---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 15:38:01 -0400
From: Linda Lewis <cityslic(a)ix.netcom.com>
Reply-To: ARCHIVES-L(a)rootsweb.com
To: ARCHIVES-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: [ARCHIVES-L] [Fwd: FW: Recent acquisition of
RootsWeb.com, Inc.]
Resent-Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 12:38:47 -0700
Resent-From: ARCHIVES-L(a)rootsweb.com
Forwarded with permission.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FW: Recent acquisition of
RootsWeb.com, Inc.
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 11:11:48 -0700
From: "Charles Merrin" <cmerrin(a)flashcom.net>
Reply-To: <cmerrin(a)flashcom.net>
To: <merope(a)radix.net>
CC: <mleonard(a)myfamilyinc.com>, <tstowell(a)chattanooga.net>
Teresa:
My name is Charles Merrin, and I am the Vice President of Marketing for
RootsWeb. After the merger, I will remain as the General Manager of the
RootsWeb group.
Thank you for your questions. Here are some answers.
Regarding the
USGenWeb.org domain, we have offered to do whatever the
USGenWeb Board wants with it. I have been working with Tim Stowell to
determine the appropriate strategy. Regarding the .com and .net
domains,
they are both in the hands of individuals and thus are not "owned" by
RootsWeb.
After the merger, we will continue to honor all agreements between
RootsWeb
and the USGenWeb organization. Neither RootsWeb nor MyFamily will
charge
for access to the USGenWeb data, nor will we use it in any way other
than
its current use without the express permission of the contributor.
Further,
as I have said publicly, we will continue to offer free, unlimited,
banner-free and link-free server space for all USGenWeb pages. Also, we
will continue to provide unlimited server space for the Archives. And
as
always, in the unfortunate event that anyone decides to leave RootsWeb,
we
will do our best to ensure a smooth transition.
Regarding more formal agreements between MyFamily, RootsWeb, and / or
the
USGenWeb organization, we will do whatever seems most appropriate for
each
situation. At this point, we don't envision the need for any changes.
Teresa, I suspect you won't notice any changes from the perspective of a
USGenWeb project manager, user, or coordinator. The RootsWeb team is
staying intact, and you will continue to work with the same people as
you
have in the past.
Thank you for your questions and concerns.
CSM
Charles S. Merrin
Vice President, Marketing
RootsWeb.com
-----Original Message-----
From: merope
To: mleonard(a)myfamilyinc.com
Sent: 6/22/00 6:02 PM
Subject: Recent acquisition of
RootsWeb.com, Inc.
Dear Mr. Leonard,
I am a member of the USGenWeb Project, and have read with interest of
the
recent acquisition of
RootsWeb.com, Inc, by
MyFamily.com, Inc.
As I am sure you know, the national pages the USGenWeb Project is
hosted by
RootsWeb, as is our Archives Project, most of our state pages, and some
two
thirds of our county pages. Many of us have been with RootsWeb for
years,
and as you can imagine, the prospect of RootsWeb changing ownership has
us a
little anxious.
I have read both your press release on this topic and RootsWeb's
announcement, and I have several questions regarding how this merger
will
affect the USGenWeb Project. I am hoping that you can answer them and
that
you will allow me to forward your answers to my fellow project members.
If
you cannot answer them, would you be so kind as to forward them to a
person
who can, or provide me with contact information?
The first thing we would like to know is the status of our primary
domain,
www.usgenweb.org, which is registered to "RootsWeb Genealogical Data
Cooperative"; this was RootsWeb's name before it incorporated in June
1999.
Will this domain become the property of MyFamily.com? Will either of
the
other two USGenWeb domains (
www.usgenweb.com,
www.usgenweb.net) become
the
property of MyFamily.com?
The USGenWeb Project has a long-standing but very informal agreement
with
RootsWeb regarding the provision of free webspace, mailing lists,
GenConnect
boards, search engines, and other services to all members of USGenWeb.
These services, unlike most other services on RootsWeb, are provided to
us
without banner advertisements or required links [with the exception of
the
search engines, which display banner ads]. Will the USGenWeb Project be
able to continue with this arrangement essentially unchanged? Of
particular
concern to many of us is the potential for advertisement; USGenWeb has
always prided itself on its noncommercial nature and any sort of
solicition
for funds has been a source of concern previously.
Our Archives Project also has a long standing but informal agreement
with
RootsWeb for free storage of all files. This arrangement was a private
agreement between Dr. Brian Leverich and Ms. Linda Lewis, who heads the
Archives. It provides for free storage of and free access to the
archived
transcriptions. Of particular concern to many of us is a clause in
their
agreement that says the Archives will be hosted by RootsWeb and by no
other
server. Will
MyFamily.com recognize that agreement and continue to
provide
unlimited free space for our Archives? as well as free access? Should
the
USGenWeb find the relationship with
MyFamily.com to be unsuitable, will
the
Archives be allowed to move to another server?
Also, in regards to these agreements, will
MyFamily.com be pursuing more
formal arrangements with the various hosted projects on RootsWeb, or
will
RootsWeb basically be left to run itself as it always has? In other
words,
will our interface as USGenWeb Project members be with
MyFamily.com
personnel or with RootsWeb personnel?
Thank you very much for your time in answering these questions. I don't
mean to imply in any way that USGenWeb's relationship with
MyFamily.com
will
be negative, but I'm sure you can understand our surprise at this
announcement and our need to have these issues addressed formally so
that we
can plan for our future. Also, I am not writing to you in any official
capacity, just as a project member. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
* Teresa Lindquist
Anderson, Shawnee, and Johnson counties, KSGenWeb/USGenWeb
merope(a)radix.net