defend them
Nope ....I unsubscribed months ago & still get emails telling me it's about to run out & do I want to renew :P
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i've started feeling sorry for them now :'( :'( :'(
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Well I haven't
I took my whole tree off months ago and I got an e-mail asking did I realise this had happened was it a mistake. The only time I had an answer to them at all. I had contacted them on an issue and they did not even reply...not even an automated Thanks.
The only way to stop hot matches is to remove the tree as far as I know. Its onlty got my name now and my search name is unusual so I know all of the others that share it currently.
Hot matches ....luke warm more like....nothing changes ???
Tazzie
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Agreed, 'hot matches' they should rename 'not matches' :( My sub runs out in Feb, have been a member for a number of years.......will not be renewing
Cas
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Cas - it doesn't work - I stopped subscribing 3+ years ago ::) ::) ::)
PS - and I can't get in to remove my tree :-\
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So you still get all that :P bumph for hot/not matches gadget ?
I'll delete my tree in Feb.........thanks for info :)
Cas
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Yes - delete it before you unsubscribe - it's a joke now with me but it's not the way to run a business :(
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Sorry to say....lots may not agree, but GR has become the 'joke' of a lot of diehard genealogists
Sad, but there you are.......initially, many years ago, it was the forum for FH.
We are lucky to have a great community here, with a common goal, but, we are also people from all walks of life, we share experiences, knowledge, information, and a laugh or two along the way, as adults, without bumping heads or egos.....not in my experience here anyway....
Just my opinion, don't wish to offend any with their choice or GR in general, each to their own, as the saying goes..... ::)
Cas
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After a couple of unpleasant experiences I removed my tree completely from the site.
When I first started I made quite a few good contacts, one in particular was a first cousin of my late mother so I was delighted. We are now in touch with each other on a regular basis so for that I'm grateful to the GR site.
I still have about 6 months to run on my subscription but I doubt I will renew it again.
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Is anyone going to defend them ::) ::) ::)
Oh go on then ...I like to play devil's advocate ;D
Much as I hate the march into commercialism and get frustrated with their matching system, just occasionally it works and 90% of my best contacts have come from there.
A few weeks ago I was browing idly through my hot matches (because I'm an optimist!) and spotted someone with a lone George Willmott from Notts. Now I've been searching 4 years for what happened to my grandmother's uncle George ...he was the last of her father's siblings to trace and all I had was a 1936 obituary of one brother describing him as "surviving brother George of Australia".
To cut the story short - the lady on genes is George's grand daughter. I learnt from her that he actually went to New Zealand and I now have lots of info and some lovely pics. Hoping the attachment works. I'm so thrilled to finally get to say hello to him! He's on the left ...at the wedding of his eldest daughter
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Try again ....grrrr
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Well - Heather - I must stand beside you.
I agree with everything said about the shortcomings of the site - and yes, it gets worse.
However - like you, Heather, most of my best contacts have come from there. I now have several 2nd cousins, and quite a few more 3rd and 4th, whom I would never otherwise have known.
Two or three of these have become firm friends, although we haven't yet met.
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Is anyone going to defend them
I still get the occasional hot match that is 'hot' and I have had some fairly major contacts in the past.
May main concern is their eccentric search results. I enter a specific search criteria and get some bizarre results that have nothing to do with what I asked for.
Fuzzy logic or DO I FEEL LUCKY?
I guess I still feel lucky. :)
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Hi
The problem with GR is that there is no way of knowing whether someone you are trying to contact is either still a subscriber or that they still access the site (on Rootschat you can go to their profile and see when they were last on Rootschat). Also, if a former subscriber leaves their tree up but in the meantime changes their email, they won't get messages from someone with a potential match.
Hot Matches sounds a great idea but is almost impossible to work perfectly. At the moment matches only compare name and birth year. Ideally it should also compare birthplace but unfortunately there is no standard format for birthplace. I tend to only look at multiple hot matches.
I put up with GR's shortcomings because I have made some terrific contacts which have made it worthwhile
Andy
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Every time GR updates my hot matches it adds about six pages. However out of that six pages I usually find one or two genuine matches. I have well over a hundred cousins most of whom I have found through GR. My message is keep your tree to the people for whom you want to find out more and use the site for what it gives you.
