General Chat

I am sure that, with the changes to the format of the boards by GR, the CHAT board, will, in time, become obsolete, and disappear.
Why? Because it is fast becoming anything other than Chat.
There are designated pages for Find Ancestors and Find Living Relative, yet more and more queries of this nature are posted and answered on Chat.
There was a time when such posts were very kindly answered by a person, pointing the poster to the correct boards, be they newbies, or members for a number of years.
Now it is becoming the same on Chat, that it is on Find Ancestors. A race to be the first to answer the query. No mention is made of the fact it is a Chat Board, where people come to chat about anything but, geneology, and redirect them to the correct page, as always was done in the past.
So, I ask you to think again when this happens, because as sure as eggs are eggs, GR will, as they have every right to do so, come to realise this, before long.

Now that I have become Public Enemy No. 1, for having the audacity to speak out, I will leave you with the above mentioned thoughts.

Julia in Derbyshire

So Julia, Like "Al Capone" you,re going to be done for Tax Evasion. :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D and be sent to "Sing Sing" :-0 ;-)

Julia I stand with you on this, mentioned this on a thread
and not that i mind people getting help especially if
newbies, but as you say not in a lot of cases are they
directed to the correct board.
Must admit have not been on chat as much as i used to be
due to query threads.

Emma

lol Julia, you have a long way to go before you make it to "Public Enemy No1 " on this board ;-)

I think most helpers are caught between a rock and a hard place, if as is really the best thing to do, one directs the new poster to 'Find ancestors' or 'genealogy' boards where the post will be looked at by more helpers ( who may or may not also read the General board) one is accused of being the 'board police' trying to tell members what to do...

and if you answer the query here you are aware that it's not actually the best place and that the new poster might actually miss out on the help that they might get, long term from experienced members who have specific areas of expertise who rarely come on to this board.

Hi Emma, I too have not posted much lately because of the query threads, thus taking away MY enjoyment of the boards.
I do not mind at all people asking for help, particularly if they are new members to GR. but some have been members for many years. We have all been there. Well I have, and was very grateful of the helpgiven to me.
But surely the fact that they post their queries on a Chat board, is indicative of their attitude. It clearly states at the top of this page that it is General Chat, as it does on the side panel above that of Find Ancestors and Find Living Relatives.
I despair, I truely do. Do these people not understand the purpose of the two other boards, and, if they bothered to read any of the posts on the Chat board before posting, surely it would tell them that it is not a page to post a request for help.

Julia in Derbyshire

Julia, l also stand with you on this.
I redirected someone a few weeks ago to the right page But still peeps on here had to add to it with census advice and other things, why not just go on the right page and help where you can !!!

I agree Rose.

I don't often come on to General board for the chat as I prefer to do look-ups or answer queries on the other boards if I can. However there are so few people using the boards at the moment that I have started looking at all of the boards and must admit to answering threads where I can no matter where they are posted.

As you say - sometimes helpers are accused of "putting newbies off" if you re-direct them and then again "spoiling" the Chat board if you answer. Hobson's choice really!!

Kath. x

Hello Mummo, as Rambling Rose has mentioned, I know it is like being between a rock and a hard place. But, what about the rest of us. We all pay to use the boards aswell.
If wanting advice of the geneology nature, I have gone to the appropriate place, where even I have realised that there are people on there, that have the experience to answer my query, experience I would never gain in my lifetime, and I take my hat off to them.
As I previously said. Instead of just clicking on the first page they come to,ie, Chat, if they read the contents of that board, they would realise it is about anything but Chat.

Julia in Derbyshire

Cannot disagree with what you say Julia or Rose and others
who have replied.
Like you Julia the help I have received and still receive is
invaluable, but the other week there was a lot going on
on the chat board re queries that it put me off.Was thinking
of putting up a thread on Why Don't We Merge the Boards
bet I would have been shot down in flames for that one.

Emma

Oh Emma, you have made me laugh. But I know just what you mean.

Julia in Derbyshire

LOL... made me laugh too when I thought about doing
it. :-D

Emma

The trouble is that when you explain to them that they would stand a better chance of finding what they require, on the proper board, they ,or some one else gets the Hump and goes off on a wobbler .**M**.

I do agree with you Julia about the proliferation of genealogy queries appearing on the chat board, and the fact that people are encouraging it by answering the queries. I also recognise that we don't want to alienate people who tentatively ask a question. But those who have been on the boards for some time should know better.

Where i don't agree is people not posting because of the queries. If everyone posted normal chat threads the query threads would sink and people would realise why there is a dedicated ancestors board.

Two or three times lately I have suggested that people will get better response by posting on the correct board. Only to be proved a liar because people have rushed to answer the queries. :-S

Yes I agree with you Merlin. So, what is to be done. Risk offending someone, who cannot see the wood for the trees, but that there are people more experienced elsewhere, or loose members, who may have become your friends also, because they are fed up of coming on the Chat board for exactly that, but who have to endure the pleas for help.
At the moment this board is at it's most dire yet, but that is only my opinion.

Julia in Derbyshire

Yes you,re right, Its time this part of GR.was used for what it was meant to be,such as Chat .Laughter,Jokes etc plus of course Emma jumping about in her "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" :-D.Have a good afternoon ladies , I,m off to feed two large Felines.Take care and don,t despair. :-D :-D

I like genealogy related questions on chat, after all that's what this site is about, and I'd rather see genealogy chat on here than a lot of other stuff that is posted, like the birthday wishes for people who are friends of a cousins aunt who doesn't use this site, what's that about :-S
All in all it's a chat thread, genealogy related stuff is chat, that's why I joined the site, so I'm happy with it. Mostly though, I ignore a lot of posts I'm not interested in :

If the boards are boring then that's the fault of the people who post, and those who moan they are boring, who don't ever post a subject? :-D

I think that some of the new requests are from from people who have come on via the free trial advertised on FB, therefore they haven't had the time to look at the boards over a longish period to get a feel for what each one does before posting...like many I read the boards for months before posting, if your only here on a two week trial you'd possibly just jump in.

But I agree with Ann that if regulars post more as well it will keep things moving 'regardless' :-D

Lynda, but that is why we requested and got a genealogy chat board.

You beat me to it Ann. Wish i could type quicker.

Emma

Ann, I do so agree with you, particularly you last two points. I have been there also.
I suppose I notice more because, when I have to disappear to " St. Elsewhere", and then come back, it seems that less and less people are posting on the Chat, than before. Yes I do appreciate it has just been the children's six weeks holiday, and also that people possibly do more things in the summerne than at other times, thus not bothering with the computer.
But, there is becoming a marked difference.

Lynda, what I have said is just my opinion. I did not expect everyone to agree, but I do agree with you in respect of the birthday threads.

Julia in Derbyshire