Linda, I fully agree with you. I started researching back in the 1960s and let me tell you I have found more in the past year on my computer than I ever did the "old" way. And I can't tell you how many letters I wrote (by hand) and dollars I spent for info that either didn't pertain to my family or offered very little info. I gladly pay for Ancestry because it has helped me so much. I also appreciate all those angels out there who are willing to transcribe data so I can receive it for free. You have a good day. Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: Linda Haas Davenport <lhaasdav@mindspring.com> To: <ARMARION-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 6:07 AM Subject: Pay to use sites > I'd like to toss out my 2 cents worth on the "pay for view" sites. No > actually I want to get on my "soap box". Feel free to hit the delete key now > if you wish. > > I've been a genealogist for many years, way before the web was in existence > and I can tell you that it was a time consuming, frustrating and very > expensive hobby. I spent untold dollars getting copies of things and even > more untold hours waiting for replies - some of which never came. The yearly > fees for places like Ancestry are trivial compared to the money I spent in > the past. > > I don't know why so many people think that genealogy information should be > free no matter what. Would any of us walk into McDonalds expecting to > receive our food for free just because eating is required to stay alive? Or > do we expect our doctor to treat us for free? Or our accountant to do our > taxes for free. Or more to the point - do we all expect to get out of bed > every day and go spend 8 hours at our job and not have a pay check on > Friday? Of course not. > > So why do so many people expect the sites that are putting information on > line to be free? Let us all remember that it takes a lot of human labor to > transcribe records and a lot of expensive computer equipment to get them > on-line and keep them on-line. These businesses are in **Business** and as > such must make a profit or they will not be able to stay in business. And, > since their business is making old records available to the public we would > all be the losers if they were to close down. > > Yes, there are a few sites like Family Discover.com that are scams but they > are very few, at least so far. And, yes there are sites like the USGenWeb > Project where volunteers get information on-line for free, but where are the > volunteers that are needed to get as much information on-line as such places > as Ancestry? > > I've been the hostess of the Marion Co site for almost 3 years now and in > that time I can count on one hand (with fingers left over) the number of > people who have offered to help me transcribe records, or walk a cemetery or > copy an old book. I can tell you that I have spent hundreds of hours > transcribing, formatting and getting on line the information you find on the > Marion Co site. I'm not complaining because I took on the job knowing that I > would have to do the majority of the work. But, the information on the > Marion Co site is a rain drop in the ocean compared to such places as > Ancestry. > > If every single genealogist would take one roll of microfilm from the LDS > Library and transcribe the entire roll and let it be put on-line then there > would be no reason for the pay per view sites. But, you see that hasn't, and > won't, happen. > > In my experience, about 97% of family hunters are only interested in their > own families and not interested at all in investing a lot of hours to > transcribe records that are not directly related to their own families. > > So before we all grip and complain about having to pay to access information > let's all stop and think about where we would be if the information was not > available? I know where I would be - right back to paying for every copy, > not being able to take off from work to visit a library or struggling to > find time after work to visit the LDS family centers. > > And last, but not least. This discussion has come and gone on many e-mail > lists and there is always someone who says they cannot afford to pay for a > subscription service. I can only say that in every instance where that > comment was made, there were several offers from people, like me, who are > more than willing to look up the information needed on the pay for view > sites and pass it along. > > OK I'm off my soap box now and off to work. Everyone have a good day. > > Linda > > lhaasdav@mindspring.com > Home.page http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~haas > Marion.Co.AR http://www.rootsweb.com/~armarion > List hostess for -h.a.a.s/l.e.w.a.l.l.e.n/w.a.s.h.i.n.g.t.o.n n.c > Interested in Construction? Check out my new book - "The Scopes of Work" at > http://www.builderbooks.com/bbstore/index.icl > >