General Chat

Have just recieved an E mail from Genes telling me that I should respond to other members if they contact me.
As it happens, I always do, but often don´t recieve the same courtesy.
perhaps if the Gene´s team were to take a look at themselves, they might realise where the bulk of the problems lie.
Marion

So where does it say you Should Respond. Even though you already do respond, we pay our money and I feel it is up to the person concerned if they wish to reply.

I have had a few PM from people "Open your tree" "Can I view your Tree" and equally bizarre requests and not hint of who they are looking for or why, how they are related ect. I used to respond to these but now do not bother as usually they never get back anyway.

Gail

About to rush off and see if I have a message from GR about responding to others. Been a bit slack lately, only have 140 contacts in my contact box.

Well 139 actually because one contact is me.

What?? And why can't I talk to myself or send myself a message occasionally.

I have also had major help and great contacts, swapped information and certificates. I do not open my tree to just anyone who asks either. If people do not respond to my questions after a not so polite request to view my tree, that is their loss. I did not say I was not willing to share. I have done so many times as have others with me.

Just the same, it is not up to GR to tell people they should respond. They send me an email like that and I would be insulted as well. I would also think very hard about renewing.

Gail

Nope I don't have an email. And I have just worked out why. I do not have any of the boxes ticked which would give me matches hot or cold or updates from anyone etc etc.

I am currently talking to GR about why the Aussie site does not work properly. They are trying to find a polite way of telling me to go play on the .co.uk site.

I have also had the same email from GR - and I always answer pm's
Perhaps they are bored at GR

Love Mary xx

Marion, MaryinSpain has just mentioned she always responds to PMs. Is this the subject of the message from GR. Could you clarify what message they are talking about. Is it PMs, or hot matches, tree matches (may I view your tree) type info.

If it is PMs, when you go to your sent and received message boxes how many of the little purple envelopes are still purple, ie not opened.

I think Gr are dammed if they do & dammed if they dont !

So many members complain that they dont get replies when they send someone a pm. Mainly this gets peoples backs up if they think they may have a connection & no reply is forthcoming.

I see it as GR have sent a blanket reminder to all those who opt to get mails from GR. If it doesnt apply to you & you reply to emails, dont take it as being personal. I dont feel insulted at all.

But if it prompts someones curiosity to open up their inbox and take a look at something they dont normally bother with . Someone else may get the reply & connection they want.

I had the same email but I have opened ALL my incoming mail and replied where neccessary. some PM,s were thanking me for my help which doesnt need a to and fro on thanking them for thanking me etc.
Shirley

I think its good thing,,,,,how many times do members whinge and whine about people not replying to a PM in search of a possible connection.If it bolsters laxed members back to the site all to the good,,,,,,they maybe just the connection someones been trying to contact.

I am one of the majority of members who always replies to other members. BUT to be ORDERED to do so is not a good idea at all.
Some members may have very valid reasons for not answering, as much as it may annoy us we don't know anything about each others lives do we?
We are adults and should be free to do our own thing here.
I also have been snubbed by members, but 'hey ho' forget it.
Deanna X

Well, I think it might be an exercise by GR in finding out who is active, and who isn't... if they have e-mails sent out which bounce back via Mr Mail Daemon.... they can be reasonably certain that this account is no longer active...... check again in a couple of months, and then de-activate the account if still no reply.

I haven't had one yet... but am just responding properly to a very patient gentleman who pm'd me this time last year, when I really wasn't very well, lol... I pm'd him back and told him so... I promised I would get back to him as soon as I could with more info... and here I am, doing it... he, and my other hot matches, except one who was very rude indeed, and had the nerve to suggest that if I could type, then I could send the info..... have been really wonderful, and slowly I am getting back into it.

But this might stop some of the threads which really get up my nose, partly because I have been guilty of ignoring, but for very valid reasons... still feel guilty though!

Love

Daff xxx

I got this, can anyone explain it to me or is this what you guys are talking about?

