Genes Reunited

[Bill749]

Bill - Putting your tree on GenesReunited doesn't allow paid up membes to view it.

Yes, I'm aware of that, but when someone asked to be allowed to see my tree I didn't realise they could just grab the whole thing from the site to add to their own.

I don't object to sharing information with distant cousins who can add to my knowledge of the family but I am not happy about the way some people (a minority I'm sure) assume that they can publish your information without even asking.

I am planning to publish my family history when I have gone as far as I can, so I don't want someone else giving it all away before I can complete the work.

Regards, Bill

[Pels.]

Bill - yes, I am in total agreement with you on this one!
You must be livid in the circumstances and I can see where
you are coming from with the commercial aspect.

This is why it is so important to listen to advice
such as yours, people can then also see the reverse
side of the coin.

I personally wouldn't publish my tree for all and sundry to view but nor would I mind sharing it with genuine family members. I am starting to soften a bit on this
one particular issue. - thanks to suttontrust, keenbutconfused and Jean!

Pels 

[kerryb]

I'm with suttontrust on this one, I have paid my membership fee and use Genes Reunited quite a bit.

I have gained quite a lot of information from the site as a consequence.  However after a couple of people asked to view my tree and then take the information and show me their tree which has no information on at all, I now just have my direct line on there, I take my time to give permission to my tree.  I get to know that person a bit first, find out their information and research before I give out my hard won information. 

That way I have had some very fruitful connections both giving and taking information and it makes my subscription fee worth every penny.

Kerry

[mimosa]

Hi

I have been with Genes now for quite a few years, at the beginning I was not wary of people and some took information without giving any back, I have now learnt and get to know a lot more about the person before I open my tree to them and I have come into contact with quite a few relations and now share my hobby with them.

regards Mimosa

[Lydart]

I've found Genes both useful, and also misleading !  I'm 'paid up' (£7 a year) and have located a cousin on it I hadn't met since we were children, and we emailed a bit; then I looked at 'his' tree (mine also if you think about it !) and it looked impressive ... until I realised there were so many errors in it, it was just unbelieveable. 

So my advice is this ... use Genes with care; as someone said, get to know who you are in contact with before giving them permission to see your tree.  Then when you see another persons tree, USE IT WITH CARE ... and confirm facts from it yourself; trust no one elses research except your own.  And maybe ask their permission before filching info from it !!  You wouldn't like them to use yours without the OK. 

But I've found it useful more than un-useful ...

Lydart

[sallysmum]

I was going to start a new thread on this subject after being stung yet again but then saw this and thought i would give my two pennorth.  Having received contact in the past from prospective rellies and having had so much initial enthusiasm that I have projectile vomited information at the recipient, only to have not received any info back, also to have given permission to view my tree only to find this has not reciprocated.  I am now only giving snippets

I am now in the same way of thinking as Mimosa (nice name by the way, my mum's favourite flower).  I am very dubious about any contact I receive from GR.  Like Pels, I don't like this 'mine all mine' attitude but as I say having been stung so many times it is hard not to feel this way.

But yet again I continue to help - I had 1 contact who thought we could be related - a very unusual name from the same area as my rellie.  We could yet be related as distant cousins.  Fascinated as I was I looked on BMD for a cert. and emailed back the info.  I probably spent 1/2 hour doing this and yet again I didn't even receive any thanks!  Why am I doing this I have to ask myself!

I remember when I first started my quest I attended a genealogical fair and over heard a conversation of a lady being very protective of her family chart and saying how she didn't like any one looking at it.  How selfish I thought to myself, but I do understand now when one has put in the hours of research and brain scratching that one does get possessive about it.

GR is not all bad.  One of the first contacts I had was with a lovely lady with whom together we cracked the story of a distant cousin to some lovely conclusions and I was able to provide her with photos.  We did work well with each other.
Sallysmum

[tamarjay]

Hi all,

When I first started my "quest", all I had were sketchy bits of paper with family names scribbled on them, handed down and never properly sorted out. I thought GR was the bee's knee's, as I could build my own tree, and cross reference with others information.

However, now that I have spent over 6 months glued to the computer doing my own research, I am MUCH more wary of allowing people to view my tree. Before I was happy to share, now I make sure there is a definite family link before sharing. I have unfortunately allowed too many people access to my tree on the slim hope info would be shared, only never to hear from them again!

On a good note, I have also made contact with a handful of people whose help has been invaluable in my research.

The best advice is to be cautious! It's not being selfish being protective over all your hard work!

T.

[carrielovesfanta]

This is perhaps going to seem silly but the main reason that I use Genes Reunited was because I didn't have a computer at home and was using lots of different ones at uni and couldn't install family tree software so I needed an internet based tree. I regulalry download my tree as a gedcom to back it up though.

I have found a few people through the site and have met some of them so it's been worthwhile. I don't think I've got to the stage in my research where it couldn't be easily repeated by somone else. so I don't really feel that protective over my tree yet - although I can see why people can feel like that!!

Caz

[kerryb]

Carrie

I have no problem with sharing any of my information, in fact this last couple of weeks I have shared two wills that I have transcribed with two different people. 

What I object to is doing that with people who clearly just can't be bothered to do any work themselves.  They just want to 'do' their tree off the back of others who put a lot of time and effort into researching their tree and helping others.

I know I can't exactly call it my own as it is all shared with so many other people, even if I do feel a bit possessive over some of my ancestors!!!!

Kerry