Genes Reunited - GRRRR!

[kerryb]

That's exactly how I feel Emmeline, I had a load of stuff I was going to send my contact but now she will never know what goodies are awaiting her!!!!!

Kerry

[chris_49]

Thanks to everybody who replied.

GR seems very inconsistent in what it charges people - I just paid £10 a year which is OK, but then I hear someone else only gets 6 months for that,  someone else £7 for a year - what's going on?

I'm beginning to think that they're equally inconsistent in their treatment of lapsed members. I've definitely had replies from them, but they aren't allowed to view my tree - doesn't matter, I just describe the connections to them. I wonder if some lapsed members are allowed to send just one reply (including a tree opening) and then barred from more replies unless they rejoin?

If they can see all your messages, I'm tempted to go for what you're warned never to do - reveal an email address. I wouldn't do that on a public site - not even Rootschat which anyway allows simple PM-ing - but I see no problem putting it in a private message. I get so much spam in my Hotmail and Yahoo that a little more wouldn't make much difference.

A lot of sites warn you about revealing your email but in the case of commercial sites like GR they may be bothered not so much about your safety but about getting bypassed and losing subscriptions. Some sites even block messages containing the tell-tale "@". I hope those I choose to contact in this way understand how to interpret "at yahoo dot co dot uk"

In fairness, when GR was started they probably didn't realise they'd have members with such huge trees - witness the print facility, which can't work except for very small trees. I've seen people on there with rellies in 5 figures! I suppose these are the fabled name collectors, certainly some of them include people who are not related to them at all, just across marriages. C'mon, guys, I could put the Queen of England in my tree if I went across enough marriages, but I doubt if I'd get permission.....

On the other points, I find that GR hot matches are better than they used to be in that they no longer give you people with very common names - I got very fed up with matches to William Davies or Mary Morris who was born the same year miles away - sometimes in Australia. I don't get them too often (about monthly) and if I get fifty, there'll be ten worth replying to and two will reply. I think you can choose how often you get them, CMIIR.

I would like them to give me matches with those names, though, provided more details match. I'm not interested in Thomas Morris born 1823. I'd be very interested in anyone who's got Thomas Morris born circa 1823 in Llangynog!
 
Oh, look, I got a request in! I wish there was a way we could do Hot Matches on Rootschat. (Could everyone scan the following list of 2000 names and see if we've anyone in common?? No, I didn't think so. Computers have their uses.)

Thanks again to everyone, Chris

[Koromo]

Hello Dolly - so if I sent you a message there, would you be able to read it? Could you reply? Can you even tell whether anyone's messaged you or not? Chris

I am not a subscriber to GR, so I cannot initiate a contact - I have to wait until a paid-up member contacts me, and I do receive an email notification that someone has sent a message.  Then I can reply through their messaging system with no problems at all.

I have put up a very basic tree containing my direct lines. A paid subscriber can see my tree, but I cannot see theirs.

Cheers
Koromo

[Springbok]

I was a bit surprised to see that people don't follow up similar names abroad.

 I have had some good contacts from Rellies who's ancestors  emigrated  and whom have been my brick walls.And seen the changes in their circumstance's too.

More likely where the given names are the same, as some branches have myriads of Josephs and Richards. others Georges, Thomas etc.

Time consuming and often dissappointing but great when it comes good

Spring

[kerryb]

But very frustrating when you have name, date of birth and place of birth for a person and want to find more information about them, only to be confronted with a load of hot matches that are not that person because they are on the wrong continent.

Kerry

[chris_49]

I am not a subscriber to GR, so I cannot initiate a contact - I have to wait until a paid-up member contacts me, and I do receive an email notification that someone has sent a message.  Then I can reply through their messaging system with no problems at all.

I have put up a very basic tree containing my direct lines. A paid subscriber can see my tree, but I cannot see theirs.

Cheers
Koromo

Thanks Koromo. So, I'm messaging people who don't get an email from GR to tell them about it, so they probably never or hardly ever go on the site.

I'm surprised because I'm registered at Friends Reunited (same company) and for years they've been emailing me about people joining who were in my school and year. If someone I'd lost contact with and wanted to meet again ever registered, I'd have paid up, but so far no one has (only people I  barely knew or don't recognise - it was a big school) - not their fault of course. They seem to have given up now.

So, it seems giving my email out is a good idea only for those I've had previous contact with. Chris

[janet two]

I am also fed up with Genes.
I always try to reply and more often that not send a lot of information with hardly a thank you. I have done a lot of work over the years and some very rude person pointed out my spelling mistakes and wrong dates after opening up my large tree for them. 
 Also when I have looked at other trees there will only be two of three names there  I dont think I will join again.
janet

[Nutty1966]

Can I join in 

When I first started FH I joined GR as a paid member and had some success, this has dwindled now, and after a very, very distant contact put all my details on to his tree,without my permission, including my mum and boys, I wasn't happy so I have now removed my tree and ticked the box, so my subs cannot be taken out automatically from my bank.  I feel the change in GR is not for the best, Rootschat is!!

Everyone has different stories and I wish them luck and wish I had half of it 


Jane

[Jillie42]

I never send my tree just a few basic details just to see if we actually DO have a match. I had a very rude lady the other day. We weren't a match but I had done some work on her relation when I was looking for mine. I even gave her the certificate number, month and year for her relatives birth since she didn't know. Never even got a thankyou