IMPORTANT MESSAGE BOARDS IMPROVEMENTS
You have probably heard about the new message board changes coming about in
the next days and weeks.
Ancestry.com and
RootsWeb.com will be releasing a
new integrated message board system that is a combination of two powerful
message board systems (i.e., GenConnect and
FamilyHistory.com). Users will
be able to take advantage of a much larger community in which to share
experience, tips, and genealogical information. Users will be able to access
these new message boards on either
RootsWeb.com or
Ancestry.com, and
message board access will remain free on both sites.
We expect the new system to be more stable and have more features.
Improvements include the following:
--- The new message boards database will be by far the largest collection of
such messages on the Internet. In fact, the FamilyHistory and RootsWeb
messages are extremely complimentary. The majority of the messages on
FamilyHistory are surname-based, while RootsWeb's strength is in the
locality and topic areas. Not only will the new combination enjoy a larger
set of data, but users will have access to a much larger audience.
--- The new message boards can now handle attachments to e-mail messages in
the form of uploaded pictures (scanned documents, family photos, etc.) and
GEDCOM files.
--- Users will be able to view the e-mail address of message authors and be
able to respond to them easily and privately. However, the message boards
cannot be "crawled" by unscrupulous third parties to gather e-mail addresses
for spam mailings.
--- Search functionality will be improved compared to either the RootsWeb or
FamilyHistory systems. Search hits will be ranked by relevance and wildcard
searches are available.
--- The hardware infrastructure supporting the new message boards is faster,
can handle larger traffic loads, and is more stable. The new system is also
less expensive over time and easier to maintain.
The boards, however, will definitely be a change. One specific concern we
have is with existing hyperlinks to the old GenConnect system. We believe we
will be able to redirect most of the traffic to the proper destinations in
the new system, however there may be some adjustment required by USGenWeb
SCs and CCs. USGW CCs will still be able to use the new message board system
for their query requirements for XXGenWeb's. Actually, we hope that we have
preserved the important features
and conveniences from GenConnect as well as added a few new bells and
whistles. It is important to us that these new boards continue to serve the
needs of the USGenWeb users.
We will be working hard to help you learn about the features of the new
system so that they can continue to function as important research tools.
Please help us by being communicative yet patient as we launch the new
system. For now you can direct questions/suggestions to vicki(a)rootsweb.com