Cloud storage of family history, too hard for the target audience?

[Mike in Cumbria]

A little philosophising. I'm sure someone will correct me if they think I'm wrong.

The "family history" of sites like this is "family tree history" which I guess must by now be a multi-billion dollar industry. As a hobby it is not unlike in some ways coin and stamp collection. Collectors look at reference books to see what items they don't have, but would like to, and set about acquiring them. You look at all those blanks in your family tree and work to fill in the gaps. It is almost an end in itself. You get satisfaction compiling your family tree and if someone takes an interest that is great, but your hobby doesn't depend on it. What you produce is a reference document full of facts, like a dictionary.

You're making a lot of assumptions there. If you have a look through the threads on this site, you may revise your ideas. Everyone here has their own individual attitude to family history, with different motivations, interests and satisfactions.

[[Ray]]

So PaulMcEvoy,     

You don't find people agreeing with you when you join a new ( for you ) assistance resource ( Rootschat )?     
You turn up with a loose/half-formed specification?     

So, we are all wrong?     
Some of us actually do utilise a mixture of ancient and modern and talk to each other about what we can do/use from what is available.       
"Some" of us are (current/ex-)professional genealogists with/without qualifications.     
"Some" of us are (current/ex-)professional IT with/without qualifications.     
"Some" of us are hobbyists.       

     
You started off criticising, you continued with a promotion of your incomplete idea(s).     


You have used terms such as "average"/"assume"/"philosophying"/"sure
"/"I just need to learn from others' experience to find a solution"

To learn you should stop and listen.     
Drop the arrogance and use the term "to help find a solution" . 


You attempt to belittle.     
 You would not have even started if someone (your sister?) hadn't filled in the gaps for you.     

This site is mostly about assistance/help within the broad definition of  "Genealogy".You have only to read the number of people who have visitted. Many have stayed to help.     

     
. . . . . ( to be continued )?

Not by me. 
 

[Marmalady]

From Marmalady: ... just one reason why some of your family members are not interested in your Cloud-based idea.

The difficulty I have is that everyone assumes my family history is the same as yours. That I
am expecting them to read a reference document which they have no need of. That is what I have learned from this thread. I have made up my mind to really sell my history, to distinguish it from the family tree version. I have been shy in offering technical support (so as not to offend all the LizzieW's of my family) but now I've decided to provide a help file.



You have totally missed my point. It doesn't matter whether you are presenting "family history" or "family tree history" (tho I dispute the difference you make between the two) -- if the people you are wanting to share it with have difficulty reading a computer screen (as my Mother now does) -- then internet based information is of no use to them whatsoever -- but a hard copy version might interest them.

And as for providing hard copy information to cousins etc -- yes  I have done that. I am happy to share the information that I have found with anyone who asks, in any format I can provide that they can easily read.
There is no reason why you cannot mix and match -- provide hard copy for those who prefer that and Cloud based for those that can access it and for future generations

[Craclyn]

I am still struggling to see what you are hoping to achieve here PaulMcEvoy. You seem to be determined to attack everyone who offers you advice.
Why do you want to force everyone in your family to use one mode of communication? People have different skills, interests and needs. If you want to reach out to your family and get them interested or educate them in some way about the errors in published articles then the only way you are likely to succeed is to adapt your method of communication to meet the requirements of those you want to reach. There is no one size fits all and if there was it is highly unlikely that cloud storage would be the solution.

[barryd]

Could someone with a 10 year old daughter or son (notice the alphabetic order) have one of them explain what a cloud is. I thought it was one of those things the biplanes avoided when flying over the countryside.

[Paul McEvoy]

I'm sorry if people think that I have attacked them or tried to force my ideas onto them.

I was looking for advice on using online family records when what I found was people defending the traditional hard-copy approach. The problems I am having with my digital project were never going to force me to abandon that approach because I know this is increasingly becoming a digital world.

I do accept though that I landed on a genealogy site with members doing things in a certain way and I can see they were always going to defend that way. Perhaps I should have recognised that much earlier.

Signing off

[Finley 1]

oops too old to comment


xin

[Marmalady]

Paul -- I'm sorry you don't think Rootschatters have been helpful to you -- but you did seem to arrive with a fixed idea of what you wanted to do and seem reluctant to change that idea on the advice from others.

The fact is, most Rootschatters are what you call "Family Tree Historians" and so keep their information in Family Tree programmes in a format that can be shared amongst the various commercially produced family tree programmes. Many of us also do what you call "Family History" files on selected ancestors -- sometimes just saved as "notes" in the programme we use and sometimes in separate documents.

There is no right or wrong way of doing Family History / Genealogy. We are telling you our experience of collecting / sharing data. If you come up with another way that works for you -- great! -- but it may not work for others.

As well as the constraints of the various programmes, documents, archives, file storing systems etc you do have to consider the needs of the people you wish to share them with. Even the easiest and most simple Cloud storage venue is of no use to someone who does not or cannot use a computer.  For these people, you will have to consider hard copy if you / they want to share the info.

Good luck in completing your project to your satisfaction.

[Guy Etchells]

I have just started to use cloud storage for family history hoping that this would make it accessible to as many interested family members as possible. It also offers the possibility of other family members adding their own files to the collection. It seemed like a good idea at the time but I am beginning to have second thoughts.

I have sent out links to the cloud storage by email but the feedback I am getting is that the whole operation is too technically challenging for my target audience. Of course that audience is at the older end of the age spectrum and generally not so tech savvy. I suspect family members are intimidated by the technology but don't want to admit this. Rather than asking for help they don't persevere and I receive no feedback at all.

To start with, clicking on the email hyperlinks seems to work depending on the email server being used by the reader. The alternative to clicking is to copy and paste the link into a browser address bar but I suspect that is a challenge for older family members. Nothing happens when they click on the link so they then give up. If they use a mobile to read the email that produces its own set of problems.

If they get the link to work they are then faced with a main history file and a supporting folder. Within the file there are text, photos, links to URLs and links to supporting files. There is even a link which opens Google Earth to show an abandoned family farm and homestead ruin from 80 years ago along with supporting historic photos. The technology offers such exciting opportunities but it is of little value if it is seen as too hard to access.

I expected this matter to have been raised before but I was unable to find it addressed anywhere on the internet. I wonder if that is because most compilers of family history regard access as secondary to recording and maintaining records.

It is very difficult to make an informed comment on your website (cloud storage) as you did not supply a link but rather wrote about the problems people have accessing it.
Some of us have been using websites for many years (e.g. my first family history site was online in 1998) and we use the cloud as a useful addition that does not replace paper records or even digital records stored on our own back-ups.
Cloud storage has its own unique problems such as Rootsweb (a cloud supplier) removed all their websites for between 3 months and a year due to server problems. But that problem was overcome by many by having the data on our own computers and in our own back-up files.

It might sound surprising to you but many of the digital professionals I talk to prefer books for long term storage than digital and many print online records to read rather than read them online.

You mention about email links obviously I have not seen yours but often the problem with email links is they are too long and break when flowing into a second line on the viewers screen.

You may think the replies have been discouraging but perhaps if we could see what you are referring to there would be a more positive response.
Cheers
Guy