General Chat

Although some people are experiencing problems with the new tree most problems highlighted are simply because it's functions need accessing whist the tree is displayed in a different panel/mode eg, Immediate family, Full, Ancestors, Descendants, Lists

For some reason people just simply are not reading the instruction and then wondering why it doesn't work

all these new instructions are listed under the help section in the FAQ Family Tree - UPDATED


http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/help/faqs

Roy

I am slowly getting very frustrated by Genes. A month ago I told the support that there were problems adding information to the new tree without creating a doppleganger version. names are not duplicates. When you save a change often only the new 'version', which may not properly attach to the tree, has the additional information and the original version does not. Some 'saves' do not create a duplicate but some of them simply do not work at all. For whatever reason(s) many of my additional people have little of the information that I had added. Like others, I had finally gone back to the working version until you got all the bugs sorted but you are still not even admitting to some of them and you currently still have ' new improved' software that is too problematic to use!

After a week or so they told me they had fixed the bug. I went back in and tried to add information and found that they hadn't.

I responded to support - giving dozens of examples; including information about a specific part of the three that took me almost two hours to add four siblings;.- during which time I gained more than a dozen 'duplicates' (sic) and had to re-enter much of the data when stuff either did not stick or 'stuck' on the version which did not attach. They admitted that there was (still) a problem, issued a note removing the old version and then a note apologising if "the creation of duplicates was spoiling our enjoyment" (what planet are they on?)

Another week goes by. A post comes up suggesting that they will add a bug fix 'next week'. (There is nothing on the site saying that it has been added and, for some days I was still getting duplicates).

I emailed to say that at least half of the work I have done on my tree in the last month has been lost. With an average of 30 lines of notes on over 2,500 people (provenance is all!),I was starting to believe that this new software was surely not designed for me!

In an attempt to be helpful I emailed support again telling them that I had had eight attempts to add a line of important information to a specific person in my tree. I told them that each time it created a duplicate (sic) with the new information added but the 'extra person' not attached to the tree. The original (still attached to the tree) did not have the additional information. I deleted the new version each time and, tried again - to see what occurred. The eight time I tried to add the information it did link the new person to the tree. It had, somehow, decided that the duplicate person was my father (rather than a gx4 Uncle) and removed the link to my actual father. That took me some time to sort out! I have now given up adding to the tree. I have more than 50 people to add on a number of branches including weddings, funerals, censuses etc but am scared even to add a place of birth.

I suggested that, there seemed to be more of a problem with the new people created from the weird box that lacks a middle name, actual age, place of birth etc and forces you to return 'to the scene of the crime to try to add'. I have very little problem with adding to older existing people. All the software people I've spoken to reckon that at least some of the multiple coding problems they have are concerned with the interrelation of the code for saving the existing new person using the pop up and that for the later save (though there are obviously more bugs than that!) The program was not seeing something that causes it to save again. I received a reply thanking me for my continued patience on 31 July.

Last week I appended this exchange to support asking what was happening to the duplicates problem and complaining that, now they had removed the numbers of people from the tree it was impossible to tell whether a 'duplicate' had been created. After three days I have finally received a reply from yet another member of support as follows:

"Please could you let me know exactly where this is happening in your tree. I will then be able to investigate this for you. I will need the full names and years of birth of each relation, along with full details of the problem. This will help us to look into it and hopefully correct this for you".

Either support are too busy even to read emails any more or they are not treating this seriously. In the last article I had in WDYTYA magazine I was very supportive of Genes (I also subscribe to Ancestry and Find My Past and my Genealogist sub has just expired). I cannot see myself being so positive this time!

Guess what!? Still no one is prepared to say what is happening with all these bugs. Having asked again about the position on duplicates, all support say in their latest response is:

"Thank you for taking the time to write to us, I’m really sorry to hear you’re not happy with the recent changes we’ve made to the tree. I reaslise not being able to see how many names you have in your tree is extremely frustrating. We incorporate feedback from our members and I’ll certainly pass your comments onto our management team."

Fobbed off or what?

This used to be a really good, simple, tree - which is why I use it. If you now cannot TRUST it what do YOU think is the way forward....... (????)

Hi Raymond
Just to say that if you click "view other trees" you will find how many names you have in your tree.I am surprised that Genes did not know this.
EG
Thelma Abrahams (2980 relations)

Raymond

Do you realise that GR only has a staff of about 12 ..................... that seems to include developers, programmers, support staff AND "office" staff.


