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[Amy K]

Please read the following...

Hi All,

I am sure you have all noticed the amount of Duplicate posts coming to light since all the "housekeeping" has been going on. With posts that belong here being sent over from the general census board these duplications are becoming far more evident on this board. We all know how frustrating it can we to desperately require information that is not forthcoming. But alas these duplicate requests appear to be causing upsets all round. Our volunteers are becoming grumpy when they realize that they have just used their time and resources on a problem that has been answered elsewhere. We also have those posting the queries becoming upset when somebody mentions the duplication. The last thing we want is anger and hurt feelings. All we all want is a smooth running board with queries being answered as quickly and efficiently as possible. Far better for the Poster's and for the Look up Volunteers alike.

As a general rule only one post is required for your query. If you accidentally place it on the wrong board or later decide it will be better served elsewhere all you need to do is ask and I can easily move it for you. If you have a question that has not yet been resolved there is generally a reason for it. Unfortunately reposting the query is not the solution. If since posting you have managed to gain further information that may help you can simply reply to your own post and add the extra information. The other reason a lot of these questions have not been answered is that the information you require is not readily available as yet. By the time these resources become available there can be multiple posts on the boards for the same thing. With all the new resources becoming available in recent times this is certainly adding to the current problem.  A new source becomes available and people start to work on the older posts. Different people pull up different requests and resolve them only to then notice other posts for the same thing may have already been answered by others.

Our volunteers then tend to feel let down to have wasted their time looking for something that has been resolved elsewhere. As a person who does lookups myself I can certainly understand why. A hard to find entry can take many hours to find. If it was an elusive entry we tend to feel a sense of elation to have found it and then what a let down to find that somebody else has done the same thing. The feelings of elation fast become feelings of let down, frustration and annoyance.

From my side there are some things I can do to help alleviate the situation without causing any hurt feelings. If I happen notice a Duplicate post that has not received any replies I can simply delete it. Where some lovely volunteers have endeavored to help but have not resolved it, yet I notice it has since been resolved on another thread, I can mark it accordingly and move it to the completed requests board. I don't notice them all so your help is needed.

If you have any of your own on the board that have since been resolved it would be a big help if you could mark them accordingly. The request where you got the answer may have already be moved to the completed requests board so we may be unaware this has been resolved. There may be some where you requested a few lookups in the one request and though most of it was answered there was one part that was not addressed so you have reposted for that part. If this is the case it would help if you did mark the original request completed so that nobody later brings up that one and redoes it. If you have a problem just PM me and I will gladly do it for you. If as a volunteer you come across one that you know you have already answered elsewhere it would be a big help if you could just PM me with the URL's and I can sort it out from here.

Hopefully with the clean up this sort of thing will be noticed a lot sooner than it has been in the past and can be quickly fixed without anybody getting their hackles up.

Thank You   .....Kris   

The same goes for me too...

[drakes]

Amy,
  Thanks!! I was wondering what to do with additional information I have found, and now, will add it to the earlier post!!

drakes

[Norwich]

How long are messages kept, please,and how do I get into my old topics and replies?
I will be away for a couple of weeks soon so would not like to miss replies (if any).

[Berlin-Bob]

How long are messages kept, please,and how do I get into my old topics and replies?

Forever !!

Completed lookup requests are sometimes moved i.e. not 'deleted' to a board "completed look-up requests", to make on-going and not-completed requests on the request boards easier to find.

Moved posts are still available for you and others to view, but on the 'completed' board, rather than the 'Look-up' board.

If you have switched on your e-mail notification for a topic, then you will always get an e-mail, to notify you that at least one reply has been posted since you last viewed the topic.

With or without e-mail notification, it will also be in the list: Show new replies to your posts. at the top of every RootsChat page.

So don't worry about being away, you won't miss anything 
Bob