General Chat

Oh dear

Same problem crops up every few days.

First of all I believe strongly that the default should be so that you have to make a decision to let someone see your tree rather than have to remember to untick a box. It is all too easy to not spot that.

What I don't understand though is why anyone is using the GR tree to add in all their research and all their living family. Why are people putting their children and other living individuals online?

Everyone should be creating their main tree offline (there are decent and adequate free tree programs as well as more sophisticated expensive ones). All your research notes should be safely stored offline and only shared with those you really want to see them.

You do not need to put your kids on GR to research your ancestors! This site is for making contact with possible relations but that doesn't mean you have to tell a 4th or 5th cousin every detail about your private life.

You can disguise any necessary living people on your tree (perhaps a parent is still alive or you want to include your spouse's tree so need him or her). On my own GR tree any living person is called Living Living or Living Person or some such. Using the GR hiding option is not sufficient as anyone who knows how can do searches and find names even without seeing a tree.

Keep the GR tree simple and basic. Add only the people on it who you don't mind showing others if you accidentally open your tree.

Be cautious as suggested by others here. Send a few messages to find out what sort of connection there may be and perhaps sending just a few notes will be enough. If someone turns up who you'd like to see more, opening your tree will not give them more than basic details and a bare framework. Your research notes will still be only yours.

If I open my tree I tell my new contact that he/she is welcome to take any relevant connecting ancestors. If they were to take my entire GR tree it would surprise me but do no real harm. It would give them a very bare tree but no more.

Please people use your common sense.........we live in a world where we are constantly told to be careful to protect our identities. Putting personal details on any online site (GR included) is not necessary and not sensible.

Sue
x

I agree with everything you've said, Sue.

Sue, Well said.

Like it or not, as soon as you publish info on the web, it is potentially available for all to see. If you don't want people to see it, don't put it there in the first place.

There is also the impression whenever this subject crops up that people who 'copy' information are acting deviously. Why? I am sure many believe that they are doing nothing wrong at all and in fact this is the way sites such as this should work.

I have shared my tree with over 200 people, and very few are interested in anything but their own little connection. Yes, there are some who record distant cousins to the present day, but so what, if that is what keeps them happy.

Of course, we must be security aware, and this is why it is foolish to record too much personal information on public sites.

Sue.....................you put that beautifully:)

xx

Thank you :)

Sue
x

Yes I had one line pinched, so I removed it, and there was no family link to the person.......the reason given for taking the names.......he had one person who, to my mind was not even a relation, and he wanted the names in case they were related later.....

On another note, I googled my boardname and have come up with someone else using the name Sally Moonchild with a gt.gt.gt.grandfather Henderson.......not mine, and not my GR number either.......the posting was on Success Stories......I have tried PM'ing her but both times it was unsuccessful, so I have got onto GR to see if it is a glitch.....

I used genopro as my basic family tree program for years and I upgraded to the full version.

I like it because it is easy to use.

www.genopro.com

Sue

Claire
I have nudged my infamous "Tree Bandits"
thread on Tips for you.

xxx mick

I use PAF5 free to download from familysearch.org and tribalpages which is free with upgrades available.