Genealogy Chat

Flick......I should have known you wouldn't have been :o))

& it is nice to see that someone else had noticed too

Julie

I wasn't in the least 'put out' by SatNav....I've seen enough examples of her sarcasm on the boards to know exactly where she's coming from!

If it gives her some sort of twisted satisfaction to try to belittle people...........good luck to her.

Yes Joy......i so agree with you are the Moderators. I have been on a few site where they have them & they seem to work out quite well

Tony


Also re "There were also those that chose to abuse it by placing unrelated posts that the Advisors were not in a position to answer - acknowleged by Genes as they stepped in and referred those posters to the proper area."


I plead guilty to posting one of those unrelated posts yesterday .................. why?

Because GR was actually responding to those posts, and I was unable to get through to them. My emails were coming back as Blocked, messages sent through Contact Us were not being allowed through ..... possibly because I was including their own email address in c&p'ing the Message undeliverable notice.



I could go on and on .............. but won't for the sake fo the sanity of everyone else on this thread!



sylvia

"The one thing this site lacks compared to others are Moderators who would stop the duplicate posts, move inappropriate posts to the correct board, etc."

- I agree completely. It is ridiculous that the success board is the only one that is supposed to be moderated. All other sites that I visit are moderated.

Oh blah blah, Tony. A majority of members can do what they like. The minority of members (i.e. the 30 or 40 out of the millions and billions) who actually provide the input that makes this site what it is, for all the others who come to the boards for help, are the ones whose opinions count when it comes to the help boards. They're the ones who both know what they're talking about and are needed by the site itself.

I sought info from ScotlandsPeople and didn't get any. I did get some from someone else who decided to help, whose input caused me to take a second look at something I'd looked at and filed away once before.

The Clinic board was full of posts duplicating threads on the other help boards, and for good reason -- it was there to break down brick walls, and when no answers were found on the regular boards, what else would someone do but turn to the Help Clinic? ... where there were fewer people, with less time, nothing like the breadth of experience and knowledge of the combined active "helpers" , and limits on the sources they could cite. Yes, that sounds like a recipe for success.

It was doomed to failure not because anyone "pre-judged" it -- how could that have affected it in the slightest?? -- but for the very reasons that anyone knowledgeable of this site and experienced at this site could have given had anyone asked ahead of time. Simply because they are based on knowledge and experience.

Kind of like I could tell you that your bread isn't going to rise if you don't put leavening in it, without having to wait until you've baked it.

As for moderators, I couldn't agree more. I agree ten thousand per cent.

It wouldn't work now, on a volunteer basis. What's needed now is active moderation by staff -- moving threads to appropriate places, for instance, actively watching for duplicates, etc. After a time doing that, they would be in a better position to take proactive measures to bring more order and civility to the proceedings.

Kind of like how you don't rely on speed limit signs to stop people driving at breakneck speeds through school zones, you put in speed humps and wide boulevards and traffic diverters. Those kinds of measures are what's needed here: better organization to reduce the risk of inavertent disruptive posting, after which regular moderation, possibly even by volunteers, should be maintained.

JaneyCanuck

"What it actually was, was a clear indication that people who knew what they were talking about had a whole host of excellent reasons for thinking this Help Clinic, with its starred "advisors",was a bad idea. I summarized them in my post on the FB site."

Not at all, and I don't think the summarizing started until after the help Clinic was launched. However, there were certainly a few threads on Genes condemning the Help Clinic to failure before it started.

"And what we now have is a clear indication that we were right -- not just the fact that it has been eliminated, but the obvious fact that it wasn't working during its brief life.

I don't think there is any clear indication that you were right. I think a minority of members who objected before and after its launch were listened to in favour of the majority who just accepted it and carried on as usual.

As to it not working during its brief life. There were members who used it and got benefit from it. Especially those seeking info from Scotlands People without having to shell out money on credits. Alas, that is no more.
There were also those that chose to abuse it by placing unrelated posts that the Advisors were not in a position to answer - acknowleged by Genes as they stepped in and referred those posters to the proper area. In reallity it was doomed to failure because some had pre-judged it before it got of the ground.

If there are now upfront guidelines/rules before posting then that's definately an improvement but reading through the boards I can't say they are being read and serving the purpose they were intended for.
The one thing this site lacks compared to others are Moderators who would stop the duplicate posts, move inappropriate posts to the correct board, etc.
This is unlikely to happen unless Genes ask for volunteers. Heaven forbid what would happen if they did that. Especially if they gave them a gold star.

Tony

Rob found it for me - my thanks to him :-)


http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/help_clinic/

The C&P problem -- I would bet that those having it are using IE. Copying in IE imports formatting. Copying in Firefox doesn't.

Although ... what I C&Ped from FB was from IE ... On that note, here's what I just posted there:

My faith has been restored!

When the new management took over, I submitted a proposal that guidance for new users be presented to them, in such a way that they could not avoid it, when they clicked on "Add Topic" on a help board. I'd done this two months earlier and got no reply.

Amazingly, this time I got a personal rep...ly, agreeing that this was a good idea, and just over a month from when I wrote, the guidance -- "How to get a fast and accurate response" -- was up and running on the help boards. All during the time when new management was finding its feet.

I do think the "Help Clinic" was a sincere effort to do what the old management had simply never done -- recognize that the paying users of the site are its strength; we are the ones, working as a team, who reply to the dozens of requests f...or help posted every day. It just wasn't well thought out, and it had the opposite effect for everyone involved of what had been intended.

