Dear folks,
I have been a part of the USGenWeb Project for the past 12 years.
During that time, I have housed my pages on RootsWeb servers and I
have been grateful for their original RootsWeb sponsorship. In the
beginning, I contributed a substantial amount to Brian Leverich and
the Mt. Pinos servers to support their expenses. I was excited to
have the the opportunity to further the genealogical knowledge I
chose to post on-line--and for free. In the intervening years, I
watched with amazement at how my seeds, and those of others, had
grown. In the intervening years, many others who shared my dream of
free genealogical information came on board. We all waited with bated
breath to see how long this free sponsorship would last. When things
seem too good to be true, most folks realize that there must
eventually be a price to pay.
Brian Leverich's original concept of RootsWeb was a god-sent to
genealogists who chose to affiliate under the banner of the USGenWeb
Project. For many years, the USGenWeb Project prospered under this
free sponsorship for the benefit of the genealogical public.
Eventually, those who chose to affiliate with RootsWeb servers became
an overwhelming burden, one that required resources that one
individual could not possibly continue to maintain without
sponsorship. At this critical juncture,
Ancestry.com came on board to
rescue our Project. Without asking for financial support, they
supported our goal to supply a free genealogical web presence for
those who had come to rely on the USGenWeb Project and their
affiliates for the assistance they had come to rely on.
Ancestry.com had come to realize that RootsWeb had become a very
important part of their partnership. Eventually, they made a
corporate decision to make an affiliation that reflected their
commitment toward becoming THE primary genealogical Internet
presence. None of can fault them for pursuing their profit motive.
And now, the USGenWeb Project and the state, county, city and town
affiliates have been faced with the decision to remain with RootsWeb
(and the sponsorship of Ancestry) or a desire to seek independence.
This has been a difficult decision for many member entities.
Ancestry.com has chosen to prefix a banner to the pages they host.
While this may not seem to be an onerous burden for free hosting,
many members have chosen to seek alternate web hosting.
In this age of profit and competition, it is difficult for us to
fault Ancestry/TGN for their decision to enhance their bottom line.
At the same time, members of the USGenWeb Project seek to continue to
provide free genealogical information for those who seek it,
without any perceived interference.
While many members have chosen to move their USGenWeb Project pages
to other servers, this should not be a reflection on the recent
decisions by
Ancestry.com. Their assistance, when we needed them,
should certainly not go unappreciated.
While many of us believe that Ancestry.com's decision to banner our
pages was the ultimate decision that brought about a break between
USGenWeb members and their sponsors, it goes deeper than that. It is
indeed unfortunate that the powers that be at TGN, including David
Graham, failed to recognize the independent nature of those who have
chosen to affiliate with the USGenWeb Project. To Mr. Graham, I say,
I'm sorry that you failed to recognize our streak of independence.
While we appreciate what you have done for us, your decision to
banner our pages was done without any advance notice. You have, in
effect, slaughtered the goose who laid the golden egg. Likely, this
was a miscalculation on your part but sadly, it is a decision that,
unfortunately, will terminate the wonderful association that the
USGenWeb enjoyed with TGN.
My two cents worth,
Derick S. Hartshorn
former NC State Coordinator, NCGenWeb Project
current USGenWeb Project-County Coordinator
Catawba/Burke/Lincoln/Gaston/Cleveland, NC
http://www.ncgenweb.us/catawba/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/ncburke/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/clincoln/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/gaston/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/cleveland/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/conover/
http://www.ncgenweb.us/white/