Suggestions

As I posted elsewhere.......

If you think this subject is useless........... don't use it :-D

I made contact with a few of the OPs, only one has not responded (but he has read my contact message).

The reason I/we joined GR was to make contact with othere relatives.

The old threads have put me in contact with five "new" relatives. I'm happy, so are they.

II certainly will NOT be posting on any more old threads.

Hello again Scozzie....

The point is, we DON'T use it. Many of us use the Search Tree facility to see if we have connections on this site and we contact them that way.


If I came across an old thread connected to my family, I certainly wouldn't post a message underneath it.


I would check to see if that person was already in my contacts and, if not, I would click on their name and send a message that way. I would also be aware that they may not be members any longer.


Of the five 'new' relatives you have found, did any of them spot the message you left on the thread BEFORE you sent them a pm?


Several of the regulars on here don't actually have a GR tree - they simply use the boards because they enjoy the genealogical challenge - and very good they are too :-D

as I've said, I only posted on ONE thread. I'll type it again - I also sent him a PM, he has opened it but not responded.

The OTHER contacts I sent messages to.

One of them I have put in touch with one of my distant cousins who has a HUGE database of that branch of the family. I know they are BOTH happy to have been "introduced" by me.

You (not you in particular, a general "you") may not use the Item posted on Home Page, but a few people added posts to mine.

I DO use the search facility...... but....... John Smith born in New Zealand means nothing to me........ John Smith born in New Zealand with parents (as listed on the posts) MIGHT!! That's how I found the new connections - there was more information about their family.

Everyone I sent a message to is a new contact, never been in touch before this.

Of course I checked - you must think I am an idiot!

I found more today - and will continue to look at Old Postings.

Can we please drop this subject.

Scozzie, The point is that it is sold on the homepage as a 'Discussion' when it is clearly not,

although you find it useful you will still have the facility to get the exact same threads returned when you do a quick search using the tab under Tools,

The homepage 'Discussion' is limited to just a single surname a single place name,

I take it your tree has more than one surname and one place name?

If so then the quick search would be of far better benefit to you,

GR should either get rid of the 'Discussion' as it stands or replace it with a 'Discussion' where the topic is actually about the name it is discussing

alternatively they could have it as a eg; Results for names search smith, and Results for place name search London.

Roy

Exactly Scozzie, you sent PMs to your new contacts......that's the best thing to do.


The problem those of us who help are having, is that newbies are just leaving messages on ancient threads thinking they will get a reply.


We advise them to do what you have now done and, that is, send a PM.



Hope this is sorted now :-D

For goodness sake Genes get rid of the "Discussions" from the home page now.

All they are doing is confusing and frustrating mainly new members by having them believe that these threads are recent when in fact most are several years old. Most are not discussions as you have titled them, all are posts and some have not drawn a single response in the last 5 years.

Examples from the first 20 of the advertised 1,000+ discussions containing information about the Jones family name.:

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.page/board/ancestors/thread/461569

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.page/board/ancestors/thread/452795

http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.page/board/ancestors/thread/1057384

Not only confusing and frustrating Jonesey, but very annoying and misleading to newbies.


They are telling me that there are 1,000+ discussions on one of my family names.


The name is a cardinal point and so, every thread which has that word in it as a place name has been logged. sigh.


What a nonsense.......... :-|

Scozzie

Please don't be so defensive


This thread is not all about you .................... in fact, it didn't start off being about you at all. You seem to think it did, but it has a much wider interest to us, the helpers, than you think.


Most of the people who are posting on this thread are ones who help others, and we are ALL getting frustrated at the useless raising of old threads by newbies who don't look at the date before posting.

I've never before seen OP profiles "Member since:- 2001. Number of posts:- 0". Yet I have several like that in the last week!


We all spend time posting messages "this is an old posting. This person is probably no longer active on the site. May I suggest that you send a pm ..........."

It isn't helpful to the newbie who's got all excited ........ and it isn't helpful for the helpers who are wasting time ....................... it's only because we want people to have a good experience that we bother with those messages.



It certainly is true that most people would get more helpful contacts by Search Trees ................ you are just very lucky that this new system seems to be working for you.



