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Beginners => How to Use RootsChat (Please don't post requests here) => Topic started by: jillruss on Friday 03 March 17 16:19 GMT (UK)
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I am heartily fed up of wasting my time on posts, surname interests etc by people who turn out not to have been active on RC for years. There are a helluva lot of them!
I'm not suggesting that their posts be deleted, nor that they be excommunicated (!) but is there any way these names can be highlighted in some way so that others know immediately that they haven't been near nor by RC for years?
How sad that there must be loads of people out there who start their family research and then seem to give up very quickly!
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How do you mean?
All my 'unread posts' state NEW by them so presumably they are only currently posted. How do you come across posts by RCers who have not been active for years.
Pheno
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jillruss, I try to remember to check the dates on posts, for that very reason.
Regards,
Josephine
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I'm confused also - if they haven't been active for years why would anyone be looking at their posts? But that aside, a quick click on their user name confirms when they were last active.
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How do you mean?
All my 'unread posts' state NEW by them so presumably they are only currently posted. How do you come across posts by RCers who have not been active for years.
Pheno
When someone replies to a post however old the original posting it will show up as 'new' :)
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Thanks Rosie but it won't be a new posting by the OP will it and the date of the previous posting is always at the top so would you answer if there is a large time gap between the posting you have been advised is new and the one prior to that?
Pheno
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It is rarely a posting by the OP. I have not as yet been 'caught' by this situation but have noticed it a few times. Most people would probably not even look to see when the posting before the one shown as new was made, I don't.
Sometimes it is because someone may have picked it up through googling and joins up to reply which is understandable. I have seen on another occasion where a RC member is probably just going through old posts to see if they can answer them but obviously not checking when they were originally posted or whether the OP ever returned to the site.
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How do you mean?
All my 'unread posts' state NEW by them so presumably they are only currently posted. How do you come across posts by RCers who have not been active for years.
Pheno
When someone replies to a post however old the original posting it will show up as 'new' :)
It's not just unread posts. When I use the search facility at the top of the screen, I get a list of posts however old they may be. If a Rootschatter has posted something I would like to know more about (or query a detail) it can be disconcerting that the poster has not been active for several years.
Philip
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On the other hand, recently there has been a spate of "new contacts" coming into RC, having found the connection to a thread, and family connections have been made.
Surely it is down to US to think about/check the last date of contact from an OP or other respondent. :o If we get caught out at times, tough :'(
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I am heartily fed up of wasting my time on posts, surname interests etc by people who turn out not to have been active on RC for years. There are a helluva lot of them!
How sad that there must be loads of people out there who start their family research and then seem to give up very quickly!
As it seems that most people only become absorbed by family history in their later years, it may be that some of the lapsed posters are now out of our reach ? :( But one should always check the date of a thread before adding to it - if it's been ignored for years that may be a bad sign?
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Others have answered the question for me.
The Surname Interests table is there to be searched. Its only when you click onto someone's profile that you can tell that they last accessed RC when Noah was a lad.
Similarly with general searches - and I too have fallen foul of spending time trying to help individuals who posted many moons ago but had recently been answered by someone else trying to be helpful.
Yes - I suppose I could click onto everyone's profile before I communicate with them but I have a life... surely, it isn't beyond the powers that be to come up with something (perhaps a colour code) to highlight those who haven't been active for, say, over 2 years.
Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!! >:(
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I tend to only look at "Unread Posts", which only shows new posts.
If I do look at other posts, I will check:
1) the date of the last reply
2) whether the OP had posted more than once
3) the date the OP was last signed in to RC
It's not rocket-science!
Just takes a little effort on my part - and it's only a little effort!
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Yes KGarrad I agree and think this is probably the default position for most of us and it seems to work - don't recall ever getting caught out.
Pheno
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I tend to only look at "Unread Posts", which only shows new posts.
If I do look at other posts, I will check:
1) the date of the last reply
2) whether the OP had posted more than once
3) the date the OP was last signed in to RC
It's not rocket-science!
Just takes a little effort on my part - and it's only a little effort!
Good Lord! how very conscientious of you both. Now where did I put my thesis on rocket science..... :P
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Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!! >:(
As volunteers I think they do an excellent job and I am quite sure that they have better things to do than look for 'lapsers' :-\ ;D
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I give up! Have pity on a poor, defective soul bobbing about in a sea of non-critical perfection!!
