Genealogy Chat

We truly believe that the help and advice given by our members is one of the key benefits of Genes, and we hope that by allowing people to use these features for free for a limited time only, we will encourage them to return to the site and use them again.

We welcome your feedback around this idea.

Well if you can give a small amount of free time to non paying members, how about if we have been a member for 5 years we get a years free membership.

As this would help you keep members who have been on the site for this length of time who has got all the information that they really need and also contracted all those interesting in your rellies.

I have found since my fifth year I have had hardly any new contacts.

GR can't be held to account for your not having new contacts..........

Why not they say they have X number of members but do they.

As I know they don't upgrade tnumber of members each year.

And I have sent many letters to people who have not replied as I expect they have left Genes and even died.

But Genes still class them as members.

So Genes are saying one thing that you can contact though they site, but we cannot because these people are NOT on, so yes I blame Genes.

At what point would you suggest that GR delete dormant accounts? If no one has told them that the member has died, how would they know?

Don't forget that 'members' also include those who only want somewhere to store their tree.

Although not on this site, I've had a message from a contact who said they had been ill for 2 years - similar postings on the boards have happened here. That person would have been furious if their extensive tree had been deleted!

The hot match does depend on not only you adding new names to your tree, but for others to do as well. If memory recalls, it wasn't working for a period during the last year.

Your suggestion of a years membership (in my mind that's too long as an incentive) would only work if they had positive feed back/acceptance. However, see the 3rd para above.

Have you sent your suggestion directly to GR rather than posting on the boards where it may/probably will be missed?

A case in point

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/ancestors/thread/756403

The opening post was made in 2006.
The person they were looking for has posted today
“Sorry not been on this for years”.

The account they were using to reply was opened in 2007. We've no way of knowing (without asking and hoping they remember) if they deleted the original 2006 (or earlier) account or if it's sitting unloved.

If you read what I actually wrote.......................

Well if you read the post which Genes team put on in the first plav=ce they asked for comments, and I have put on here my comments.

As when they put comments on they block the thread so no comments can be made.

So me by putting my comments on the boards everyone can have their say and Genes themselves can look to see why I have put a thead reguarding they first post.

I though Genes regulated this site.

It seems not to me. All wee seem to get is other members replying to these post and if I sent it direct to Genes NO ONE else sees it and it is sweeped under the caroet by Genes.

If they ask for comments they should expect getting them.

Find the post you've quoted from, and click on the Gene name.

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/announcements/thread/1329227

You can repeat your opening post as well as giving them this thread address so that they can see other's points of view.

You could also add to Natasha's thread which is more likely to be read by her.
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/genealogy_chat/thread/1323023

Although Genes do regulate the site and say that they read the boards, they do have other tasks and won't necessarily be able to read/reply to every board post directed to them.

GR cannot be blamed for any of the following

1: Not all members of your 'family' are researcing their family tree

2: Members Dying and their tree remaining on here

3: Free Members starting a tree and never returning to it.

4: Paying members who keep a tree on here and do not wish to contact other people.

When I did have a tree on here (removed about 1 year ago) I found that after about 18 months I got not new useful leads. Even with all the trees they have you will eventually run out of 'new' connections. Which is only logical.

When I first joined I made 3 really good contacts, in fact one was thrilled as I was part of the branch he had never been able to get to the bottom of. And the other 2 were from another side of my family. All 3 proved to be invaluable and their hardwork, along with my tenacity for hating loose ends has made our 3 trees all the better. And I am one of those who buys certificates etc.,

Roger,
"I have found since my fifth year I have had hardly any new contacts."

Are you referring to the Hot Match process? Which is flawed.
Or do you mean that few messages arrive at your inbox?
Or something else?

Can there not be a feature that when you go to message someone it tells you roughly when they were last on Genes Reunited? For Example "David Smith was last on Genes Reunited 3 hours ago" or "David Jones was last on Genes Reunited 4 months ago" etc.

BM

You mean like ancestry where I just looked at someones profile and it said last logged in 7 months ago....that's odd because they sent me a message last night

Yes, it is possible to see when a member was last active. The GR database already holds the information which can be seen for those members you have been in contact with under 'My updates'

So it is only a simply step to show the date and time of the last update for each and every member, for example, when you click on their name in a match / search or attempt to send them a message.

That is not to say you should see all their activity, as you have not as yet made contact, just the date of the last time they updated something is all that is needed.

PS the Ancestry last logged in date is flawed and not to be relied on.

Yes, the Ancestry last logged in date is flawed.
I have just looked at 2 public tree members. Clicking their name brings up that LLI date. Then clicking the View Profile shows “member since”, “last log in” and “profile updated”.

In that order, the two member’s records showed:-

8 months ago – 09Apr2012, 2 days ago, 8 months ago
7 months ago – 27Mar2010, yesterday, 7 months ago

So it looks as if the program is pointing at the wrong element?

Checking my own profile – 01Feb2003 (yes), today (yes!), 7 months ago. That last element is probably correct. I certainly do not update my profile on a regular basis.

I have not updated my profile on ancestry for the last 8 years, at a wild guess :-)

The Ancestry "Last logged in" I think is only valid if the member logs out after every visit, when of course they have to log in again next time. I think a lot of people - like me - don't log in or out but use a shortcut on their desk top. Same applies to Genes.

Yes, Elizabeth. I do the same.

Ozi

I do not log out either but it says "Last signed in Today" and "Profile updated 7 months ago" which I cant remember doing