General Chat

Hi tooty,

Well, I have to differ slightly on the question of help requests. I'd said earlier on one of these threads, I see no harm in asking in general for some help, ie, 'I can't find an index no for Joe Blogg's birth cert, born 1876 in Bloggsville..and it's driving me mad!'

But...if there is a documentary look-up to further research, then obviously that belongs on the trying to find and not in general.

We can all help a little whatever board the question is on, it's what we all do and why we're all here, so people who mistakenly ask in here should not be intimidated into never posting here again by the sometimes rude way they have been reprimanded for doing so. Give us the chance to add a little too, and let us help them out, and if we can't, then at least a bit of gentle advice directing them to the right place rather than repeatedly quoting rules at them, as I've also seen done.

hi Tooty

What about the chat on genealogy threads though? Surely if the rules are to adhered to they should be adhered to on all boards......a bit strict on this board don't you think.

Anyway. This subject is already being 'chatted' about on another thread. poor Rose asked for opinions on another subject entirely. :-) Sorry Rose for invading your thread :-)

Hi Teresa

Thankyou for your welcome............Ive had some great help from people on GR, im so grateful for their info. Through them ive been able to get a great start with my Family Tree :-D

OMG :-S When you keep hitting brick walls, you are so glad of all advice you receive. :-)

I understand where Chrissiex is coming from, I hardly ever venture so far up the boards because originally I thought that everyone knew each other but I have always been made welcome whenever I have posted.

I have seen introduction threads on this board, there was one not too far back when a newbie introduced herself, perhaps this is something to be encouraged. However, I was very rude and just ploughed in there with my opinion.;-)

I disagree with Chrissie as to Facebook being used for the purpose of chat or asking for lookups from friends, I only joined Facebook last November to discuss with GR the folly of the introduction of the help clinic and a few other things since, for example being unable to speak to them on their own website, which thankfully they have now introduced.

I don't see any harm in asking for help via pm as a thread on here but do think that the essence of general chat should just be that and not for threads of lookups otherwise there is no point to having multiple boards

Hello Sally, welcome to the boards. We're all totally lala here, promise. :-D

Chrissie, I can't put it any planer than anyone else has here, but certainly nobody has said they would prefer to ask only their friends for help with their research. BUT, there are times when some details are best kept off the boards as they are in public view, and sometimes, some trees have so many complexities that it might be better to ask someone who has helped before, who would understand, rather than having to explain the whole store again to someone new. It's not being cliquey, nor is it giving anyone preferential treatment, but we all have our own ways of researching our family trees, and some of us may feel more comfortable doing it one way, while others may feel more comfortable doing it another.

I can categorically state that nobody has said they would only ask friends per se. :-)

Thankyou Supercrutch :-D

Thankyou Rose

Yes im enjoying the research & the Quizzes/Games board ;-)

I love you Rose because you always explain things better than I.

Hello Sally, welcome and enjoy.

NB some are truly mad but you'll get to know who they are *twitch*

Welcome Sally, I hope you're enjoying GR ? They're still tweaking the boards so I expect we will all see a few changes to get used to :-)

I look at it this way :-)

If I wanted someone to help me track down an ancestor or relative who, for example. was a bigamist...I might NOT want to put those details on the help boards or ask helpers i didn't know personally...what I might do is ask on this board if one of my 'friends' with nothing better to do could help me. Then, whichever of those friends responded , i could then give them the details via pm, knowing they would not publicise something I wanted kept quite.

I could of course PM just one individual friend, but that would impose upon them perhaps when they really didn't have time or inclination. So in asking 'generally' I can pick and choose the person with both the time and the discretion needed :-D

welcome to the chat boards Sally, :-D

Hi Muffy

Nice to meet you to, love the pic

I have always thought of the 'help' boards as 'all friends togheter' :-)

Hiya Sally ..nice to meet you x

Evening Everyone

Im a fairly newbie :-D joined in March, just popped in to say a BIG HELLO :-D :-D :-D

thats why I dobnt ask for help over there, its a little more relax here on chat ...all friends together sort of thing :-D

But I am please you joined in with us tonight Chrissiex and broke your duck so to speak :-)

Chrissie , it has often been said that some people from the old General, didn't venture to Chat or vice versa...obviously changed now the two boards are merged... ditto I have seen lots of posts on the help boards with members there saying that they have never been on Chat, like it's another, much stranger country

That's a shame I think, there are some lovely people on the research boards who would enjoy themselves on here and their non-genealogical contributions would be as much appreciated as their genealogical ones .

i figure if i pay i might as well look at all the boards I pay for lol.

well I did say I' m a newbie to the 'chat' board so I guess I will just have to stay ....... :-S

because I truly am confused, but maybe if I read some more things will come clear, only renewed my sub a week ago .........

new blood here :-D

Sorry Chrisie......but not being psychic I wasn't to know you were muddled and not misquoting.....I was just putting the record straight in case it got lost amongst the muddy waters ( I liked him......played a mean harmonica he did)


I thought I explained on my thread how a heading would be......Methinks it should be read again.

But then again......perhaps we had better beg to differ .....our points have been put across and no amount of twisting and turning can change them
:-) :-)

I thought I had explained it well enough. I know what I mean, so it seems do others. It looks as though you are the only person who doesn't so there isn't much I can do to address that other than repeat myself which I have no inclination to do at this time of night.

Let's agree to disagree how the boards used to work and how I and some others would like to seek help.