I'm going to be experimenting for the next several days with different
options when uploading our family tree to RootsWeb's WorldConnect
pages. There are several parameters that come into play about how it
decides who is or isn't living -- and what happens after that
classification.
So don't be surprised if names you've long seen there suddenly
disappear. Or, if names that have been previously suppressed for
privacy reasons suddenly appear (hopefully briefly). After each upload,
I'll need to leave it in place for at least a little while in order to
evaluate who was omitted or included that shouldn't have been. It
shouldn't take many iterations to figure it out, and hopefully I won't
need to "tweak" how I have the data entered in the database, at least
not much.
So, if you see Aloysious Thornwhistle one day and the next time you
check he's gone -- don't be too surprised. Actually, I would be the
one's who's surprised, because there aren't any Thornwhistles currently
in the database.
Computer Security Note 1 - SiteAdvisor.
I also thought I'd start a series of notes on computer security. Some
subscribers, who only read the messages, may not be interested. But
most of us send messages directly to other people, and don't want to be
the source of infection for someone else' computer. I'll keep these
"lessons" at the end of messages, so that readers can easily tune out.
And I decided it was better not to send them as separate messages, so
that folks who don't want them would not be bothered by unwanted
messages and feel they were being "spammed". Some of you may have
better credentials, or deeper knowledge in some area than I do, but I've
worked with computers for 40 plus years and done security work for
Fortune 100 companies, so I do have some information and experience that
may be helpful to some of you.
RootsWeb doesn't allow it's mail lists to be used for commercial
purposes, which primarily refers to not selling anything. But to be
extra respectful of boundaries, when I mention products by name, they
will be free ones.
The most common way these days of having unwanted, and dangerous,
software (e.g. spyware, malware, trojan horses) secretly downloaded to
you computer is when you visit web sites that are unethically operated
(or temporarily "hijacked" by hackers). Also, it's now common to have
fake websites that mimic those of e-bay, Pay Pal, a bank, or other
companies you might to on-line business with. Clicking on a link in an
e-mail often sends you to a fake, "look alike" web site, created by an
identity thief or other would be criminal.
A free product I tried and like addresses that (except for the hacker
hijacking). McAfee has a free product called 'SiteAdvisor' - which
currently works with either Microsoft's Internet Explorer or with
FireFox web browsers. (If you use the web, but don't know what a
browser is, or what one you're using, it's a 99.999% chance that you're
using Internet Explorer.) If you install SiteAdvisor, a database about
"safe" and "dangerous" web sites is downloaded to your computer.
Then,
when you are visiting web sites, in the lower right corner of your IE or
FireFox browser window, a new symbol appears. It's the word
'SiteAdvisor' enclosed in an oval. If the site is considered "safe" the
oval is green. If "dangerous", the oval is red. If unsure, the oval is
grey. Clicking on the oval shows you the details upon which the rating
is based.
You can write McAfee if you disagree with the rating. I did. The first
time I visited a RootsWeb site, the oval was red. Because of the high
volume of e-mail RootsWeb sends out, two folks misunderstood and thought
it must be a spammer. Enough of us wrote in that now the oval is green
for RootsWeb.
SiteAdvisor isn't a cure all. It does nothing to detect or fix malware
already on your computer. For newly created, or rarely used sites, the
oval will be grey because of lack of reports for or against. But it
provides a comfort level I appreciate when visiting an unknown (or
possibly imitation) web site.
And -- which all with Scottish genes may appreciate -- It's Free!