And now, another even quicker response -- it's gone. And in its place, even more guidance about how to use the site to best advantage (and without causing disruption).

My initial optimism has been vindicated. I'm impressed and pleased.

Now if they will only fix my broken inbox, and rid us of the "surname board" filter nonsense and broken URLs ... ;)



It did import the "..."s where the "see more" would have been, so my theory may still stand.

Tony: "It is strange the number of threads that have mushroomed over the past 2 to 3 week primarily in relation to the Help Clinic. To me a clear indication that it was never going to be given a fair chance of succeeding. "

You can call it a "clear indication" of whatever you like.

What it actually was, was a clear indication that people who knew what they were talking about had a whole host of excellent reasons for thinking this Help Clinic, with its starred "advisors",was a bad idea. I summarized them in my post on the FB site.

And what we now have is a clear indication that we were right -- not just the fact that it has been eliminated, but the obvious fact that it wasn't working during its brief life. Not just because of the frustration it caused among members excluded from it, but because of the characteristics of the board itself: the limited resources that could be used in response to queries, and the limited person-power available to respond, and the most important missing ingredient: the teamwork.

What we also have a clear indication of now is that the new management *is* better than the old management. I was hopeful of this when the new management adopted my proposal to post clear instructions and guidance in front of posters' faces when they "Add Topic". The decision to do that, and the implementation of the decision, were lightning quick by any standard.

And the decision to rid us of the Help Clinic -- and replace it with more even more guidance for new posters -- has been even quicker, and I think it's terrific. My optimism about the new regime has returned.

Flick

"As you have said that you never give help to anyone, I don't think you are in a position to realise how utterly frustrating this past week has been for those who are generous enough to do so"

I am aware of the frustrations being experienced by the likes of you and others. It's nothing new. The Help Clinic has only added to those frustrations.

I read the boards and see these frustrations on a regular basis. To some degree I understand those frustrations but may not neccessarlly agree with the way some go about resolving them. I personally believe that at times it becomes a bit over ethusiastic.

I do not beleive I need to be a helper to understand and express a view on this. Infact, I think stepping back from these frustations allows me to see a more balanced view.

So Help Clinic seems to have gone - with a page directing people to the other boards.


Regarding it's inception, maybe I'm seeing something that isn't really there, but .....
GR gets taken over by Brightsolid. They see that the boards are full of people doing lookups on the records held on their other site (FMP) and their main rivals (Anc), against both's T's+C's. So they decide to try to stop it by formalising the arrangment by allowing a small number to do lookups, and only on their own records. In one swoop this reduced the breech of copyright (or whatever it would be called) on their own records and takes away the risk of their rivals suing them for allowing same to theirs.
Conspiracy Theory No.1 ;-)

Ach... Joy me dear.
Just C&P the whole lot and put it on another board.
Sorted...;)

Fanny.

This is one of them

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/help_clinic/thread/1249600

Can only I and the clinic helpers who posted in it find it again?

Help - where has the help clinic gone, please? I click on it and there is a paragraph by the powers that be, but nothing else.

Yet I click on my bookmarks and my two threads in the help clinic still exist.

Boy, and I thought Christmas shopping was tiring, though enjoyable of course:-)

btw Chris Ho - had croque monsieur for lunch today.


PS I copied and pasted yesterday.

.i wouldn't worry to tough about Sat nav.......her & her old man often go out their way to try & make people look stupid......

The only thing is..it don't work

fair enough..you've made a point.

However, i was remarking on another thread about the fact that I couldn't submit freebmd and IGI info (nor even send it by PM)......and the following was posted..........

did you try to paste the info Flick?

That seems to be causing the problem. Ok if type the info out!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me test the no C&P
1901 England Census
about Reginald Cave
Name: Reginald Cave
Age: 13
Estimated birth year: abt 1888
Relation: Son
Father's name: Edward Cave
Mother's name: Sarah Cave
Gender: Male
Where born: East Harnham, Wiltshire, England

Civil Parish: East Harnham
Ecclesiastical parish: East Harnham
County/Island: Wiltshire
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Salisbury
Sub-registration district: Salisbury
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 69
Household Members: Name Age
Edward Cave 51
Sarah Cave 44
Agnes Cave 15
Reginald Cave 13
Mary Cave 11
Lily Cave 8
Fred Cade 2

Now we can only add info by typing it out....no more C&P

So there are going to be countless errors..................and where will that take people who think the info given is accurate?

And I just tried to delete some bookmarks.........that can't be done, either, it seems. I got the wrecthed white 'site error' page

I can see the end of GR............sooner rather than later...........unless they get their act together and return the site to the way it was prior to November 18th

Tony

As you have said that you never give help to anyone, I don't think you are in a position to realise how utterly frustrating this past week has been for those who are generous enough to do so

Cynthia

There were/are a core a element who were never going to accept or allow such a board to exist even before it's inception. Under that climate it was never going to be given the chance to succeed

Whatever ones feelings were/are about the Help Clinic we shoud have at least done the courtesy of allowing it a few months to evolve or die. In my mind there has been no judgement, only pre-judgement. That was clear as people took pops at it from day one.

Although I do not agree with the need for a Help Clinic for the reasons given that adequate information is available on other boards, I think Genes are wrong to pull this board because of feedback from what is probably a minority of members. They have not taken into account the majority who have not complained and have continued getting on with their research in the normal manner.

Tony