But, please don;'t tell us to "drop this topic" when it really is not concerned with you, your experiences, or what you might or might not have done..



sylvia

I cannot believe that there could be more than 1000 "discussions" containing information about Oldham.


aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh


sample of titles ..................

Amelia Oldham 1830 Manchester Debra 4 Mar 2008 20:42 by

Graveland cannot be a girls name can it? shirlock 5 Sep 2010 20:35 by shirlock 119 25

Evett Family Anne 18 May 2011 14:28 by Helen 22 1

Looking for James Shaw dob 1839 Eileen 9 Aug 2011 15:45 by Eileen 38 21



Most "discussion" about Oldham???????


It's in the ADDRESS on a census!!!! :-P :-P :-P

I thought that when I had 1000 discussions about Walthamstow it must be a census thing shall go and look :-D

jax

The advent of this latest nonsense shows just how out of touch GR are.

They don't have the slightest clue about how their boards are used.

The fact that one member has had some benefit from the 'discussion' flag does not show the 'tool' to be of any value - all it shows is that the member hadn't availed him/herself of the most obvious search tool - namely 'search trees', which has been available for many moons

Well I checked mine out

Hacker and Holborn

I have only one person with the surname of Hacker in my tree on this site but more info on my FTM at home. Not one member has this person listed.

So why did GR pick on Hacker and not another surname of more interest to me.

Will the names change on a regular basis ?

GlitterBaby, on quick search their are 171 matches for Hacker on the Boards so it probably comes from that?

and 300 matches for Hacker in search trees


Roy

I know exactly where the information came from

It is of no use to me whatsoever as not one person has the same Hacker as me in their tree

Something needs to be done.

A lookup thread from 2009 has just been added to !!!!!

My LAST post on this subject

I KNOW what I'm doing, I've been looking for ancestors for a LONG time.

I am NOT a newbie, to either searching or to GR - I joined GR in June 2005, and have been a subscriber since August 2005. I am "new" to the boards, I didn't have the time until recently.

I KNOW what the point is....... I've said on a previous post that "discussion" is a strange description.

My GR tree has over 20,000 names (obviously not all from the same place). My OWN software has many more. Yes, they are mostly all related to me. Yes, I have documents. I am in touch with cousins all over the world.

Much as I welcome and appreciate help.......... I made ONE post, trying to help SOMEONE ELSE!!

:-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

I know this won't be the end................ :-D

Scozzie



NO ............. your post will NOT be the end of this thread on Discussions, or of any other thread on the same topic.


That is because YOU are the only one posting that is enjoying using it..


On the other hand, WE all have a problem with what is the result of Discussions.


As I said before .................. this thread is not, and never has been, about you, or what was said to you re raising an old thread.



So .......... the best bet is for YOU to stop posting on here, and let US all get on with our suggestions for improving the site ..........

.................. which includes getting rid of Discussions OR making it very clear that there is no point in posting on threads more than a couple of years old :-D



sylvia

That's a bit rough Sylvia.

I NEVER thought this was about ME! Many people told me I had done something "wrong", and I was responding. I DID NOT say my post would be the end of discussions on this thread.

I didn't say my post would be the last one. I said I had said enough on the subject, but it seems I must clarify some things.

If there had been no response to my "out of date" post, this discussion wouldn't be happening.

I posted on a thread before I realised it was so old. Then I sent a PM to the OP.

if I want to post on here I will. Members can post where they want. NOBODY has the right to "advise" another member not to post.

I consider posts beginning with my name are addressed to me.

I am also trying to help improve the site. But I email GR as well as having a moan here on the boards, along with others. We all like to know we're not the only one having problems.

I KNOW many other people email GR - I was NOT saying people moan here and don't email GR.

This was replied to tonight, whether it was picked up on the discussions??

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/ancestors/thread/903962

This person was willing to use her own money if she had credits to help find this birth on scotlandspeople on an 8 year post...The origanal poster was no longer a member :-0

Nearly half of the first page is filled with people replying to old threads at this time

For some reason, GR have put up "discussion" threads for me in my former married name rather than my maiden name.
I´m not following this line at all. The only reason the name may appear is because of my daughters whose names are hidden anyway as living people.
Not only is this exercise generally a complete waste of resources, in my case it´s totally pointless.