Genealogy Chat

nudge just incase some one else wants to comment.

Hi Olde crone yep i aggree 100% with all you say, i have just had a look at the source code for this site and it is very basic lol some html,java, and ccs and lets be honest it would not take a great deal to implement a few changes to make the site more user friendly. I contacted them last week about my concerns regarding young people and the content of their posts........................... still waiting for a reply. Guess they just dont give a dam as long as the ££££££ keep coming in. Oh and if anyone is concerned about cookies and having your web browsing tracked the company this site uses to track you is called RedSheriff ltd. RedSheriff Measurement V5.01 Steve

I don't think GR can be all that strict at restricting to over 16's as I was recently contacted by a member, who has a connection with my tree. She gave me access to her tree and from the information on there she is only 14 or 15 at the moment. Kath. x

The age for members USED to be 18 - then when GR clamped down people complained because members like Daniel and Lucia were at risk of having their memberships terminated because they were under 18. GR reduced the age to 16 at the members' request.

Ooh Reggie, that's a bit scarey!!! It explains a lot though ........... lol! Bev x

Kat, Look at the top of your screen on the address bar - towards the end of the address you will see the word 'key' with a number after it. Each thread has a different number. If you want to find a thread later without posting on it just write down the thread number and then you can open any thread and change the number to the thread number that you want to view and click your mouse, and you will get that thread. Hope that makes sense. Reg....I can't believe they didn't know that!!! It's no wonder they don't always reply to queries - they probably haven't a clue what half of them are about. lol. Kath. x

OK, I'll be the first to ask Re Reg's post <<<<Off-subject, slightly, but with ref to the GR 'team'.........when I contacted them some time ago about a thread which needed checking, I quoted the thread number. I got a reply asking me what that was, and how to find it................>>>>>> What is a thread number and where do I find it? Perhaps I'm thick or something but I can't find it either!!! Kat

Off-subject, slightly, but with ref to the GR 'team'.........when I contacted them some time ago about a thread which needed checking, I quoted the thread number. I got a reply asking me what that was, and how to find it................ Reg

Steve I think you have overstated the Staff position at GR by at least one - the Abuse Manager appears to be on extended maternity leave (LOL). Most of the problems on this Site stem from the fact that it was started by a couple of well-meaning amateurs, who probably didnt have a clue just how far and fast it was going to take off. Its bigger than both of them now, and they really don't know what to do with it. ITV see no need to spend any money on it at all, it is a milk cow which is producing nice profits already - why give it an extra bag of hay? It needs a major overhaul by a team of people who are well-versed in Website technology, with caution as their watchword - and hopefully, some idea of what genealogists really want! (Like a tree that will link first cousins, for instance, without having a fit). And sorting out that tick/untick business for tree viewing - I am dizzy with it, why does it have to be so difficult to understand? I agree - it is only going to take ONE piece of bad press to close this Site completely. In my paranoid way, I think this is going to be something to do with a paedophile. Let us all hope I am wrong. Olde Crone

nudge

Hi Most of the things suggested are small improvements but would make a big differencs to how the boards were used, also they woild take no time to setting up. As to the poster that said its only a small team that looks after this site well i aggree i wont take many at all lol 1/ Accountant to count the cash 2/ I.T manager to mainttain site up time 3/ 2/3 web heads to tweak the html 4/ 2/4 in a sales team to sell advertising space on the site 5/ one abuse manager or maybe two ? 6/ and office trainee to make tea All the above paid out of the £6.8 million they made last year.lol then you have all the members who have paid to join but do most of the work for them lol ''''Important Note: Please do not post anything here which may offend, infringe anyone's rights, or breach the law. If you see anything here that may do so, then please inform us of it using the Contact Us page. We do not generally monitor contributions before they appear here, so we rely upon users to help eliminate offending material.'''' If anyone can add to the list of workers please do lol Steve

There is one board that I occasionally use, purely genealogical, (it might be roots-something) whereby when you post a question, it comes up next to your name if you are new to the board, or an old hand. I think it even says if it is your first posting on the site. That would be a great help on GR, (in more ways than one, lol!!!) and the site I'm talking about is free! If they can do it for free, surely GR, with the millions they are raking in, could at least manage that. Bev x

As a general point, I don't think that it is particularly clear to many people exactly what the different message boards are for. Maybe GR can't afford a moderator, but I think they could make it clearer which each board is for, or possibly for look up requests/offers provide an on-screen form to make the presentation of information clearer. When I first joined GR I found it all totally bewildering - and sometimes it still is!!! nell

me too..... Jess. I like your honest approach karen.

OLd Crone, I think you have hit it on the head;; the age should be at least 18 , time to think what you are doing;; I wrote back on that thread but only to stick up for newbies;; but I think what that girl posted in Detail was out of order as we all know;; but there has been quite a lot of older people posting lately as well, and they are not so comp aware, ;;; and these people need help to understand the boards and how to post but that should be GR job not ours;; Jess so glad to see you back, and those without sin ect;;; Babs

I think some form of moderation is inevitable at some stage, probably sooner rather than later. There is far too much information posted about living people. I know it is easy to track forwards as well as back, but if the information is there for all to see, then that cuts all the work out. It will just take one case of stalking or ID theft to close the boards altogether. GR has far too much money invested to risk bad publicity. It just takes one journalist from a grubby tabloid to do an expose and that will be that. Then there is the privacy aspect. I would go ballistic if I found someone had published my personal details for all to see without my knowledge and consent and would certainly consider litigation against the site owners. I have corresponded with GR on this topic and they told me they only have a small team and cannot moderate the boards. I have to say that the general topics board can be a bit scary at times :-) What on earth some of the topics on there have to do with family history is way beyond me. I don't go there at all now! Ian

How interesting. I was told by a member of GR staff nearly a year ago that there would be moderators soon. :-)

I have been on sites which have board moderators, and very worthy and boring they are, too. One in particular, which I will not name for fear of litigation, had a particularly pompus know-it-all in charge. He regularly posted information for the likes of us poor ignoramuses - then one day I realised he had posted something as a Fact - I KNEW it was wrong, dragged up my evidence and did a post - my post never got on the Board! I think GR would do better to employ a Gate-keeper - stop very young people using the Boards (difficult, if an indulgent parent has paid the sub) and also, more recently worrying (see Tania's post, top of the board at the mo) 'professional' genealogists using these boards to steal information to publish on their own websites. I wait to see how GR will deal with THAT! The nastiness which breaks out from time to time on these boards can be best dealt with by naming and shaming. Copy and paste their abusive messages so we all get a clue who they are, and who we have to avoid. Of course, one person's nastiness is another person's succinct advice. I am constantly amazed at how easily some people take offence at messages which dont appear TO ME, to be in the least offensive. Olde Crone

Peter What concernces me the most is the age of the girl who posted the thread she could have been no more that 13/14 if the age of the father was correct, if she is that desperate to locate him to put a post on here then she is vulnerable, and this site has 5 million members, i dont know if you are a parent but it would scare the pants off me if my daughter was doing that. Steve P

Peter, the person being mentioned in graphic detail - name, date of birth, parents, etc etc, had NOT consented to having their details made public. Its very easy these days for people to find out where you live from simple information. Would YOU like to see your details, including address, posted on here without your permission? Identity fraud is only one of the issues. What about someone who gave a baby for adoption 50 years ago, and her current family aren't aware? I don't want to re-open that discussion, but sometimes people have good reason for wanting some privacy.