Genealogy Chat

Today I sent my one and only feedabck email to GR re the new Help Clinic.

I did not pass any comments on the software problems that some have been experiencing as these did not affect me. Although I do accept that when changes are made there is always the possibily of software problems.

In my email I indicated that I could not see the benefits of the Help Clinic which was poorly launched and provided little support to the Advisors who were very much left to the mercy of those opposed to this scheme.

Amongst other comments in my email was reference to the wording in the guidelines for the help Clinic which appears to have annoyed some. I suggested that perhaps an acknowlegement in the gudelines that there are many knowledgeable helpers but only a limit number of Advisors are required and that such Advisors would be rotated on a rolling basis to ensure all member are treated equally would go some way to placating some concerns.

The new board is in place and is unlikely to be removed in the foreseeable future. Despite my disagreement with it I will accept it until such time as it proves not to be up to standard. Insufficient time has yet elapsed to suggest this to be the case.

It was interesting today to see that GR themselves intervened with 3 Help Clinic posts informing the posters that the subject matters were support and not resaearch related. Perhaps had they done this from day one the Advisors would have been better prepared and felt better supported.

GR have apparently made a high level decision to introduce this new board and it is unlikely it will cease until they are of the opinion that it is serving no purpose in their minds. That unfortunately is the nature of most companies when they introduce a new system.

I understand from reading posts on this subject that some members who were offered to be Advisors refused on the grounds that they felt either the Help Clinic was not required, was restrictive in nature or some other reason. I think it was a missed opportunity for those who refused as they would have been in a much stronger position to improve a system which, as I have said, is likely to be in place for some time.

As I said at the start I have sent my one and only email to GR on this matter. I see no point in sending multiple emails covering the same subject as in my experience each additional email has less impact on the reciprient.

I think one of the best repies on this thread came from Sally who said:

'I think the best way to solve it is not to use the help clinic and then it wood die naturally'

A very sensible and measured approach in my book.

I did get a response from Estelle today:-

Thank you for your feedback. My colleagues and I are meeting this week to discuss the Help Clinic and how we can make it better. I will definitely pass your coments on to them.

Your feedback is much appreciated. All we want to do is make the Help Clinic work and for all our members to feel valued. We're grateful for all the work everyone does helping others and we want to recognise this.


That was in response to my:-

Subject : Feedback
after a weekend of utter turmoil on the site, .............. where people cannot move from thread to thread, ........... cannot move easily from board to board, .............. cannot move easily from page to page within a thread, ............ cannot understand exactly when a posting was made ("today" meaning any time from 12:01 am to 6 hours ago), ................ where people have lost names or been assigned strange board names, ....................... and the horror of the Help Clinic ............. I think it is time that you guys got your acts together, and made changes that actually work! ............ Those poor people who volunteered to help on the Help Clinic have largely found themselves in untenable positions .............. often unable to help answer requests posed for them because of the limitation on which sites can be used, ...... responding very inappropriately to a request for help because said request had been made earlier on a board with no success in breaking down the brick wall, thus obviously suitable for posting on a board which says "break down your brick wall" ............... and unable to have the TEAMWORK that was the basis for the magnificent work done previously. ........... I have a suggestion for you:-------- Help Clinic, when you think about it, is in fact excess to needs! .............. Other boards do the job better, have done so for many years, and in more timely fashion ........ There was no-one working on the Help Board from about 9 pm last night to 7am this morning UK time. Which means that none of your overseas members could get help. There has been no-one apparently working on that board most of this afternoon and early evening. The other Boards are doing fine! ......................... As an answer to the problem that volunteers felt unacknowledged, as shown on the market survey done in the spring, literally ALL that needed to be done was ............1) a statement in a very obvious place that all research was done by volunteers "and we thank them all"; ........ 2) inclusion of the fact that member to member help was available on the site in advertising; and ............. 3) for you to refrain from inferring in advertising that the help available on the site was by GR itself. ............... I think that would have done the job magnificently, and been approved by us all! ......... Instead of which, there are many members very upset; members seriously considering leaving GR because of the difficulties in using the site; the disparity you have caused by having Starred Official Helpers and the rest of us unstarred, and presumably to be considered less than worthy. ................. The feeling of being unacknowledged and not valued for the help provided is WORSE now than it was before.. ........ We all heard about the sale to brightsolid with hope in our hearts that the site would be improved. What a terrible job you have done.