David
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I have to agree with the last few replies. In two years' GR membership I have made contact with several long-lost and previously unknown distant cousins that have proved really helpful. I have had my tree "pilfered" a couple of times, but since the info on it is available to the public anyway, why get all hot and bothered about it? I'm the one who had all the fun sleuthing! (Just don't put anything on the web that you don't want to share.)
However, I do wish GR would listen to all the negative comments and try to improve their site and service accordingly. Then they'd have a lot more happy customers.
Arkay
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I've also had some good contacts from GR, including a cousin of OH's who sent us copies of photos of his 2G Grandmother and G Grandfather :) :) :)
Their latest hot matches were definitely not - I had been in touch with this lady before, she is another of OH's cousins, so I was not expecting this
Her tree My tree
John Keep Timothy Beattie
1732 1878
Mooroopna
Elizabeth Hull George Beattie
1888
Murchison, Victoria, Australia
Catherine Croft John Beattie
1896
Murchison, Victoria, Australia
Elizabeth Keepe Edward Beattie
1630 1900
Euroa, Victoria, Australia
There were a few more, but you get the idea ...
There were also correct matches for these 4 and another brother ???
Sula
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I have only put our direct grandparents on GR to save getting all the distant connections & it has proved less of a hassle, but having a common name is a pest ::)
Yvonne
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I 've renewed GR membershio by cheque for 6 months ,this is so I can remove my tree and have one last big search by them.I refuse to pay by credit card,so they cannot just take the money.I have had a few good contacts ,2nd an 3rd cousins.But the hot matches tend to be a big joke.
Sleepybarb
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:D
It gets better :D
I had another communication today so went in and had a look. It told me that i was a 'Free member' ::)
Went in to my account and changed all the settings to not receive anything and deleted my tree.
Problem solved ;D
Gadget
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Oh Gadget - aren't you trusting! Please let us know whether your problem really is solved !
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GR is ok, I suppose. I have found some fairly close cousins from Australia (second cousins) and I've also been able to help others with people who are on my tree but are closer to that person than i am. For example, I've traced a lot of the Gillgrass familly of Preston because its a rare name (I think there were less than 100 in England and Wales in 1881) and a Gillgrass married my great grandmother's brother. I've also found a few people who are descended from the Maynard and Hulks families, including the Australian cousins.
The hot matches can be annoying, especially if its either obvious that they aren't a mtahc or when it could possibly be, but you don't get a reply.
Stephen :)
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Yes - Stephen - the later is VERY annoying - and it is usually someone who might be in your missing file who doesn't reply!
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:-\ I have been reading all the comments about GR ???
I have been a member for about three years and initially made some really good contacts ;D I never use their search facility and I do not like their forums so I cannot comment on that :-X
I have recently made another couple of really good contacts BUT I have unfortunately learnt to ask a lot of questions to eliminate time wasters and to see if the contact responds before giving lots of information.
I personally think to get much out of the matches you need your full tree on there (after all you don't have to open it against your wishes, so no one will actually see it unless you want them to) - if it is only a skeleton you may never get a response from a third or forth cousin :(
Two of my best contacts have been quite far removed but had a lot of information about my branch of the family :D If I had only put my immediate, direct blood line on there I would have never heard from them :'( I would still be searching certain little branches instead of looking further back in time :(
I do agree with others here that there should be some way of knowing whether a person is still contactable because it's really annoying to get 6 or 7 definite hot matches and then not to get a reply from the contact >:(
I also dislike their matching of census and other trees as you enter information because it is often completely wrong, like after the ancestors death or before they were born etc.
So to sum up I think for a fairly small expense it is still a reasonable source for information, if you are still looking for an answer to brick walls you never know where that will come from :o
Everyone has their own way of researching and I know at times I have been fuming at a response from there BUT I don't think I can afford to dismiss it completely because you just never know.......
Crystal :D
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Sleepybarb
You can do it so it doen't take money continuously. Go into My Account and click on My Membership & Payment details. There are then two tick boxes - continuous membership or single membership. Click single membership and they then can't just take the money. This is how I renew.
Like many on here I too have had a few good matches - all quite distant relations but it's just good to have some-one else to share the frustrations of particular lines with. I've also had many obscure matches that I only glance at the Hot Matches occasionally now.
Another thing I find is the time it takes to navigate around the site, trying to find the buttons or links is just frustrating so I don't bother going on thre a lot nowadays.
