Isn't it frustrating ...

[Keziahemm]

I am in the process of removing a lot of names from my tree because of the hot matches   

I used to open my tree for anyone that asked, but now only after contact by email.  A few months ago my entire tree appeared in hot matches, including my husband's side who were of no relevance to the person concerned.  I contacted this person and they did, after a time, remove the information.

Living relatives can be hidden.  Go to "My Account Details", there is a box Hide Living Relatives Yes or No, putting Yes hides details of individuals born in the last 120 years with no death date, except yourself!  When you open  your tree you can still see them but anyone who has access to your tree can't.

Susan 

[smeghead]

I've only once not replied to a Genes contact.  I was once contacted by a lady and shared everything I had.  A couple of weeks later a man contacted me with loads of my rellies.  When I checked it was just a straight rip off of the previous lady's tree, right down to incorrect spellings and minor inconsistencies.   Avoided him like the plague and never heard another thing.
Living members can be hidden

Jim

Bit spooky.  Just after I said this last night, I was closing down my session and noticed I had received an e-mail from Genes. 

It was only from this same man and it was just the "please give me access to your tree" request.  After months of nothing, it was weird to receive it just when I'd been talking about him.  Do you think his ears were burning?   

Just for the record, I have replied and offered help to specific questions, but no access to my tree.   I think that's fair, don't you?

Sally

[smeghead]

sorry last replety came out wrong should have read you can hide details on living members of your tree

Jim



if everyone was to take there tree of GenesReunited the site would become pointless

[Lydart]

I agree with lots of the above ... I hate it when you get a 'match' and you send a guarded message, to see if there is a link ... and then you have to remember to UN-TICK the box lower down, to prevent whoever it is, seeing your tree without permission ... much better if the box wasn't pre-ticked ! 

I do know that I looked at a distant cousins tree on a Thursday; he had about 25 names on it, (with many inaccuracies !)  I gave him permission to look at my tree (which I had only about 20 names on at that time ... including some errors) and they were added to his tree on Friday, complete with errors      and then by Saturday, he had about four or five hundred names ... goodness knows where from ... people I'd never heard of ! 

NEVER accept as accurate another persons research from GR ... say thank you and then check it yourself.  NEVER let someone look at your stuff without cautiously establishing a valid link first. 

Having said this, I can say that I have had two or three very useful contacts via GR, and we have exchanged info to our mutual benefits and become email friends, which is what its all about really ! 

Lydart

[Jayson]

Hi everyone

I received a message from a chap through GR last week requesting that I send him my family tree. I ignored his request & deleted the message. I felt terribly mean to do what I did! But I hadn't heard from this man for many months after our initial contact, he certainly never offered to share anything, & I've read so many negative stories recently that I don't bother with GR anymore.

Jayson

[kerryb]

Hi

Well how about this one then

I've got a Susan Jones who married Joe Bloggs.  I believe you have a Susan Jones.

So what

Oh you want information??  Well sorry but my Susan Jones didn't marry Joe Bloggs, she married William Brown.

For goodness sake!!!

Kerry

[Manchester Rambler]

GR has its downside (notably the Not Matches), but I still think it's worth hanging in there!  I keep a basic tree on GR with just BMD dates - no source info, photos, stories, or any of what makes it a real family history.  I open my tree to proven cousins after exchanging messages, and if all a contact wants is the "bare bones", that's fine - I'm the only living person in the tree.  If contacts turn out to be genuinely interested, we can exchange info by e-mail, and swap gedcoms  (I always ask them specifically not to publish info about living rellies.)

Last week I entered details of a branch I'd been working on, and found 3 possible contacts: 2 turned out to be distant cousins with less info than me (one very grateful to have an extra generation!), but they haven't asked for more than the basic info.  The third turned out to be only connected through marriage, but without me asking, he looked up the death dates and burial place of my ggg-grandparents which I didn't have - a very kind gesture.

Then I struck gold!  I finally found a name from Dad's side of the family which looked possible, and I'm now in contact with second cousin once removed who is equally chuffed: we've exchanged gedcoms and old family photos, and he's been able to idenify a few "unknowns" on my photos.

So it was a really good week for the genealogy - I even had my first "hit" on Lost Cousins!  (Not such a good week for the housework, though...  )

Rambler

[kerryb]

Rambler

That's great, you can always do the housework next week or the week after!!

I've just sorted all my certificates into clear plastic pockets into A4 folders.  Phew.  No genealogy this week though.

I have recently had 2 in particular really good contacts through GR who have taken me back generations and then between us we have started filling in gaps, it has been a lot of fun!

Kerry

[Nadine Moore]

I have about 4 people who are distantly connected on my father's side and 1 good contact on my mum's.

At the moment I am in email discussion with GR as, when I view my full tree (using their new format) I have four full generations all born in the same year, or children born 100+ years before their parents .

Their software has completely screwed up my info, so I emailed them. They replied and I have had to send them a list of all that were incorrect and it was a good 2/3rds of my tree.

I am threatening to remove said tree and cancel my membership so they are trying to sort it out.

As has already been said, make sure you untick the tree access box before sending any messages.

I am guilty of sending "my Fred Bloggs...." emails but only if I think there may be a link and it usually says something like "GR has given me your Fred Bloggs as a hot match, Did he marry Fanny Adams/Were his parents Fred & Wilma Flintstone/Do they come from the middle of nowhere/etc. If so we may have a connection, if not I apologise for troubling you"

As the Hot Matches can be very vague, I look carefully at them before I send any message. So if you get one similar to the above and it's not one of yours - SORRY in advance

Dinie