General Chat

Hello fellow members, I am due to renew my membership of GC/GR in 13 days time. As you will see in my letter to Steve below, I have decided not to do so for specific reasons. These reasons also effect you all, so I would expect that they meet a general consensus of agreement. However, for the few who would choose to disagree with my comments I say, take a good look at what we had and lost. Then take an honest look at what we have today and tell me if you really do think things have improved. I do not and never have argued with the value for money gained from GC as it was, but can anyone honestly tell me they are happy with the way GR is now run? If they do, then they are surely in the minority. After posting this letter I feel I may be 'cut off' so in case that does happen, I would like to say a big thank you to all who have helped me in the past and say to those that I have attempted to assist in return, I hope the help proved worth while. Thank you and good hunting. Jim FOR THE ATTENTION OF STEVE. Dear Steve. With much regret and after much thought, I have decided not to renew my membership of GR beyond the 13th November, for the following reasons. 1. Some time ago I found my tree has names on it that I did NOT place there and have in fact stopped using that facility. 2. My e-mails regarding this matter have never been replied to. 3. I have received mail from people I have NOT contacted who have MY tree on THEIR screens. 4. I am fed up with the complete and utter mess on the boards. The SUCCESS Board has more postings on it which should be on the Trying to find board yet no one stops this happening. All of this mess has come about since you allowed non members to post messages and effectively changed the site far beyond all recognition. 5. There seems to be a total lack of control over things on the site nowadays. 6. My prime reason for joining GC was to do my research and help others. That was possible while under the OLD flag of GC, but since the change of name and layout it proves very difficult to get any sense as many of the boards take far too long to read through due mainly to the clutter of incorrect postings on them. 7. I sent an email to you several months ago suggesting a sort of 'Starter Pack' giving simple guidelines on how to conduct matters on the boards etc. this 'pack' could have been e-mailed to new members or made available to non members who could request it. That suggestion has been ignored and the lack of advice or guidance from you or your staff clearly contributes to the current shambles we see. 8. I have sent several e-mails regarding access to my Tree by outsiders NONE of which have been answered which I think is a very bad way to conduct your business. 9. I am among many hundreds who used to use GC and had a wonderful rate of results in serious genealogical research. Now, those same people are disillusioned and leaving GR as you appear to be running the site for the money only. 10. According to the boards, there have been many members getting furious at the fact that their personal trees, which contain confidential information on living people, suddenly and inexplicably have become Public Property. This is due to a very poorly thought out change to the system requiring a member to OPT OUT rather than opting IN to allow others to view their trees. I am aware that many messages have been sent in about this problem alone, yet they too have been ignored. To prove the points made in this message to you, may I suggest that you take the trouble to read some of the postings on the site. A current one on the General board under the heading A Message For GR Staff tells the same problem being experienced by a growing number of people. Finally Steve, after using GC - your brainchild in the early days and thoroughly enjoying it, I cannot really believe you have turned your back on the original concept of supplying a site that is a platform which offers Genealogical research facilities and help for beginners. Or Have You? If your answer to that point is yes, then you will be withdrawing what was possibly THE best reference site for serious amateur genealogists that there has been, it was a forum in which many people swapped hints, tips and information and advice thereby helping the cause of genealogy in general. No wonder there seems to be more competition for you out there now. Sincerely Jim Scott

I wonder if you'll get a reply now Jim?

jim im sorry you feel this way but i for one wont be leaving genes. i think they are the best site on the web ,not just for research purposes but for friendship aswell i have made some really good friends through this site. i dont take any notice of the bickering or back stabbing. and it doesnt bother me who sees my tree.if it helps someone who is less experienced than myself then i am a happy person susie

Well put Jim, let us know if and when you get a reply.

Hi Susie. I accept your comments and reasoning but lets be honest, things are getting worse and unless a stand is made now, that trend will continue, such is the reality of life. I have enjoyed the many contacts made through my membership and fully regret having to make this decision, but as my emails are about serious matters I feel by ignoring them GR staff or whoever, are saying they don't care. I too have made some very good friends on here and will be keeping in touch with them by mutual agreement on a private basis. Another thing I shall miss but will hopefully be asked to do again is helping other people either get started or getting them unstuck. Thanks anyway and good luck to you. Jim

To John and Sue. I wonder John, but I'm sure you will learn of it if I do. Thanks mate. Sue. Thank you also and I will ensure you get to know even if I do get beheaded for speaking out. Best of luck to both of you. Jim