My membership is up in March and i'll have to think about if I rejoin (it'll also depend how much they want for their pockets too!!)
dinie
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It's ironic that I should come across this thread today - I was contacted a few hours ago via GR by a grand-daughter of my grandfather's eldest sister, a lady who had vanished from my view after the 1891 Census. I now know she married, had two children and died in 1897. It's opened up a whole line of cousins I was unaware of :D
So while I too find the site extremely irritating, not to mention the chore of deleting scores of Tepid Matches each month, it occasionally comes up trumps. And for a tenner a year that seems a worthwhile gamble ;D
Gareth
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I've just done a search on GR for the Surname BRAWN and Birthplace Sussex and these are the results:-
Eric 1921 Walsall, Staffordshire, England No Jennifer Send Message
Denis 1913 Mill Road, Shelfield, Brownhills, Staffordshire No Jennifer Send Message
Albert 1911 BRIGHTON East Sussex England No James Send Message
Albert 1911 SEVENOAKS Kent England Yes David Send Message
Albert 1911 BRIGHTON East Sussex England No Brian Send Message
Edith 1908 SEVENOAKS Kent England Yes David Send Message
Alice 1904 SEVENOAKS Kent England Yes David Send Message
William 1895 SEVENOAKS Kent England Yes David Send Message
So how come I have Staffordshire and Kent in the results?
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My GR subs ran out yesterday and today I've had an email saying would I like any help as I have tried to access something today that only paid up members can see.
I have not been on there today perhaps they are getting worried by lack of renewals?
Wendy
i got the same email as you, but my subs dont run out for another week ::) ::)
perth
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Certainly not me someone pinched all my tree and put it on theirs I wont be renewing either.
Val
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I haven't been a memeber for a year now. Go an e-mail the other day which simply said "Yes you can" and their tree was open to me.
I wrote back with No I can't I'm not a member how are you related
Reply didn't give much away so I deleted it
Similar thing with another contact a couple of months ago. Not much from them in the replies and when I look they are not down for the family further back.
It was good at first but now it's full of people who don't want to do any work
I don't give permission to look at my tree now unless they supply more info. Then I send my e-mail address.
Sylviaann
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If you get hot matches for Mary's or John's, its because you have the same vague detail in your own tree
That's not quite true. My data is exact. Nothing vague about it.
How do you explain the illogical search results and my opening remarks at the top of this thread?
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I'm fully behind Downside on this one.
The hot matches that kept coming up for me where for ancestors where I had entered exact names, dates and places of birth. They just matched on surname - Jones, etc. ::)
Their algorithms for matching are just very poor.
Gadget
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I'm rapidly loosing patience with GenesReunited. Not just because of the inherent problems of the site itself, but in the downright rudeness of certain people on there. And I'm not just talking about those that don't say a word once you've exchanged information...that happens, it's life.
No, I'm talking about an incident I've had recently. I sent a message sometime before Christmas to someone on there, to which I got a reply on Christmas Day. Now this past Christmas hasn't been a very good one here, and we've been dealing with a lot of problems as a family that has meant that until a week ago I was not really in either the mood or position to be able to even log into the site (for goodness sake, until a week ago I didn't even know if I'd still have a house to live in...let alone the ability to deal with family history). Imagine my distress when I log in to notice an incredibly rude message from this same person lecturing me on courtesy and how it is polite to acknowledge a message I at the time hadn't even read.
Maybe it's me, but I do find it incredibly ironic to receive a lecture on courtesy that was hardly courteous in itself and it's really soured me on ever doing anything with my tree again.
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It was good at first but now it's full of people who don't want to do any work
I don't give permission to look at my tree now unless they supply more info. Then I send my e-mail address.
After having my tree "lifted" this now my approach :)
I wasn't going to re-new again last September - but I did - and have since found 2 more 3rd cousins :)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b27/anniemcc/smilies/Cheers.gif) Ann
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If you get hot matches for Mary's or John's, its because you have the same vague detail in your own tree
That's not quite true. My data is exact. Nothing vague about it.
How do you explain the illogical search results and my opening remarks at the top of this thread?
their search engine matches names and dates, not places-not a bad idea really as users give varying amounts of location details on their trees (I might give Yarmouth, another Great Yarmouth, another just Norfolk, which wouldn't match on an address search)
a search usually brings up enough detail to give a hefty hint which ones you can ignore (and I always ignore the ones with no location at all, as your example shows). Matches for Mary 1800 no surname (earlier in this thread) would suggest that your tree contains the same