Agh!!!!! :-X
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If we have lost contact with a member we do let folk know by leaving a little note underneath the profile name you may have seen some.."Deceased" or email notifications not working etc.. We constantly have old members who do get back in touch with email updates and their profile is then updated.
This week I could see a new member trying to contact a member and old member from years ago a quick check I could that they were picking up messages but not logging in - message sent on how to request a new password helped both members.
Sarah
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Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!!
The moderators are always here to help, if you need assistance you just need let us know by either a report to moderator of a PM or contact support - I had a heads up on this topic by another member or I could have missed it.
Sarah
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Although I am one of the ones who checks the dates of posts and last activity of the poster, I do get your point jillruss.
Maybe people who have been on the site for a long time (not sure I can include myself in that group ;) ) have got to know over the years that it is worth checking the posters profile for when they were last active - indeed some newer users may not even be aware of that facility.
If it was technically possible it would be handy to have the 'last active' date displayed with the posters other details on the left hand side of each post (next to where the user's post count is shown). This may not go as far as your suggestion of colour-coding, but would at least save the need to click through to the users profile.
I'd also add that I was wary of clicking on the users name when I first joined Rootschat as I assumed it was a link to send them a PM or something. Even now I still get an occasional 'stalkerish' feel if I need to check other people's details, it somehow doesn't feel quite right :-[
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Hi Nick
it would be handy to have the 'last active' date displayed
this could put off new members trying to get intouch with the original poster - I am often asked about "old posts" which some new folk refer to as being 2013-ish and I encourage them to indeed reply - most folk profile has been checked within 12 months to check that the email is still live. If there is no message under the profile the member is still "live".
Sarah
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Thanks Sarah, fair point. Always good to encourage people to reply, however speculative it might be.
Although the tip "View the profile of..." comes up if you hover over the users name, it may not be obvious to new users or those less IT able who might not want to experiment. But probably not a big issue for people who have been here a while.
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Even now I still get an occasional 'stalkerish' feel if I need to check other people's details, it somehow doesn't feel quite right :-[
It helps if you are helping someone, you don't want to suggest to a person that they visit the Archives in Kew, when they live in Canada etc.
Cheers
KHP
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Perhaps making the date under the title larger or bolder would be more helpful and less technically challenging for the powers that be ???
I too have picked up on old threads and been disappointed to find the op long gone.
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I don't think it should be an issue really!
If any new researchers pick up a Rootschat post on one of the old threads, perhaps through a Google search for a person, as I did years ago, (and promptly joined up) even if the original poster has not been online for years, (given up, or maybe passed away) they may well find some great information that pertains to the family they are researching.
It may even just be one little fact that leads them to some helpful family information, and they will probably become a Rootschatter themselves!
I thinks it's great that they are kept visible, and can still be added to for future possible researchers!
After all, none of us can post that we are seriously ill, in hospital - or have died!
Sarah's got it right!!
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Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!! >:(
I think that's rather unfair. I've been on Roots a while now, and I think the mods do an excellent job on this site.
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Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!! >:(
I think that's rather unfair. I've been on Roots a while now, and I think the mods do an excellent job on this site.
Totally agree on this! They certainly do a great job, and we'd be in a bit of a mess without the dedicated team of Moderators that step up to do it! 👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏
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After all, none of us can post that we are seriously ill, in hospital - or have died!
Why not Jeanne - I was just reading on another thread where someone has discovered that she is dead according to an on line family tree! ;D ;D
Having been almost caught out once, I always check dates of posts and when the OP was last on line. Much quicker to do that than spend time doing a lookup and then discovering they haven't logged in for 3 years.
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I'm not sure how many forums the OP is active in as it seems a strange request to me. The post age information is clearly shown on RC so when you search and find a topic of interest it is clear to see how old the last post is and then use that as to whether to post.
Posting on an old thread may well not get a reply and not simply because the original poster isn't active, they could be active but have moved on and not check the old threads or be subscribed to them. An old thread can come alive if someone posts on it, but it easy to see the ages of older posts and realise a new reply is on an old conversation.
The subject of lapsed RC members is a different one. Should lapsed members have their memberships revoked? For instance if someone hasn't been back in 5 years are they likely to ever be and should they be removed?