No wonder that they are seemingly too busy to read emails AND far too busy to read all the posts on the topic of the new changes on the Boards.




sylvia

John


I'm pleased to see that you are getting all these comments


but could you please do one thing?


These are NOT CHAT ROOMS.


So would you please stop referring to them as that.


You are participating on threads on Boards (or Forums, as the new word seems to be) ............


........ and threads from which everything posted may be picked by Google within literally minutes.


Hence one does not, if one is wise, post anything on the threads that could identify you, anyone else in your family, OR any other member of the Community.

DET gave you the terminology of these Boards.



Most of us would never participate in Chat Rooms .................

............ and most of the Boards on here are very closely concerned with genealogical matters.

The Board General Chat is for precisely that .................. chat about anything.



We also tend not to boast about our achievements .............. either on our own trees or when helping others.



Like Tabitha, I found your comment ..................

"I think the silent majority are fairly unsophisticated in use of computers, and appreciated the simplicity of this site"


patronising.


As someone who has been using computers since the mid 1960s, and PC's since the 1990s, I most certainly do not consider myself "fairly unsophisticated"

................... and consider what you said was a put down on people who you do not know.



So far as I am concerned, the value of GR has NEVER been about the tree

................. it is the help and advice freely given on the Boards by members to other members.




sylvia

Looks as though John has disappeared Sylvs...... :-(

he must be working :-)

Just got home from work. Think I have said my piece here over weekend and have achieved what I wanted to do - which was to develop a snowpake "lots of lovely comments about the new format" into an accurate reflection of what the paying customers actually think about the changes.

I have enjoyed chatting for the first time in the chat - sorry, thread - rooms. I have enjoyed upsetting one or two of you but hope your shock/horror is not permanent and you may find it in your heart to forgive me.

I am thrilled that someone RR'd me. I really enjoyed that. Gave me my 15 minutes of fame:-) Thank you, thank you to whichever kind person referred me.

And I have loved breaking etiquette to boast about my achievements - which was simply a reaction to one or two who are continually moaning about anyone who has a different view to them and suggesting that they know best and have a much more deserved place on this earth and on this site than I do. Self-serving whingers (I feel another RR coming).

But yes, you are nice people (even the moaning whingers - it takes grit in the oyster to create a pearl).

And I look forward to contributing to some of the thread rooms - pin number is 2783.

I would end by saying that I absolutely stand by my assertion that the silent majority are not that computer literate. That seems clear fact if you look at what so many of the people who have posted for the first time recently are saying. Young people and those with many years experience of computers who are computer literate have no idea how many (not always that old) are struggling to even send an email. Many of my relations have never possessed a computer. I still get snail mail from relations under 50, and almost all over 70 do not even possess a computer and always send me family history stuff through the post to my house in the wonderful Rhondda Valley - oops, is that too big a reveal?

Owain Glyndwr's Mate

:-D :-D :-D :-D,

John I love you cyinic humor.



now you can have a <3. ;-) ;-),and glad you will be sticking around and giving that tree layout a bashing.Yes? as I'm sure you wont be beaten by a few different pixcels.......

But you are correct in that many silent users of not just this site but many sites are not PC savvy.

PCs can be very sophiscated bits of magic,,,,if you know the heart of one and what its capable of doing,but most are like many a common basic user.

ttfn~

John~~

You must pop onto Shaun's thread for a chat, now you've ventured onto the forum!

It's headed ' Do you live in Wales ?' by MagicWales on the General Chat Thread

Sandie.

John, I take great offence at your remarks about moaning whingers. It is sexist, racist and downright rude. How dare you!!

Kay, you're a poppet and so clever and cultured. Yes, sexist - but <3 :-D

Sandie, good idea (syniad da, cariad fach). Did have a look at that Welsh thread and it seems to have lost its way rather. Why do these threads about Australia, Wales go on for ever and descend/ascend into "love you Marge" "and you Tom, how are the kittens?" I am wading through over 100 pages sometimes and most of it is fairly banale and nothing to do with reuniting genes (another RR?)

Why can't there be a cut off after, say, a month and then start new threads with the most popular sub-threads ie does Caerphilly cheese make the best rarebit? are you related to Owain Glyndwr, David Lloyd George, Viscount Tonypandy? No, no but wish I was, yes but wish I wasn't and no are my replies in order

Owain Glyndwr's Mate

John this site is'nt all about Genealogy....nor is everyone interested in the trees on here.
This is a Chat board where people Chat about anything and everything...if it does not interest you, do not join in

Jax, I believe that John as a newbie to the boards was merely querying why some threads including long lasting threads had gone off topic

this is the general chat board so as the name suggests any topic subject can be debated or even just having a chat about nothing

Roy

Jax


"Enter the information you already know into your family tree.
Speak to your relatives to see if they can tell you more about your family history.
Search other members' trees and see if anyone else is researching the same family as you.
Use our historical records to find detailed information of ancestors from hundreds of years ago.
If you're stuck, try asking for help on our active community boards."

