Is Family History starting to sour?

[kerryb]

Since the birth of the internet we have all become too impatient and I think that is symptomatic of much of modern life these days sadly. 

It is a different type of thrill going to local archives and one which I enjoy immensely, not only for the brickwalls that get smashed but also for the simple pleasure of meeting other like minded people who don't unlike most of my family give THAT look when I start talking family history.

For me family history is definitely still fun!

Kerry

[Gadget]

I have noticed a change in the requests from sometime last Autumn - not sure exactly what it is but there is a difference.

I don't mind helping anyone with their queries if I have the resources, especially if it's a puzzle. I don't really like doing the boring, straightforward look ups    However, I do get a bit narked by  those who aren't pensioners or obviously not short of cash asking again and  again for information which is easily available for free or for very little.

The exciting thing for me is the finding out about my ancestors for myself - I'd hate to be handed it on a plate. That is no more than name collecting in a different form.

Gadget

[sparrett]

Hi All,
I have noticed something on the Australian board where I spend most of my RC time. Perhaps it is on other boards too.

There are an ever-increasing number of requests relating to the 20th century.

Often they are from people who were adopted or have in other ways lost touch with living relatives.

The moderators are kept busy editing these posts with cautions about discussion of the living.

I think the enormous expansion of G**gle search engine and its use as a tool to answer all our questions, has  alerted a wider public to RC and its members' resources for finding people.

I am not sure that I am really happy about this direction, but then, I am not inthe position of desperately seeking living kin and I can sympathise with those posters who are.

Often I do note, these folk are one-off posters, requesting any information, then not posting again.
Do others have thoughts on this phenomenon?

Sue 
 

[Springbok]

Yes Gadget,

I am of the "ancient " brigade for whom it is impossible to take the hands on Route and when it comes to helping, I tend to Google and find links for them to do their own hunting.

When it comes to my own ancestors then ,yes I am grateful for those local historians who find tit-bits in their Church records, local libraries etc, which they pass on to me. The delight of knowing that a sampler sewn by a direct ancestress had been presented to a  new school; building, built to replace the one she had attended as a child.sometime in the early 1800s.
How on earth could I have found out that ,a few years ago? without spending weeks in the area?


My sphere of annoyances? every word in lower case,: appalling spelling.
Please  use the Spell checker. and the Very Worst Crime = Not thanking the Chatters who have spent time to help.
Spring

[nickgc]

Ahh!  Three cynics in a row...

Please allow another cynic to respond.

I was involved with computers professionally for many years.  Since the advent of personal computers in the early 1980s, there has always been a quest for the holy grail, known as the "killer app".

I believe genealogy has quietly taken on this role.

It is probably redundant to use the word "dilettante" with any hobby, but I do think one doesn't have to search far to find many of them in the family history game (most RCers excepted).

I agree with Gadget's

I have noticed a change in the requests from sometime last Autumn - not sure exactly what it is but there is a difference.

and I agree with Sue that it is because people are finding RC with search engines.

The exceptionally lame type of question is becoming more and more common, e.g. "My great grandfather Smith was born in London.  Would like to contact relatives."   No dates, no first name, no anything of use.

OK, I'll end my rant except to say that even more than "appalling spelling" I am turned off by horrid grammar and the inability to compose a readable sentence, much less coherent paragraphs.   If one doesn't have the capability to communicate with some degree of effectiveness, what makes them think they will be able to do valid historical research?

Nick (waiting to get reamed for elitism)

[Jean McGurn]

There are an ever-increasing number of requests relating to the 20th century.

Often they are from people who were adopted or have in other ways lost touch with living relatives.

I think the main reason for these type of posts are due to people not really looking through the site before joining and posting.

I always use this method before joinig any type of forum. Then when I do decide to join I will normally wait and use search engines of said site in case there is any posts that my be a connection.

The exceptionally lame type of question is becoming more and more common, e.g. "My great grandfather Smith was born in London.  Would like to contact relatives."   No dates, no first name, no anything of use.

Looking before joining would show that the above type of post is no good to man nor beast - as the saying goes.

As for grammar and spelling, I think a lot is down to how people are taught in schools these days. However I also think it is also down to laziness in some cases. Not using capital letters because they do not press the shift key when required. This may be because when you text messages it is only after a full stop that the next letter is a capital.

I find a lot of this problem at work when the lads input goods we have received. Some of them consistaly use lower case letters all the time even for the stock codes (Letters and numbers) when it looks far neater using upper case when required.

When I say anything about it all I get it "does it matter?" The general attitude is that so long as you can read it and the info is correct it doesn't matter.

Jean

[Nick29]

Nick (waiting to get reamed for elitism)

Not reaming, Nick - I'm just dismayed !

Whilst I have a lot of respect for people who have been doing their research for decades using the "hands-on" approach, people like myself could never do this, for several reasons.  The first was that we just didn't know how - until the advent of the internet, and TV programmes like "Who Do You Think You Are", most people just didn't have a clue where to start.  And the second reason is time & mobility - I have to do the bulk of my research on line, because I do not have the time to travel around the country to visit Family Research Centres and Libraries.  Some people (not me, fortunately) are virtually housebound, so they have to be an armchair genealogist.  I live in a remote part of the country, so travel to the big conurbations like London are difficult and expensive for me.  So the search for the "Holy Grail" is a search for an on line source which is most effective for us.

I don't know if you've stopped to think about this, but if you removed all the part-timers, dabblers and beginners from this forum, the small membership numbers probably couldn't sustain its existence.

[little meg]

Feel sorry for us in other countries researching in Uk, we had to send air mail letters to various companies or history groups, taking a couple of weeks to get there then a few more weeks to get back to us - if they did 

Margaret

[MarieC]

That's right, Margaret!

And still, we cannot just pop down to the records offices or the National Archives or whatever. A lot of stuff can only be found by visiting those places.  That is where total frustration is sometimes alleviated by the kindness of those who live close to those places...! 

MarieC