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The subject of lapsed RC members is a different one. Should lapsed members have their memberships revoked? For instance if someone hasn't been back in 5 years are they likely to ever be and should they be removed?
I don't see why - they aren't doing any harm by being there. It isn't as if they are taking up space and stopping new members from joining. Also, the way I think it works, if they were removed, so would all their old posts and that would be a shame as it would make nonsense of a lot of threads.
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Good evening,
Taking this thread as an example, it is at this moment the first on the common room list. It has 4 columns, the second gives the title of the thread and who started it, in this case Jillruss. Why can the start date not be added after the name. That way anyone looking at any thread will see it right from the start.
John915
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I've seen non active members come back when someone posts to an old thread and I've seen new members who have posted to an old thread get helped even though the OP never came back.
It's not broken so don't fix it.
I think not posting to a thread just because it's old is a mistake, doing hours of research and posting it to an old thread is a mistake. Have a quick search and than make a post asking the OP if they still want help as you have found something. Wait and see if they return, than get stuck in or not as the case may be.
A larger date stamp might be a good idea though.
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I have seen 'old' threads 'take off' with new info. added even though the OP has not responded (for whatever reason) as there are others out there going to be related & add or join RC when a 'google' search directs them here i.e. all is not lost by adding to an old thread as there will always be someone who will pick it up at some point, just as new info. becomes available online on other sites.
Agree with Groom, no point in deleting a lapsed member or yes, some threads are going to be a bit of a muddle/fuddle/guddle ::)
I also agree the Mods do a great job!
People on here are here to help, not to lead anyone in the wrong direction regardless of their question(s) & as mentioned, any queries can be directed straight to Mods or on the forums in question, if on the wrong forum it can easily be moved, no problem or hassle.
I had been doing genealogy a long time prior to finding RC by a 'google' search on something but wish I'd known of it prior....best site online in my book ;D
Annie
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After all, none of us can post that we are seriously ill, in hospital - or have died!
Why not Jeanne - I was just reading on another thread where someone has discovered that she is dead according to an on line family tree! ;D ;D
Having been almost caught out once, I always check dates of posts and when the OP was last on line. Much quicker to do that than spend time doing a lookup and then discovering they haven't logged in for 3 years.
Yeah but I'm still posting Groom. ;)
I too think the moderators do a great job. I'm not sure I'm too happy about the suggestion that most of us get into genealogy in our later years ;). I was 23 when I started and although that was now some time ago I'm not that old and I could name several RCers that are younger than me by quite a bit.
I'd also suggest that replying to a thread started by someone who has not been online for a while is not necessarily a waste of time. Just as you found a thread, equally someone else researching the same family could come across the thread by googling and it could be useful to them.
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It helps if you are helping someone, you don't want to suggest to a person that they visit the Archives in Kew, when they live in Canada etc.
Cheers
KHP
I do that as well, but not everyone lists their location on their profiles. :-\
I also think the Mods do a great job. :D :D
If those posters have an email alert and someone posts on an old thread they'll get an alert to the fact that there is a new post. So why not take the chance if you have new info for someone, it may just be the break throught they are waiting for. ;)
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Moderators always seem to be looking for someone to annoy - try the lapsers!! >:(
I think that's rather unfair. I've been on Roots a while now, and I think the mods do an excellent job on this site.
Sorry - I'm breaking my self imposed silence because I couldn't disagree more. I have had over enthusiastic moderators change the contents of my posts without even paying me the courtesy of telling me why (and, no, it wasn't because I was breaking any copyright laws). In the end, the post became total nonsense because of the changes. I have also had moderators lock threads (again, no indication as to why) where some poor RCer had poured their heart out and clearly needed some reassurance - alas, not possible because the thread had been mysterously locked. On this occasion, I even PM'd the moderator in question - but never received a reply.
I am also puzzled by the fact that I have seen posts censored because the poster has given out FH data sourced from CDs or websites where copyright might be an issue (fair enough, no one wants to get sued) but, then, other threads seem to be able to give out such information willy nilly. I do realise these people are volunteers - but what training do they get or are they just allowed to do what they want?