GR is about reuniting genes surely. The purpose of the site is spelt out above by GR. This is what the GR site says you should be doing. All I am suggesting it is a good idea to follow policy and not go off on too many tangents. Plenty of social networking sites for social chat.

Roy, yes, that was my query. Some threads seem to have started in 1850 with "does anyone know my Uncle Ron in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch?" ( a justifiable question on a genes thread) and now, some years later, has developed into "if you put some salt in your scones, they are much tastier"

I have no interest in reuniting with anyone myself....and I joined two years ago to build a tree and subscribed to the records to do so.....within weeks I had then subscribed to ancestry as I did not like the tree nor the records, but as I still had six months left on my subscription I joined in helping others on the genealogy type boards....not this one as it is for chat.

I have made friends on here and continue to try and help others,whilst still chatting to my friends

As you have seen there are many people who have been using the boards for many years...because they have made friends and have continued to chat online about their everyday life whilst they may still be working on their tree...or they may have finished and just like the company?

John


Many people who use the General Chat Board, and contribute to those long-running threads are ..........

...... shut-ins, or disabled, or all alone in the world.


The threads on here are often their life line to the outside world.

Sad I know to someone who is not in their situation, but still a reality of life for many people.


If you look at the year they joined, you will see that many of them joined in the very early days of GR. They have completed their tree, or are unable to do any more work on it, or cannot afford the expense. BUT they had found a community of friends on here that gives them contact with the outside world.


Everything is not cut and dried, like you seem to think!


The General Chat thread is just that, for general chatting .......... as the side bar says .............

-------
General Chat
This is the place to come and chat and make friends with other Genes members

--------


It might also be educative for you to realise that the General Chat Board was, in fact, the very first Board to be set up by GR itself! And that was in late 2002 or early 2003.

All the Boards were in existence, under slightly different names from the present ones, by the time I joined in April 2004.


The original name was Chat Board. It was changed to General Chat in 2007, and the Genealogy Chat Board was set up at that time ............... an obvious indication that GR had no objection.



If you do not like that idea ........... please keep away from General Chat, and the long-running threads that are on there (and the couple or so that are on other Boards). They all serve a purpose.

Keep yourself on the Genealogy Boards ................ Find Ancestors, Genealogy Chat, and Find Living Relatives.


Do NOT destroy other peoples' enjoyment of the site ................ or be patronising about their activities.

That's a bad habit of yours! :-D



In other words ....... the advice is ............... keep quiet until you know what is really happening.



sylvia

Sorry, Jax, struggling to understand what you mean. Probably too late for me and need beauty sleep desperately.

I thought the idea was to have a tree then see if any on your tree matched with any on mine. If so, then the information on my tree and your tree might push our research forward or backward.

And, yes, it is nice to make friends and help others. But what will happen to all those friends when your six months left expires. How will they all keep friends with you then?

Don't you think this particular thread has typically strayed from "what do you think about the site improvements?" You are now telling me about the value of chatting to your friends on the site. I don't doubt that, but it is sometimes difficult to slide into a chat about Wales or Australia. I notice the Australia one is 2500 pages now - how on earth can I contribute to that without somebody saying we already had a discussion about that on Page 1150. Do these threads not become a bit cliquy? ( ask that as a genuine question, not knowing the answer) And a bit removed from reuniting genes - hence "Genes Reunited" surely.

I think that John rather likes the sound of his own voice, so to speak, but let him be - he's quite entertaining in some ways ;-) :-D

Sylvia

I simply quoted what appears to be the purpose of the site. It was all that I could find quoted on the site, though I subsequently realised that there must have been some encouragement of general chat as opposed to genealogical chat. You have kindly confirmed this.

It is always good to remind ourselves of why we are here and what the purpose of membership is. And I do enjoy your responses. But you do seem rather a cross person to me. And so angry with a newbie who deserves and needs as much love as anyone else.

We probably agree on almost everything - I liked your point about reaching out to people interested in their family history who are in challenging situations. But we don't agree much about this new site makeover :-) And whether my genealogical knowledge and computer skills are better or worse than yours. Over to Harry Hill, methinks.