Many people have commented on bad information posted to the list. I'm not aware of how
many listers get the rootsweb digest or even read it. I took this article from todays
posting. It should answer some questions and hopefully help solve the problem.
Jenny Kernan
List Mom
1. News and Notes: By Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG,
Editor-RWR(a)rootsweb.com
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1a. Stamping Out Errors
Daily your editor and the RootsWeb HelpDesk receive comments and
complaints about some "incorrect" genealogical information that has been
discovered online. Unfortunately, you are barking up the wrong tree. We
can't help you. There is no army of editors and professional
genealogists at RootsWeb or on the Internet who check and verify
genealogical data or family trees -- posted by individuals. RootsWeb
hosts thousands and thousands of independently authored webpages, but it
does not edit or verify the information posted therein.
Moreover, there is no way to prevent incorrect genealogical information
-- or information that disagrees with your findings -- from appearing on
the Internet or in traditional sources either, for that matter.
Genealogical errors can be found everywhere -- in Internet databases
such as WorldConnect, in Message Board posts, in Mailing List messages
and archives, in books, in historical society records, and even in
official records. All of us make typographical and transcription errors
and the more often data is keyed and re-keyed the greater the chance of
errors. There is no law prohibiting you or your cousins from submitting
or posting error-ridden data online (or publishing it in a book). A major
complaint received is about the spelling of surnames, but there is no
right or wrong way to spell a surname. See: "Why U Can't Find Your
Ancestors: Misspeld Knames --A Commun Probblem for Researchers,"
http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/lesson8.htm
What you can do though when you find information that you believe to be
incorrect or disagrees with your records is to counteract it by posting
or submitting the information that you have. Wherever someone can submit
incorrect information online, you can add the corrected data. Post your
data and sources or evidence for your conclusions on appropriate
RootsWeb Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and/or submit your family tree
to WorldConnect.
By ensuring that the correct information is also readily available,
others viewing both sets of data can make informed decisions.
Additionally, by including the sources for your data it will assist
other researchers to know where the information came from and which
version of the "facts" are more likely to be accurate.
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