I still remember a rather overly officious FHS Chairperson who would swoop on anyone giving help to a fellow RCer from one of her FHS's CDs but then would happily give away such information on other posts. I presume she thought it was okay because no one would question her right to do so and she could look like Lady Bountiful whilst the poor Rcer would feel more like Dick Turpin preparing for the gallows. Quite frankly - its an enigma as to what information you can or cannot divulge on RC.
I know this seems overly critical of a site meant to be helpful. I think the site has lots of positives but a bit of consistency wouldn't go amiss - and, sorry, but that's down to moderators.
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I am also puzzled by the fact that I have seen posts censored because the poster has given out FH data sourced from CDs or websites where copyright might be an issue (fair enough, no one wants to get sued) but, then, other threads seem to be able to give out such information willy nilly.
Could this be because the mods have not been alerted to the posts that gave out the information willy nilly. They cannot be expected to read every post under their jurisdiction so also have to rely on others reporting it to them. :-\
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Sorry - I'm breaking my self imposed silence because I couldn't disagree more.
There is no way that I can find myself agreeing with you!
Like most people on here, I think the mod's do a great job.
I have fallen foul myself a number of times. Sometimes I agreed with their stance; sometimes I didn't.
Ultimately, I simply have to shrug my shoulders, and get on with life.
If it was as bad as you seem to make out, I wouldn't be a member of RootsChat ;D
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I am also puzzled by the fact that I have seen posts censored because the poster has given out FH data sourced from CDs or websites where copyright might be an issue (fair enough, no one wants to get sued) but, then, other threads seem to be able to give out such information willy nilly.
Could this be because the mods have not been alerted to the posts that gave out the information willy nilly. They cannot be expected to read every post under their jurisdiction so also have to rely on others reporting it to them. :-\
So, as I said, no consistency!
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Sorry - I'm breaking my self imposed silence because I couldn't disagree more.
There is no way that I can find myself agreeing with you!
Like most people on here, I think the mod's do a great job.
I have fallen foul myself a number of times. Sometimes I agreed with their stance; sometimes I didn't.
Ultimately, I simply have to shrug my shoulders, and get on with life.
If it was as bad as you seem to make out, I wouldn't be a member of RootsChat ;D
I was reacting against those who seem to think moderators are perfect - they're not. If you're happy to shrug your shoulders and ignore it - shrug away!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I am also puzzled by the fact that I have seen posts censored because the poster has given out FH data sourced from CDs or websites where copyright might be an issue (fair enough, no one wants to get sued) but, then, other threads seem to be able to give out such information willy nilly.
Could this be because the mods have not been alerted to the posts that gave out the information willy nilly. They cannot be expected to read every post under their jurisdiction so also have to rely on others reporting it to them. :-\
So, as I said, no consistency!
How can you have consistency when volunteers are helping to run this site and are not on here all the time. I report errors such as email addresses etc but not every time so I am not consistent either. Nobody is perfect ::)
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I don't think that anyone expects Mods to be perfect, as someone said they are volunteers and have other lives, so can't be expected to be around the whole time. Surely it is up to us to help them by reporting posts that we think are breaking the site rules and then accept their decision either way? Of course we may not always like or agree with that decision, but that happens in all aspects of life - we have to accept and move on. No one is forced to continue posting if they don't agree with how things are run.
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I don't think any one said they were perfect just that they, overall did a great job which is not the same thing.
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Moderators are human - and doing it because they are interested, knowledgeable, experienced and helpful. They're not in my view at all officious, and any apparent inconsistency will be because a matter has not been drawn to their attention. We've all had a tiny smack on the hand when we've done something daft, but most of us have had more good guidance and help via moderators re-directing us, or pointing out that someone has already asked the exact same questions that we are thinking of spending time answering, several times. They also make sure as far as they can that we do not accidentally - or otherwise, breach copyright rules by publishing information we have found in certain places in a manner that could render "RootsChat" liable for some trouble and cost. Without them, it could not run as it does, if at all.
I salute them. They devote time and effort to helping US.
-Oh, and why is it a problem about old posts/ lapsed members? Dates of "last logged on" are by profiles, and if you look at a thread and think of responding to it, I'm sure most of us read through the entries - and the date of the origin is there on the first post.
Some members who have lapsed have through their work provided guidance for later seekers on the same theme - and to remove lapsed members' posts after a certain period would leave some very odd gaps in the narrative of some threads, wouldn't it?
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Agreed TY and if the old threads are removed after a certain time then a new member or a returning one may never see it and post something that could help the OP.
