Hi Diana, My problem is that I can't upload my gedcom. There is a size limit and mine is over the limit. The effort that it would take to reduce the size simply isn't worth it. So one of your campaigns might be to get that size limit removed. Roberta -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Diana Gale Matthiesen Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:49 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [AUTOSOMAL-DNA] FF clients not uploading GEDCOMs I just sent the message below to the FTDNA HelpDesk. Perhaps if enough of us press FTDNA to "remind" FF clients to upload a GEDCOM, they might install the feature. Also... I'm going on a campaign to individually email all my FF matchees who haven't uploaded GEDCOMs to please do so. Perhaps if these people get enough requests, they will get off their butts and do it. Diana > -----Original Message----- > From: Diana Gale Matthiesen [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:37 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: not uploading GEDCOMs > > Every time I work on my FamilyFinder Matches, I become exasperated at > how many test subjects have not uploaded GEDCOMs to their accounts. > What is the point of being tested if you don't share your ancestry?!!! > > Where the match is 4th cousin or closer, I have been emailing my > matchees asking them to please upload a GEDCOM, but this is a lot of > work, and I feel I can only do it once. I have a better solution... > > Please set up the FTDNA software to send an email reminder ONCE A > MONTH to everyone who has been FF tested and not uploaded a GEDCOM. > (The same goes for people who have not entered surnames or earliest > ancestors.) > > We are spending a great deal of money on DNA testing, and it's hard to > maintain enthusiasm for recommending it when you have to tell > prospective clients there's a high probability your genetic matches > won't do you any good because they're not sharing their ancestry. > > And there is a related issue... > > I had an ENORMOUS amount of trouble getting my (perfectly standard) > GEDCOM file to upload. A less persistent person might have given up, > but I did not. Part of the problem is that the server doesn't tell > you that the file didn't upload, much less why it didn't. The page > just bounces back to the client's home page, and some inexperienced > users are not even going to realize their file didn't upload. PLEASE, > at least return an ERROR MESSAGE, so the client realizes their GEDCOM > didn't upload. > > Diana ______________________________ For answers to Frequently Asked Questions about mailing lists, please see: http://dgmweb.net/MailingListFAQs.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Well, you could do what I did... I made a new version of my genealogy database, expressly for use in creating a GEDCOM to upload to FTDNA. It contains only the bare genealogical information: name, birth date and place, and death date and place. No sources, no media, no siblings, nothing else, just the pedigree (ancestral lines). It only goes back 11 generations (12 if you count the test subject) because that's all FTDNA will display, no matter how many generations you include in the file. The GEDCOM is only 106K in size. Yes, it was a nuisance to create, but IMO, it was worth the effort because I think it's *that* important to have a GEDCOM uploaded to your FTDNA account. And yes, when I add a new near ancestor (within 11 generations), I have to update both genealogy files (my regular one and the abbreviated FTDNA one), then re-export a new GEDCOM to re-upload to FTDNA. But doing so only takes minutes; and, again, I think it's well worth the effort. Diana > From: Roberta Estes > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 10:54 AM > > Hi Diana, > > My problem is that I can't upload my gedcom. There is a size limit > and mine > is over the limit. The effort that it would take to reduce the size > simply > isn't worth it. So one of your campaigns might be to get that size > limit > removed. > > Roberta

I certainly do think it would be easier to start over and make a skeleton one than to try to modify the existing one. Roberta -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Diana Gale Matthiesen Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 11:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AUTOSOMAL-DNA] FF clients not uploading GEDCOMs Well, you could do what I did... I made a new version of my genealogy database, expressly for use in creating a GEDCOM to upload to FTDNA. It contains only the bare genealogical information: name, birth date and place, and death date and place. No sources, no media, no siblings, nothing else, just the pedigree (ancestral lines). It only goes back 11 generations (12 if you count the test subject) because that's all FTDNA will display, no matter how many generations you include in the file. The GEDCOM is only 106K in size. Yes, it was a nuisance to create, but IMO, it was worth the effort because I think it's *that* important to have a GEDCOM uploaded to your FTDNA account. And yes, when I add a new near ancestor (within 11 generations), I have to update both genealogy files (my regular one and the abbreviated FTDNA one), then re-export a new GEDCOM to re-upload to FTDNA. But doing so only takes minutes; and, again, I think it's well worth the effort. Diana

Roberta, et al The GEDcom that's needed for atDNA matching is one with ancestors only! I'm working on the 13th generation (I have two atMatches who are 12th cousins), and only have about 1600 people in the Tree. I know some folks really want to scour around the collateral lines looking for leads, but the first order of business is to look for the Common Ancestor. Jim - Sent from my iPhone - FaceTime! On May 13, 2012, at 10:53 AM, "Roberta Estes" <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Diana, > > My problem is that I can't upload my gedcom. There is a size limit and mine > is over the limit. The effort that it would take to reduce the size simply > isn't worth it. So one of your campaigns might be to get that size limit > removed. > > Roberta