In article <Xns9A20901F7E127sakiuclaedu@130.133.1.4>, saki <saki@ucla.edu> writes: > melsonr@aragorn.rgmhome.net (Robert Melson) wrote in > news:13oaemqja2316f5@corp.supernews.com: > <snip> > Wasn't Phillip Klass actually using William Tenn as a pen name? Sturgeon > was the correct source of that quote, of course---"Sturgeon's Law" it was > called. Blush! You're absolutely right. Out-thought myself yet again! > > For some reason the LDS indexers were unintentionally very good to me and > included some actual, verifiable links to ancestors of mine in the IGI > database. So for me it's been a tool that works pretty well, if used > judiciously. I ignore entries that aren't sourced to film and always > check film or fiche myself to verify information. > > Occasionally I've found entries that have been properly indexed but which > I missed on my first or second pass through records that have poor film > images---for instance, searching for all children of two particular > parents. Sure enough, when rechecking the film, there they are. > > The IGI's usefulness does depend on your ancestral region, of course, and > depending on where they're based it might be a waste of time to use it. > But occasionally there are hidden gems to be found. As with everything else "out there", you can't just accept things, you have to verify them. The LDS is neither better nor worse than the other public/free sites when it comes down t accuracy, and I see no reason to single them out or accuse them of operating a useless, innacurate or somehow deceptive site. I'll add here that I'm NOT a Mormon - good, bad or indifferent. > > ---- > saki@ucla.edu Bob -- Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas ----- Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason so few engage in it. -- Henry Ford