I think it's all part of a larger problem. 99% of what is posted to places
like Ancestry is not sourced at all or incorrectly sourced. It's more about
"collecting names" than genealogy. If you can connect to a famous person
so much the better. OneWorldTree, WFT, etc. are all full of huge trees
that people have patched together from other people's trees without a bit
of original research. The great majority of what's out there lists no
sources at all. They consider themselves stumped if they don't find what
they want by searching Ancestry and
familysearch.org. I do think that
"stolen" work is mostly from ignorance- not malice.
I have to admit that, when I first started in genealogy, I downloaded
several "garbage" gedcoms from the Internet and merged them into my tree. .
It's taken me years to clean up and I'm still finding stuff that makes no
sense.
On the other hand, I think it would be wrong to not make our work available
for those who do appreciate it. The pleasure I've gotten from talking with
the "cousins" I've met online far outweighs the frustration from dealing
with the ignorant. The one time that you can provide that missing piece for
someone makes it all worth while.
Best Regards,
Bob
On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:16:11 -0700, you wrote:
I believe that has happened to all of us, whether we are just starting
research or have been doing it for many years. It is discouraging but part
of genealogy is about sharing. Too bad that people today do not accept their
own role in responsibility. They KNOW that they did not do that work, when
they present it as their own. They have to live with themselves. Too bad our
values today have slipped.
Bette
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