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

I think part of the problem is that people may have given up on trying to load a GEDCOM when the functionality wasn't working.  I did.  I didn't realize the problem that kept me from being able to load one had been fixed until I just tried for the who knows how many times and it worked.  Perhaps FTDNA just needs to say "The problem is fixed. Give it a try." Regards, Larry ________________________________ From: Diana Gale Matthiesen <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 9:48 AM 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

After they do that I hope they develop a button that each of us can purchase for a nominal price ($5 sounds good) that, when pressed, sends a minimal, yet increasing in magnitude, electric shock to any individual who doesn't respond to emails about matches. I gave up emailing matches at 23andme and I've just about done that with FF. I have 5 kits with FTDNA and get maybe 1 reply out of 15. I honestly do not see the point of testing if you aren't going to talk to people about your matches. As valuable as the GEDCOMs can be I would find it of more value to get people to respond to me, especially on brand new matches. Greg Matthews On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 9:48 AM, Diana Gale Matthiesen <[email protected]>wrote: > 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 >