I usually stick to the "new replies" and the " unread posts" so if an old thread pops up it means someone has posted in it recently and hope remains that it may happen to a couple of my brickwall posts ;D ;D ;D
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Moderators are human - and doing it because they are interested, knowledgeable, experienced and helpful. They're not in my view at all officious, and any apparent inconsistency will be because a matter has not been drawn to their attention. We've all had a tiny smack on the hand when we've done something daft, but most of us have had more good guidance and help via moderators re-directing us, or pointing out that someone has already asked the exact same questions that we are thinking of spending time answering, several times. They also make sure as far as they can that we do not accidentally - or otherwise, breach copyright rules by publishing information we have found in certain places in a manner that could render "RootsChat" liable for some trouble and cost. Without them, it could not run as it does, if at all.
I salute them. They devote time and effort to helping US.
-Oh, and why is it a problem about old posts/ lapsed members? Dates of "last logged on" are by profiles, and if you look at a thread and think of responding to it, I'm sure most of us read through the entries - and the date of the origin is there on the first post.
Some members who have lapsed have through their work provided guidance for later seekers on the same theme - and to remove lapsed members' posts after a certain period would leave some very odd gaps in the narrative of some threads, wouldn't it?
Well I'm certainly not human as Im sure a number of people on here will testify... :P 8) :o ;D
It would be silly to remove lapsed posts...I just this morning had recourse to look up a thread from 2009...And not all are lapsed...Some have issues...some have lives...some have issues with their lives...I myself am not as active as I once was....So where would the inactive cut off be?? One week? one month? A year??? And what about members who have passed away?? A number of them added some great int that could be lost...
Nope...My advice is to read the thread, look as to when original poster was last active, and then post if you want to. Wont take more than a few seconds...And...Some of the other posters may be active and interested and thus benefit from added input ;D
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I believe I said in my very first post on this thread that I didn't advocate 'excommunicating' any lapsers so I'm not really sure why that issue is being argued against.
All I suggested was a system be put in place to more easily identify RC lapsers who haven't communicated with us for quite a while. It wouldn't effect them or anyone looking for their posts - but it would help us RCers who do occasionally try to be helpful and answer posts asking for look ups, as I know how much I appreciate it when the boot's on the other foot. It would be nice not to waste our time. And I would add that I have occasionally spent a great deal of time searching through a CD to find the information required (see, I'm not all bad) only later to discover the original post was last decade.
As for the moderator argument which was more of a sideshow, I will beg to differ with all of you who think they are as wonderful as a man called Dave. It is clearly best on here to keep one's opinions to oneself. I had no idea the lynch mob would be out in force (thank the lord I'm not on social media), so I begrudgingly accept that I am the only person who has ever silently sworn (actually, not that silently!) when caught out by this, will try to mend my ways, and see sweetness and light where'er I roam. (Fat chance!) Over and out.
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I really can't see what the problem is. If you are going to answer a thread properly, you have to read it through first to check what has already been found. So all you need to do is look at the date on the first post and if it is several years ago and you don't recognise the name of the poster, check when they were last on line. That takes seconds and avoids wasting time.
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I had no idea the lynch mob would be out in force
Since when has people stating their opinion made them part of a 'lynch mob' ?
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I had no idea the lynch mob would be out in force
Since when has people stating their opinion made them part of a 'lynch mob' ?
If this was on Facebook I'd give you a like! ;D ;D ;D
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Again, and as several have stated, all that needs to be done is to check out the OP's profile , to see when the last visit was made by them! Answer if you want to - or not! The choice is yours! It's not rocket science!
To my way of thinking, and as I said in my first reply, anything we can add may well be picked up by someone else tracking the same families, maybe next week, next year, or far into the future! Someone may be picking up their own research after a few years or so, might even be my own kids picking up on my own research after I have croaked it! 😄
All of us know how exciting it is when we can find or share good hints, new information, contacts, posts that can lead ourselves and others further back, possible new contacts, etc etc! That's what Rootschat is all about! AND just because this website is free, it doesn't mean we have the right to criticise others who try to help us, (especially the mods who YES, do a great job - and all from the goodness of their hearts).
Here's a like from Jan and me JenB! 👍👍
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The last post sums it up nicely.
Topic closed.