Hello Pauline,

Your fellow Genes Reunited members need your help!

Genes Reunited is different from other online family history sites because it is built on a community. You can help other members by simply answering any emails sent to you.

View your messages

You may know the answer to another member's family history mystery. You may even be able to help someone get in touch with a long lost relative. Replying to your messages not only helps other members, it may lead you to a new discovery! Do your good deed for the day and see if you can help any of your fellow Genes Reunited members with their family history.

Have fun helping others discover their family history,

The Genes Reunited Team

In box - do you have any information on John Smith born in 1844 in London?
You can easily change which emails you choose to receive

What's insulting about that? Surely this is simply a general broadcast message, not a targeted one. If it does the trick and gets few more to respond then surely it's a good thing.

As Mildred said damned if you do damned if you don't

Must admit my first reaction was What ??? I always open and answer emails .Thought they meant me personally but then realised it was a blanket email probably in response to people getting a bit put out cos some dont reply.

Oh, for pity's sake, nobody's being ordered to do anything, or insulted, or anything else. It's a message sent to all members reminding them how the system works.

... If only they'd send out messages when people sign up, explaining how the help boards work ...

The problem remains the same -- the people who aren't responding to PMs are for the most part people who do not visit the site any more and who have *changed their email addresses* since they registered.

So they don't get notice of their PMs at this site. And if they never had any PMs before they changed their email address (for instance, if they signed up years ago when things weren't so busy here), they wouldn't know to look for any. Or it just wouldn't occur to them that changing their email address would cut off mail from GR.

* So they won't get this reminder email from GR either. *

So what management really needs to do is bring it clearly to new users' attention that keeping their email address in their account here current is important

But heavens, I've signed up at all sorts of sites on the net and never gone back. I just hope there aren't posses out looking for me somewhere.

If you see somebody here who has your family in their tree, probably their full name is visible when you click on the button beside their name on the tree search. Go look for them! The phone book, the electoral roll, the GRO indexes -- that's what we do here, isn't it?!



edit - I've just noticed that mail I get from GR sometimes says:

"To ensure Genes Reunited emails get to your Inbox, please add [email protected] to your Address Book or Safe List."

It needs to include *and remember to update your email address in your account details at Genes Reunited*.

If I thought anybody read my email there, I'd suggest it to them ...

oooh I just got mine :))

What is interesting (well 'ish' lol) is that I have recently contacted someone who is connected, they have had the names which link us, on here for quite some time I think, but it is only since I have contacted them myself that GR has sent me a hot match with them....

xx

Like most other members I do my best to help if I can. If someone sends me a message asking for info about my family, I answer them. I have had my fair share of sent messages to which there has been no reply & although it´s irritating, I have no doubt there will be a good reason for it. There have been times when my pc has been out of action for a couple of weeks, so I catch up when I´m back in operation again.
Surely it´s just common courtesy to reply to messages. I don´t really need Genes to tell me.
Marion

Really, I continue to be flummoxed.

The email was sent (or will be sent) to ALL registered users of this site. Its tone is friendly and it is clearly intended to be helpful. It appears to be a response to so many people fretting that they don't get replies to PMs.

I can't imagine spending 10 seconds fretting about the email, myself.

This is what my message said and I assume it is the same for others.
I think they might look at our messages and see how many we answer, personally I get so many pms I do miss replying to some, and some don't need a reply after several pms going back and forth!
I didn't take umbrage as I just assumed it's a blanket reminder.

Lizx


Your fellow Genes Reunited members need your help!

Genes Reunited is different from other online family history sites because it is built on a community. You can help other members by simply answering any emails sent to you.




You may know the answer to another member's family history mystery. You may even be able to help someone get in touch with a long lost relative. Replying to your messages not only helps other members, it may lead you to a new discovery! Do your good deed for the day and see if you can help any of your fellow Genes Reunited members with their family history.

Have fun helping others discover their family history,



Oops, just seen that someone else already sent a copy lol
Not to worry, the above will show we all get the same message lol