The Genealogy & Family History Social Network
Private/Public Trees
I have been a member of Ancestry.com and other family websites for a long time. My family tree was public but it is now private. I do invite people who may be part of the family to contact me. Many times I have found my branch added to some one else's tree that has no connection what so ever. Trying to make sure these members understand that they have added info not relative is sometimes impossible. They will not reply back and in the mean time someone else has downloaded this into their tree. If people contact me or at least leave a message through Ancestry I will reply as soon as I can. We can make sure all info in the trees are true by talking to each other. Not by ignoring a persons inquiry.
Since 1998 I have been trying to connect with someone who has an aunt of mine in her branch. She left a message for me and after I sent the info she wanted I haven't heard a thing since. I would like to know where my aunt comes into her family. This is what Ancestry was to be about I believe. We all have cousins, sisters, etc. that will not share information but I have faith that somewhere out there is a person who will eventually answer my questions.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Judith Richards Shubert on
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I agree 100%, Helen. I had added my tree to Ancestry ages ago, found some information I wanted to delete, but before I could the tree had already been downloaded into another collateral line - mistakes and all. I recently ran across pictures of my grandparents, great-grandparents and g-g-grandmother that I recognized as my photographs (water-marks and all) and as I continued looking found they had been lifted from my genealogy blog. I wouldn't have minded so much if I had been notified or at least had been given credit as to where they came from.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Coles on
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I know this is an old post but it's right up my alley. I've gotten to the point where I believe I will not share information with others on Ancestry.com. Although I have met some wonderful people along the way, others I've contacted or who have consulted me with questions are just plain rude. What happened to common courtesy? I have shared a lot of information and my sources with a lot of these people and never get a thank you or acknowlegement of any kind for my efforts. I never hear from them again and still others never reply to me at all.
I am very glad I have kept my tree private and to date I've only invited family members or persons I feel I can trust to view my tree. If someone is downloading information from your tree without your permission, I feel that's a copyright infringement and so many others do that and never give the person credit from whom they obtained information or pictures from. In effect they are "stealing" from you.
In addition I am finding that public trees are so full of misinformation in general, that I would never consider using anything I might find. I do check other trees that might have the same persons in my tree but never copy what they have. I might take a name for reference and do my own research. So many public trees and maybe private trees as well, suffer from lack of citations and what sources they received their information from. I don't think that referencing another person's tree is any kind of documentation at all unless they have the sources. Others have such ridiculously large trees with absolutely no documentation whatsoever and it makes one wonder why bother? I have been doing genealogy research for many years and I spend time verifying all my work. I am willing to share with people that have common goals and likewise I feel they owe me the respect of acknowledging from whence that information came and at least thank you for sharing. I often wonder how many people out there feel the same way. It really is a sad commentary on people that don't respect others.
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Permalink Reply by LeLani von Bober on
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Hello Sarah and all-- I say 'AMEN" to all the postings!! I have but one online tree at rootsweb but only for the purpose of letting others know that the info in another tree is wrong (after contact with me, she just put info in the way she wanted it!) On the picture end of the scope, I use to do photo touch-ups and sent a copy of (my grandfather) to a distant cousin who INSTANTLY put it on his 'ancestry tree' as his own and didn't even 'thank' me for it!! So naturally, others have copied it into their tree! It is so sad, in the genealogy world that there is so much mis-information and who knows what our decendants will think of all the 'mess' they encounter!!
For now - Happy Holiday's and happy hunting!
LeLani
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Permalink Reply by Ellen Healy on
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Unfortunately, this is why I have always been leary of putting my tree online. I know people say it is the best way to let others find you, but I'd rather they didn't if they 1) don't share, and 2) add wrong information. My cousin has been trying to tell another "cousin" for about 3 years now that this "cousin" has the wrong information on our family, but she won't listen, and her tree, incorrect as it is, will only pass on incorrect information. How can that help me or my cousin?
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Hi all,
I am getting to the point where I'd like to make my private tree(s) unsearchable on Ancestry.com. I've had the rudest people contact me lately and all they want to do is "see" my tree which is private. They don't get it! It's private for a reason. I am willng to share information with others who politely ask about a person or family within my tree but I didn't make my tree private just to expose it to anyone I don't even know! I am the one who will initiate an invite but only to a very selected few.
It's been awhile since last I posted on this subject and wonder how others feel about it all and what your experiences have been. Lately the negatives have outweighed the few positives.
Sarah
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