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SpanishEyes. I do get the impression that some who have opposed this new and exciting layout have not had much commitment to the future of Genes. But you and I and many others have - and I know SylviainCanada wants the site to be successful as much as we do.
Some have mainly been using Community boards over years of Genes. I am one who has mainly been tree building and matching and sharing (for over 9 years). But we have all been enjoying the site, making friends and influencing people. Telling others what good value it was.
I was looking forward (apprehensively) to new site layout. Was not keen on the previous change as could not see what it gave me that was new and useful, but I mastered it and never moaned (at least officially). But I tried and failed to master this new site. I could not see what was in it for me. There was no "hook".
If you have something new (car, TV, washing machine), it should be exciting. This was just complicated and confusing. As if a programmer had said "Look how clever I am. Customers? Never heard of them"
And renegade programmers happen so often in business. So much easier to control finance, personnel, public relations because you have some understanding. But most managers have very little knowledge of programming - just have to try to ask the right questions (will I understand it, will it improve my life, how much will it cost, will our customers enjoy it etc).
Find out what members think (a truly random sample of 500 would be plenty), phone them, make the new programme do things people want, then test it to remove bugs before launch. Both alpha and beta testing and evaluate test results, I am told by the experts on here. Hardly any of that seems to have happened - hence this thread from Diane and many others.
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SpanishEyes
There already is a site
set up by GR members who left GR back in 2006
FTF
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John
nothing is wrong with that
and my eyes .................. older than yours, even after cataract surgery! .................... tell me that we, the members, know nothing about how many members there really are on GR
how many are free members
how many are subscribers at whatever level
how many are dead, or otherwise incapacitated
how many are fully active
how many come to the site only once a year or every 2 years
and THAT is not really BS's fault .................
........... it all goes back to the people who started GR, and who never deleted anyone ........... the numbers are all cumulative since 2002.
Just think how many email addresses will have changed since the beginning???
My email address is the same after 9 years, but you guys in the UK seem to change servers with gay abandon.
I dare say that NO management has ever really known how many truly active members there have ever been on this site!
............. and the changes in email addresses means that no contact can be made with the members unless they have remembered to notify GR
I am amazed by the number of members who have been posting over the last 2 or 3 months saying "I am a new member ........" or "I am just starting my research and I need help". Then they ask a very elementary question .......... yet their membership dates back 7 or 8 or 9 years!
That means, they joined as a free member in the first flush of GR ................. but have done nothing in the interim! Possibly not even started their tree
and what I said about the union of fmp and GR is nothing that I have not said on these boards for the last 12 or 18 months ........................ and it is known to GR staff members!
I do think it is very wrong of you to make statements such as "renegade and uncontrolled computer programmer trying to enhance his CV" ............ when in all probability they are doing what they have been ordered to do.
.............. and can make no rebuttals to you. Nor can they explain what they have been doing, or who has given the orders.
Finally ......... you are putting words in my mouth, and assuming things about my opinions ..... and I greatly dislike that.
You said ............
"There was also a body of opinion a month ago that opposed us and suggested that this would all blow over like the mock wallpaper debate.
Perhaps you still are of that opinion. That I and several hunded others who have put our heads above parapet are seditious and need to be tried for treason and kicked out of Genes."
I most certainly do not think that this will all blow over like the wallpaper crisis
You do not know, because you were not active on the Boards at that time, but there were people who had the greatest problems with that wallpaper .........
.............. one member who had been very active on the Boards, had an epileptic fit on the first day of using the site. It was the first he'd had for about 30 years. He not only had to leave the site, he lost his driving license, and thus his job.
THAT was not funny, nor a "mock" concern
Then there were several people who said they had developed migraines, and also left. Who knows how many suffered silently?
Just as now, people have complained about migraines, and are leaving, or have already left.
BUT there are serious problems with the functioning of the site that need fixing.
I myself have spent much less time on this site in the last weeks.
You have your problems with the tree functioning ............. others like myself have problems with the Boards. Others have problems with the colours
None is any less important than the other .............. even though you often make it seem that your problems are by far the worst of any.
And you also often seem to put down people who are not in full agreement with you.
I have no knowledge of the tree problems ........ I have not worked with my tree for years.
All I can say is that a large percentage of my close friends on this site have no problems, and prefer the new tree
I also know that I went to my tree about 4 or 5 days after the changes were made, because everyone was complaining ........ I had NO PROBLEMS
I do however understand that others are having problems .................. even though I cannot myself see those problems.
Perhaps I am more able to see both sides of a problem or discussion???
sylvia
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There is no need for me to add anything to this thread as it has already been said......
I use my IPad quite a lot and have not had any problem with GR until the new format arrived.
I have been a subscriber for many years and truly believe that the people who made this decision have no real interest in people who use GR........they have such large organisations already .
I have down loaded my tree so will be able to keep it. I am also with another site which has good results but the ability to discuss various subjects do not take place.
I wish I knew how to set up a site where all people who have given help and advice for many years and covering many items could be maintained.......any ideas.
Of course the best result would be to let us have our old styem back,for those who want to use it and introduce the new system to new customers.
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Thankyou for your comments, Sylvia. I actually like your style and your views. Yes, really. Bit off the thread, but you seem upset.
All I would say, Sylvia, is the facts are there within the lack of facts. No statistics, nothing from Genes to tell us we are right or wrong. But my senior (once) management eyes tell me what is happeneing. And your young eyes tell you roughly the same thing, judging by what you have written.
I am far from an isolated person. Or, a month ago, I was far from an isolated person. There was also a body of opinion a month ago that opposed us and suggested that this would all blow over like the mock wallpaper debate.
Perhaps you still are of that opinion. That I and several hunded others who have put our heads above parapet are seditious and need to be tried for treason and kicked out of Genes. But you are countering my seditious opinion with an equally seditious opinion in your post, so we may both sail off together at Nuremburg.
You will be the winner, Sylvia, in this particular debate. Those who hate this new layout will be the losers. We are all leaving. But I fear it may be a pyrrhic victory. I want Genes to carry on. Probably you do too.
But it has to start with an Announcement about the current situation that is realistic and will get us onside. What is so wrong with that?
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John
I do wish you would stop practising what some might call seditious treason
It is completely unconscionable of you to continually blame a "renegade and uncontrolled computer programmer trying to enhance his CV"
As a former senior management person, or at least so you have led us to believe ................ you should KNOW that these things do not happen. That "underlings do not go off half cocked, and become "renegades".
My own personal feeling is that GR may not last much longer ................. that it will be rolled into fmp ............
............. where the tree is, or so I am told, at least as bad as the GR one.
But I am not about to blame some poor programmer or even Estelle ........ people who cannot defend themselves against your anger and unparalleled bitterness.
NOTE ............ I am not asking you not to post. I am asking you to be more reasonable in what you say.
sylvia
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Vast majority seem to totally agree with you, Diane. We are upset, angry and hoping for a response soon from the Genes team. Since 2nd Aug, they have held officially to the line they have had good feedback about these changes.
They have a parent company and one or two have suggested they were forced into these changes by Bright Solid. But I doubt that is the case. More likely a renegade and uncontrolled computer programmer trying to enhance his CV.
Hope we will learn the truth soon. We do pay their wages, after all.
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Sorry but do not at all like the new format, it is very hard to find if members of my tree were married, had children or not. The format is not as easy to use as your old one and not sure if I want to stay a member when you make it so very hard to navigate. Please advise how you are going to fix this problem and why keep changing something if it does not need fixing.
kindest regards
Diane Mansell.
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