there is some irritation creeping in .... ammeber posted a query on the Clinic re finding a person

got nowhere, so posted on TTF

I tried to give some help, but we're talking back in the 1750s +/- 50 years

Today, his poste ended with:-

Only really posted this as I thought we now had experts on the Help clinic. I have access to local records (still live in the area), but had run into a dead end and thought they could find out a bit more! I'm also in contact with a lost relative in NZ who has tried in the past to get further back but failed. I think its a lost cause, but thanks for your time


www.genesreunited.com/boards.page/board/trying_to_find/butterfield/thread/1249960

Makes one wonder if there is an ulterior motive in all this........???


Do take a look at my replies on my two threads on Help !! I enjoyed replying.............oh yes siree. Cx.

Do not know if you all saw the post from a gentleman who said that he enjoyed answering threads concerning all military matters

It was obviously a subject he enjoyed and had provided both an interest and excellent use of the knowledge he had acquired

It is this type of in depth specialised knowledge that him and members like him

that Genes are totally squandering

Renes

I just feel sorry for the newbies who post on Clinic as they cant get the full range of help that is available on the boards from ALL the helpers.

If I were Cyn I wouldnt send my letter to posters who dont return to their thread on Clinic after seeing her reply from Gr ...and have told her so too..!

FBG, it seems like all the old ones, I mean that in the nicest way, are being treated as if they know nothing. I hope Genes can see what is happening and fix it up.

I have just pasted the whole of that thread on Gins thread as Cyn is out doing her bit for the community at the mo and I thought it may get deleted before she sees it.

Dea got a personall reply on that board too on her thread!

Has anyone noticed this thread

www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/help_clinic/thread/1249609

Cynthia dont hold your breath waiting for a reply!!

sleep tight MM



it's only a few minutes before 6 pm here!


another boring evening in front of me!

Going to bed. Early for me, a UK surfer. No fun any more.

Very madmeg.

well

we thought it was bad before last Thursday!!



and it is now so slow ........... very few posters around asking questions, relative to what it used to be like




sylvia
.... going out to get her new glasses, willl they make this site work better?

Well, I got a reply to my inbox error message. They can't replicate it. What operating system am I using.

The error message I get is a GENESREUNITED error message. Nothing to do with my operating system. And it says the error has been logged by the GenesReunited system. Well, in the time it's been logging my error messages, they will have got about sixty eleven brazillion of them. Glad to see they're paying attention.

I have seriously never in my life, and I've been on line for nearly 20 years and using discussion boards for more than 15, seen such a non-functional website. It quite simply needs to be torn down and redesigned.

Good to see my catchphase doing so well

Alan

I don't often use the Search Trees facility, althouhg I'm always advising others to do so


That is far from helpful!




sylvia

Thank you nameslessone


I have no response from GR to that 6th complaint .... or to 2 of the ones I sent in on Thursday


and GR is now closed .................... as I believe it is about 8:12 pm UK time


sylvia
12:13 pm Canada

You have your name back Cynth...congratulations...For now

Just noticed on Search Trees you cannot now look for new names added in the last day or two without adding a year of birth.

My Inbox is diabolical when I first try to use it. I just keep clicking to get it going. Once I have looked at the first message, it seems to unlock itself and move faster. V. Strange.

The other nameless/invisible one. Cx.

Sylviain Canada

I agree with everything in your 6th complaint. I hope you get a proper reply rather than 'we take everything into account' that I got back this morning.

I don't post much but enjoy the ebb and flow of postings - but am so confused now without the times.

Posted at 09.45 UK time Number 111