FindAGrave Addicts

Comment

Comment by Sarah Coles on March 20, 2011 at 11:07am

Oh, I agree totally.  I've found a lot of my own ancestors on that site and am indebted to all the volunteers that make it possible.  Maybe they need some competition to make management shape up or possibly have someone run the site that is more trustworthy.

Comment by Eric Andrist on March 20, 2011 at 10:45am

I don't think anyone is discounting that FindAGrave has some great attributes. That's what makes it all the more shameful...that it IS a great site, just run very poorly.

Comment by Craig Humes on March 20, 2011 at 10:38am

Hi Guys,

Not to get in the middle of this, but I love Find A Grave.  I have found distant relatives that have moved distantly away.  Not to mention the finding of "genealogy cousins". 

 

I post items when I find them helpful.  Worked the last couple of years documenting and photographing local cemeteries that have history of vandalism or lost stones.  Enjoyed the teamwork that other Find A Graver's have put fourth.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Craig.

Comment by Sarah Coles on March 20, 2011 at 10:17am

I think it's time to get back to the subject at hand which was Eric's initial post yesterday regarding the subject of Eric's encounter with Find-A-Grave.  We don't need negativity nor personal attacks on this website.  Also, this is not the place for political viewpoints either.  If the public doesn't speak up about these unscrupulous practices by websites, it will continue to go on.  We might not get anywhere but it's worth the effort to at least try.

 

In the meantime, the best thing you can do is just not to post personal information on public websites.  It's sad but true that there is always someone out there who will confiscate your work.

 

Comment by Eric Andrist on March 20, 2011 at 9:00am

I never said you did any such thing. I was commenting on your comments. I don't know you, I have no idea what you do in real life. But twice now you've commented with basically the attitude of "that's they things are....they do it on all the websites." THAT's what I was commenting on. I'm sorry if that was not clear and you thought I had developed telepathy to know you better than I actually do.

I'm glad you fight for causes, it's a bit in contradiction with your attitude about  things that are redundant!

I could just ask FG what? To stop allowing copyright infringement? Should I really have to?!

I don't sit in recliners or drink beer.

I never said my issue WASN'T with FG! I was right with most of what you said yesterday. It was your negative attitude this morning that I was commenting on.

And again you seem to contradict yourself. You just chastised me by telling me how active you are and then sum it all up by stating that you don't control life. I have TOTAL control of my life and the things that I want in it and it sounds like you strive for that too. People who sit back and allow things to happen aren't all that active.

Comment by Julia Mitchel on March 20, 2011 at 8:54am

Eric, if a person is interested in compiling their genealogy and not interested in Legwork then they better take up scrabble.

Or go to the LDS and download 200 years of unverified names and call it genealogy.

We all know the difference.

Comment by Julia Mitchel on March 20, 2011 at 8:52am

Well, I would not be Irish if I did not tick people off with my attitude.

Apathy is not one of my traits, I am a die hard Patriot and write my Senator, and Congresspersons weekly on the state of Immigration, Security, stupid bills that are breaking this country, the killing of our young men to save countries immersed in 14th century idealogy with the purpose of killing us, and the waste of our countries money on useless things.

You could ask my brother about my Apathy, oh wait, he is not speaking to me because of my involvement in causes.

I am a genealogist, I verify my information, I provide information on local families and grave sites as I find it. I document abandoned cemeteries here then try and get them recognized by local authorities, I take photos for people who cannot get to them, I go to the cemetery offices and document the people as time permits.  If I cannot do the best job I am capable of then I do not take the request.

For you to sit back and say that I sit back and allow the status quo is ridiculous.

You could just ask FG as you call it, if I just got them to change the location of the Boaz Chapel Cemetery from Fulton co where they had it to Hickman Co, where it is. I sent them four documented proofs to back this up, not just my best guess.

Ask them if I just got them to put the email address for a flat cemetery here where no grave can be found for that cemetery without walking 4 acres. I called the cemetery, got the information, forwarded it to FG and they added it. Now I can go take the photos for the requestors who posted the memorials.

Try and follow me around for a day and you will be prone in your recliner with your beer in hand.

Your issue is with FG not the rest of us, we are active participants in life, we do not control it.

Comment by Eric Andrist on March 20, 2011 at 8:36am

So Julia, are we just to overlook everything that is redundant, even if it's wrong? I'm not sure what you're point is. Speeding on the freeway is also redundant, should the police stop enforcing it? FindAGrave has rules against posting copyrighted materials. They KNOW that people are doing it, but sit back and allow it to happen. In fact I found a "famous" memorial the other day whose copyrighted (and very famous photos) were posted by one of the administrators! So they are blatantly breaking and ignoring the law. I don't blame the members, some of whom might not know better. But I most certainly DO blame those in charge. They have a responsibility to stay on top of it and surely not to partake in it.

You seem to come from the mind that just because other sites do things wrong, it's ok for it to continue and overlook. Well, I think that's a really bad attitude and one of the reasons this country is falling apart. Apathy.

You sound like you know a lot about genealogy, which is great. A lot of people don't, and I go so far as to say the majority of people don't. Some people go to FG solely for the memorial postings and have no interest in genealogy at all, so they really don't care about the accuracy. Newbies to genealogy are unaware of the possibilities of things being incorrect. I know when I first started going to ancestry.com, I went hog wild and crazy adding information to my tree. I had no idea that it wasn't all correct (it didn't take that long for me to figure it out, though).

If we sit back and allow for people to post incorrect information, I think we are just as much to blame for the inaccuracies as those that post them. As the leaders in genealogy, we have a responsibility to guide things and strive to make them better. Clearly, you want to sit back with the status quo and let things be just because that's how they are. To me, that's shameful.

As for your cemetery theory, a person can be interested in compiling their genealogy and NOT be interested in doing a ton of legwork. Some people enjoy making dinner, but would rather buy the package of pre-chopped lettuce than to actually buy a head of lettuce, wash it, dry it and cut it up. There's nothing wrong with that. People who don't want to do the legwork of looking up headstones for photo taking, pay the price of having to wait until someone will do it for them. If you don't want to be the  person that helps out that way, that's fine...don't do it. I enjoy being helpful in any way I can. If I want to teach them a lesson, I'll include the knowledge with my gift of research and the photo.

Comment by Julia Mitchel on March 20, 2011 at 7:43am

Bob, you are so right, it was a crummy long snowy winter even here in warm Kentucky.  Us old farts just have to grumble about something since gas is $3.59/gal we cannot jump in the Hummer and go shopping at Macy's on our mega Social Security entitlement.

See what Genealogy starts, at least we are alive and the blood pressure is up.

 

Comment by Julia Mitchel on March 20, 2011 at 7:38am

Talking about stolen copyright information on the internet is redundant.  Its done, its out there, there are no internet police yet, except maybe in China.

Every site has the same issues, incorrect information, "stolen" copyright, intentional hurtful posting of a persons families (mine included).

It is a good resource, the internet, but if a person "relys" on it for correct information they are misguided. VERIFICATION is the genealogy safeguard.

Just ask Elizabeth Shown Mills or read a genealogy book.

 

 

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