In case any of you were not aware of this, the FLGenWeb Project, Inc. owns and operates
www.flgenwebarchives.com as a Digital Library and Archives. Unlike USGenWeb, we will not
archive the html pages you have on your website, but only data submitted for the FLGenWeb
Archives. We created it as an alternative to the USGenWeb Archives for the simple reason
that if we own it and it resides on our server space we can control it. Data submitted to
USGenWeb ARchives ends up on a server whose AUP states that the owner of that
server/Rootsweb/TGN can use/sell that information as they see fit simply because it is on
their server.That is unacceptable to the FLGenWeb Project, Inc. as these documents were
donated for FREE ACCESS, not for a comglomerate to make money off of, money which neither
the submitter/legal owner or FLGenWeb gets a cut of.
The FLGenWeb Archives is a secure space that we can assure donors their data will remain
in a FREE ACCESS environment, will not be harvested or sold by FLGenWeb, nor will we
willingly allow anyone else to reek profits from the data housed there. Haivng our own
archives also make us much more attractive to grant programs as it underscores th
educational value of what we do. We don't just house data we house Florida's
History at the local level.
While there is not a lot there as yet, we have a good start going thru the generosity of
some local newspapers and historians who believe enough in what we do to allow us to use
whatever we find that is historically valuable in their publications as long as it is NOT
ever sold. Our fledgling obituary project would not have gotten started as we could not
make those kinds of guarantees using USGenWeb Archives, beause we have no control over the
data placed there. At FLGenWebArchives we can make guarantees to our donors, guarantees
that we can uphold because we make the rules, not USGenWeb or TGN. If a donor wishes his
data removed, all it takes is a request, at UsGenWeb Archives, I know from experience that
it is near impossible to get something removed once placed there.
Laverne Tornow
Director of Operations
FLGenWeb Project, Inc
www.flgenweb.net
www.flgenwebarchives.com