Genealogy Chat

What I have noticed is that the chatter/noise level on the tips board has decreased significantly, while there are plenty of good quality responses to a wide range of genealogical queries, which are now much easier to access. Cheers, Bill Sydney, Australia

I Like to answer requests on the trying to find board. I found there were so many on tips and records doing look ups that by the time I had found the information and posted the answer was already there so felt like I was wasting my time. I have helped with brick walls though as they are often mistranscriptions so harder to find. Margaret

'I agree, when I 1st joined I had a job keeping up with the threads as they were added so quickly my threads were at page 3 within a couple of hours, now I find them still on page one the next day!' Maybe the boards/threads are moving slower now because less people are posting irrelevent threads on the boards? I, for one, am pleased I dont have to troll past a load of idle chit-chat threads to find tips or look-up related threads. When I want lighthearted banter, I go to the General Board. It's very simple folks - Tips Board is for tips. Records is for look-ups.... and General is for posts like this and other such sundry matter. Love, Peace and Happiness Sue

Just did a rough count on 1st page of Records Board. 24 different people had responded with help. I do try to assist but am a bit slow, so often come in with duplicate info. So I now go to offer suggestions for'Where to Look' where there has been no response at all Yours Jane

I've a feeling that TC herself suffered sanctions as a result of offering lookups, although it could perhaps have been someone else.

Please dont feel that your help is not appreciated, it might not all be about lookups and geneolegy, but when us neewbies come on to ask sometimes very basic (might be daft) questions sometimes it is great how many of you come to our aid. (MANY THANKS FROM NEEWBIES)

I try to still do some, but do get disheartended at times. I continue to do it because i enjoy doing it, not got a lot to gain by 'not doing it' because of the current aggravation. Jess

im new to this site but i must say everytime i have asked for help lots of people have come up with very good info and helped me out alot. if i could find out how they got their info i would gladly help out others regards john

i agree with geoff up until last year i had a thread on records board offering ancestry look ups. but as geoff says ,like many other 'oldies',i have moved over to let the newcomers offer their services. i tend to concentrate on the bucks and herts look ups i think this site is brilliant! and wouldnt dream of going else where. i also think the GR team are fantastic and i dont envy them their job at all. please keep up the good work genes,you run a fantastic site:) susie

This is a tips board and I enjoy and rely on the tips that I pick up here. If I can, I too offer tips but I regard genes as a working site. I have only so much time to give to genealogy and my time is spent finding out, giving information and enjoying those (few) finds with my family and online family. The BBC programme influence on genealogy is dying with time and hopefully genes will settle into a place where we can pursue family history search. Jill

I tend only to look/contribute to the Tips Board these days and very rarely on the Records or other boards. I can understand GR wanting to restrict the Tips Board to Tips/Help but a few threads 'off topic' didn't seem to me to be the end of the world. Yes the board does seem a bit slow and somewhat uninteresting these days and I don't tend to stay on as long as I used to. Perhaps its the weather or just a transition between old and new members.

I don't understand why people only look at one board and ignore the others. (OK chat is not everyones' 'cup of tea', I don't go there often,) but the other three boards all have a lot to offer. I flit around all three and have found fun, friendships and a lot of help and information by doing so. I try not to get too involved with problem threads and find I can still enjoy my membership. Ann Glos

I used to put the odd reply on the 'funny' threads, but then they seemed to be hijacked by a few people and it all seemed to become quite nasty, so I stopped posting. I still do as many look ups as I can, but fewer people seem to be asking. I often look and there is simply nothing to reply to. Linda

I do think it is a shame that some of the funny threads which were genealogically based are not appearing. they provided a bit of lighthearted relief. - I have now hit so many brick walls I only do a bit at a time. I never look at the general board so it was nice to see the odd slightly off board message. Alice

Agree, Geoff. I think it`s a brilliant site and people have found 'BRICKWALLS ' for me for which I`m very grateful and I always thank them. Rosalyn

I must disagree with the statement- 'Now there is hardly anyone on here to help people.' There are very few queries that fail to attract a response - usually those that do fail are those which have very obscure answers (if any answer indeed exists). It seems to me that a new generation of lookers-up appears every few months as the baton is passed on by the old stagers. There are so many more people able (and willing) to to look ups than there were a year or two ago. Dare I suggest that the old stagers are more than willing to let enthusiastic relative newcomers do 1881 lookups, without feeling the need to dive in headlong themselves? Thinking back less than two years, all you could hope for in the way of lookups was 1901 census (using the decoder), 1881 census and IGI, perhaps an 1891 lookup if you could find a member of Ancestry, a much more limited FreeBMD and very little else.

Hi Jeanette thanks for that, i knew Estelle was as Ive had an email from her, but didnt know she was a member as well, never seen Estelle, Michelle or Steve post though, well not that i can remember, not that i have a problem with it either, its something i just didnt know, LOL. :-) so basically they are moderators then, LOL, get it :-) any jobs going ? i'll be one :-) did notcie you havent posted a lot lately, such a shame as you always help people Allan, soooooooo true :-)

Hi TC I'm still here - just. I'm just being more selective about where I post now. I agree with everything above. It's such a shame cos there was a great little core of people on here ready, willing and able to help with all sorts of queries - genealogical or otherwise! This board is moving much slower of late. Nichola - Estelle is a member and i think Michelle who used to work on the GR team is a member also. Oh, and of course Steve Pankhurst is member number one. Jeanette x

I agree, and it is such a shame when this used to be such a lively, informative and entertaining board. But of course, it just proves the old adage, all work and no play makes Jack pack his bags and find employment elsewhere!

totally confused, i didnt know that, i thought the g/r teams were not members, oh, you learn something new everyday :-)