Thanks Tracy for your well written comments, to which I agree 100%. I am
one of those "non-vocal" cc's who hesitates to express my opinion on this
list, mabe slighty intimidated by the possible reactions of others.
Thanks again
Judy Groh
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http://www.rootsweb.com/~wivilas/
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Tracy Reinhardt" <fondygenie(a)charter.net>
To: <WIGEN-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: 31 July, 2003 8:19 AM
Subject: [WIGEN-L] my 2 cents worth
I have been sitting, like a fly on the wall, because I did not feel that
I knew enough about the current topic to add anything of value to the
discussion. I also did not think it would escalate to the point that it
has!
But now I feel compelled to speak up.
There are many different types of people in the world, not just with
USGenWeb, but I usually recognize two types, the positive person and the
negative person. The negative person seems to always be 'crying wolf'
about one thing or another, and most of those alarms I feel are without
merit..
The goal I subscribe to, as a genealogist, is to provide as much free
information to other genealogists as possible. Period. When I started
genealogy more than 30 years ago, many many people provided free
assistance for me, and now I am just returning that favor to others.
All 1800 pages of my county site are on Rootsweb. 98% of the material
was researched by me, submitted by me.
But people who want total control over their own 'free' pages, and start
'crying wolf' foolishly, I think are being short-sighted.
The goal is genealogy here, not ego.
To illustrate my point, I want to say that I often encounter
genealogists who refuse to submit their material to the Mormons, or
Family Tree Maker etc etc, because they don't want someone taking their
material, adding it together with other material and selling 'their' work.
Now, they have a right to their opinion, and I RESPECT THEIR OPINIONS.
I do not criticize them for it, but I do express my own opinion, and
that is this - so what if others 'sell' your 'free' stuff. If
someone is foolish enough to purchase material that they could get for
free, that's their problem. Perhaps they had a very good reason for
purchasing the material. Time is one good reason. Convenience is
another. And FTM and Ancestry and others, need to pay for their
computers, etc. and have found a need in the genealogical community that
they are filling.
But, if you DO submit to the Mormons, and Family Tree Maker, and have
the material yourself, then do the math. That means your material can
be found in 3 different places, rather than just your own site. You
have tripled your chances of someone sending you whatever missing link
you have in your genealogy.
Genealogy is the goal here, not ownership of the material. What's best
for genealogy is to have a nationwide program, with states and counties
linked together with the same goal, genealogy. USGenWeb does that.
And since we have encountered some negativity right here, it's probable
that there are negative people in the national program, with negative
agendas, but as yet, I have not heard of any, and I am not going to cry
wolf about something that is an imagined threat.
We are addressing the issue of bylaws, and a change to the bylaws to
reflect the fact that when a county co-ordinator changes, sometimes the
existing material disappears. So, the posted material should stay with
the site. I can't think of any national advisor who would scheme to
word that bylaw, so that it takes all material and gives it to
Ancestry. I can only suppose that if I had to re-write that bylaw, I
would have worded it exactly as it is worded. The material stays with
the site, unless the contributor asks that it be removed. What more
can be said to that????????? Only a negative person would
immediately jump to the conclusion that their material would be taken
from them, because of that bylaw.
Tina, there are many county coordinators who just plug away at their
website. They are not vocal, they are not 'activists' who have to join
in and comment on every single issue. They are genealogists first.
As one of those genealogists, I do NOT cry wolf, do not support this
fear. USGenWeb is great.
And Tina, I support your action.
Genealogy first!
Tracy Reinhardt
Fond du Lac County Co-ordinator
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