I vote for keeping the site open for any and all who feel they have a Carter
in their ancestry.
So far I have not seen any explanation of how it would help the goals of
this site to kick people off who don't have their trees posted. I've seen
posts from people who were inspired by the site to get their trees going -
for me, that alone is reason enough to allow members without trees. And are
adopted children looking into their ancestry to be excluded?
Also think about the consequences of requiring trees. Some people would be
motivated to post their tree, some people would be motivated to make up a
tree and post it, and others would be motivated to leave the group, even
those with trees. Are you sure it would produce a net gain?
Another approach would be to do a little outreach. Genealogy is a complex
puzzle - usually - at least for me. It has a rather long learning curve. And
when you mix in DNA testing, it gets even more confusing. People wouldn't
pay for a Y-DNA test if they weren't interested in finding out more about
their ancestors. The interest is there, so let's build on that and nurture
committed genealogists!
What might help is more of an emphasis on education rather than exclusion. A
clear, concise explanation would be a good place to start. Even the
explanation below is off base, it doesn't mention that the only common
ancestors Y-DNA testing traces, are common male ancestors. And the common
male ancestor is always/only linked by a continuous father-son chain to both
people who 'matched'. We have just as many common female ancestors, but
Y-DNA simply does not see these at all. All the more reason why Y-DNA is
only one tool in developing a comprehensive family tree.
Well, My apologies, I've way overspent my 2 cents!
Keith Carter - #166645
Vickie and Judy - I don't have lots of time, but I'd be happy to assist with
maintaining the site as much as it allows.
-----Original Message-----
From: carter-dna-bounces(a)rootsweb.com
[mailto:carter-dna-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Carter
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 6:48 PM
To: CARTER DNA
Subject: [CARTER-DNA] DNA
Quoting DNA-101:
"An individual's test results have little meaning on their own. You CANNOT
take these numbers, plug them into some formula and find out who your
ancestors are. The value of the test results depends on how your results
compare to other test results. And even when you match someone else, it will
only indicate that you and the person you match share a common ancestor.
Depending on the number of markers tested and the number of matches it will
indicate with a certain degree of probability how long ago this common
ancestor existed. It will NOT show exactly who this ancestor is." ~End quote
To pay for DNA testing without sharing a basic family tree is not very
smart.
Carter Surname Y-DNA Project
www.carter-cousins.org
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