Author Topic: SIT few new users?  (Read 13081 times)

Offline behindthefrogs

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SIT few new users?
« on: Saturday 22 January 11 12:28 GMT (UK) »
Why are fewer new users posting their surnames?

The statistics for the last year seem to indicate that proportionally fewer users are adding their surnames to the SIT.   Is there some reason why new users don't add their details?

The number of surnames always used to be greater than the number of rootschat members.
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Ruskie

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Re: SIT few new users?
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 22 January 11 12:43 GMT (UK) »
Just guessing .... 

perhaps they don't know the SIT is there?

many join rootschat simply to make contact with someone who has a common ancestor. They may not be serious family history researchers or maybe they don't intend to be regular users of rootschat so don't bother adding their surnames to the SIT?

I've never made a contact via the SIT.

I do think it has the potential to be very useful, and now that it has been altered slightly it is much easier to use.

I still think there should be more questions to fill in so that you can immediately see if you have a common ancestor. As it is, I've contacted and been contacted by a few people and we have to go through all the rigmarole of looking for a connection, whereas if the SIT was structured differently - eg in a grid pattern with fields that are compulsory to fill in giving dates, names, places and maybe even census refs - then it would immediately be obvious if there was a connection.

It is also partly the fault of people who do not fill in all the SIT blanks available to them - there are some who, for example are looking for the surname Smith in London or something equally as vague ...  ;)

There also seem to be a lot of people with names on the SIT who haven't been on rootschat for many years - so likely that contact details have changed in that time.

However I do pop in occasionally to see if there is anyone new who is researching the same names as me.  ;D


Offline Berlin-Bob

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Re: SIT few new users?
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 22 January 11 14:05 GMT (UK) »
Quote
whereas if the SIT was structured differently - eg in a grid pattern with fields that are compulsory to fill in giving dates, names, places and maybe even census refs -

I'm quite happy to expand the SIT if that makes it more useful.  However, we need to keep in mind that this is a table of SURNAME interests.

Some of the fields Ruskie is suggesting would tend to make it more of a table of "particular persons or families" rather than just signifying an interest in a particular surname. There are enough fields there already to show an area and a time span.

Bob
Any UK Census Data included in this post is Crown Copyright (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk)

Offline Ruskie

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Re: SIT few new users?
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 23 January 11 01:50 GMT (UK) »
Yes, point taken Bob.  :)

The SIT is a lot easier to use since all the surname contacts are listed on different lines. It was very difficult to follow before.  ;)

I know this site is a lot more elaborate, but something along these lines (or at least set out a bit like this) might be nice?
http://www.sctbdm.com/search.php
(enter any 'scottish type' surname to see the layout)

But in the end, as I said, it's largely up to everyone to enter their full details. If they don't they miss out on any potential contacts.

As an experiment I looked at people who'd added the surname SMITH to the SIT. I saw some which just had the surname with NO places or other details entered! :-\

There's really no point in even adding your name to the millions researching Smith with no additional information.

Maybe even something as simple as making some of these fields compulsory to fill in? Or telling people that the more info the enter, the more beneficial it is? Also maybe even being able to use more than 40 characters in the 'Comments' box? I realise there is probably a perfectly good technical reason for the 40 character limit.  ;)

I hope you don't take this as a criticism Bob, because it's not meant that way - more just a couple of ideas if you or anyone else feels that a change is required. If not, no matter.  ;D