Jim I am sorry you are leaving :-( I gave my renewal a lot of thought and decided to continue as a member because I would miss the company here too much. But I agree that a) there is an unresolved problem with viewing other people's trees/them viewing ours b) the new way of sending messages is not as simple as it could be 3) the boards are a mess. I am rather bored with posting responses to people telling them where to find info on this site because GR can't/won't make it clearer that the info is there. I also think they could make clearer which board is best for which type of message. I have sent GR several messages regarding this, none of which have been replied to. That doesn't bother me, but I do get a bit cross when they keep sending me messages which begin with how thrilled everyone is with them.! So long, and good luck with your research. nell

Jim, I do agree that the Site is not as good as it was, but where can we find anything better. Eventually the GR team will get a wake up call and things are sure to improve. Jim

Hi Nell Nice to have your support too. I would like to make this clear. I did not WANT to leave, rather I am fed up with being totally ignored about the decline of a service for which I PAY to be a member. If we sit back and take it as sure as God made little green apples it will get worse. So I, possibly on my own am making a stand, asking them to wake up and do what they said they'd do i.e. answer e-mails. Friendships, advice and assistance is the undoubted backbone of this site. but can you read your way through all the rubbish to spot the genuine plea for help? I can't and I am apalled with the way some pleas are worded, a point in that respect is through lack of guidance from the web master. Thanks anyway and I will get my reply out to everyone IF I get one. Best of luck . Jim

I haven't been around for very long and have been very impressed by people such as yourself here. But I agree with you on the boards. It is sad that when guidance is only coming from the paying members rather than the staff/site itself. I have learnt a lot from my time here, as I know nothing before I signed up, so would be sad to leave, but hearing your complaints I can understand why you are choosing to do so, as they have been echoed by many. Hope you will keepin contact with the friends you have made here, and that the owners will read these comments and finally take them on board. Best of luck Ann

Jim - Thank you for sharing this with us, I do agree with everything you have said, Yes it was a good site, but now it is getting so frustrating to work with. The idea was to help and be helped by fellow enthusiasts and GR has not made any improvements in this, only made the situation more difficult. There lack of response to their paying clients is atrocious, especially when you receive an e-mail from them saying how please we are with them, It proves they do not read any of these boards or the direct e-mails we send to them! Good luck to you Tracie

the cost of membership is less than 15p per week,as the saying goes..you cant please,all the people,all the time.. bryan.

Jim You are certainly not on your own, many more have left for the same if not similiar reasons. Its funny I normally get an answer to my emails and always am pleased to do so, the only ones that were not answered was the 2 or 3 I sent about the last changes, I asked Genes to take stock of all THEIR members that were leaving and I still have heard nothing. I was very disappointed and worried because as I told them letting so many upset people leave would be detrimental to this site in the long run. I am very upset people can view anyones trees I do not like having to pay membership and other people getting some of the benefits and yet pay nothing, none of this makes sense. I suppose it all boils down to the simple fact eventually SUCCESS does ruin everything! I feel very sad yet again that another member has decided to go down this road (I am not blaming you) but everyone who decides not to renew their membership is a LOSE to this site. My membership does not come up for renewal yet, but I hope I can continue and fight the system within. May not be able to change it but I will have a good try at it. I really do not want to see this site dying from lack of communication (with members). Jim I wish you all the very best in your future research, and I sadly say goodbye to yet another lose to the GENES site. Pat x (Lacey)

Good Morning and thanks to all of you who have been positive in your replies since yesterday. My answer to some of the points will I hope make my position very clear. I have NO wish to leave GR, but as I have been bashing my head against their brick wall for months, not days, I thought they MAY, just may, take notice if I state my case in the fashion I did. I offered (as I am well qualified to do so) simple advice to them on how they could AVOID the mess they are allowing to happen and what we members said would happen a long time ago. They ignored a qualified offer of help thus indicating no interest. I feel sadly, that the only way YOU the member will be able to achieve improvements is to act concertively. By which I mean every disconcerted member should e-mail STEVE and ask him to take stock on the points I raised. IF he does take note and makes such improvements as are required then I for one will retain my membership. 13 days to go. Thanks again for your concern friends. Jim

I don't think I've had the need to write to GR about anything in the past. My opinion about GR would probably be different had I needed support from them and got little back in terms of help and feedback so can appreciate why you would feel frustrated. I haven't had a prob with the messaging/contacts system. From a neutral standpoint, I don't agree with GR's lack of presence on the boards, for a while there did seem to be more of an overseer of the boards but this doesn't seem to be so now. Normally, if I see something on the boards I don't agree with then I'll ignore it if it doesn't affect me personally. For me, I'm still finding new contacts and that alone justifies the membership fee. Andy

Thank you all for your comment, including any that say they are happy with the status quo. I have received a reply from Steve and have posted it on this board under the title of. Jim Scotts reply from Steve. Let's hope that things may happen now to make the desired changes that were clearly destined to get worse. Sincerely Jim.