Does anyone know what the protocol is for naming living persons on your genealogy webpage. I have names only without any personal information about the living persons and I have been told that "it is not proper or legal to place the names of living family members unless they have given their permission". I thought that only pertained to personal information and that is why one must use the privacy mode when creating a genealogy webpage. I don't consider a persons name as personal information but do consider anything about that living person as personal and not to be shared with the whole world without permission. Am I all wet? ~Carolyn Menges

Carolyn, Many people put living family members on line - many don't. After all, most names are in the phone book. It can't be illegal if the information you give out is already public. I have had cousins flatly refuse to give me any info beyond their grandparents - or whichever generation is the last living. I have had others give me everything down to their children without any concern at all. Personally, I don't consider names and towns of residence to be personal information. I often publish birth and marriage dates, too. All of those are public record if anyone decides to check. However, I generally check with any living people on my page before including them. Anyone that tells you there is a certain protocol or "standard" way of doing web pages is merely expressing their opinion. I have found that some people think their opinion is "law." Be careful of following their advice. The privacy mode is generally used when uploading your tree to commercial sites, such as Family Tree Maker. Personally, I never do that because they take your data and sell it. My advice . . . check with the living people in your tree, see how they feel about it and follow their wishes. If any outsider offers their opinion that what you are doing is wrong - that's all it is - an opinion. That's what I think . . . but of course, it's only an opinion. :) I suspect this "opinion" may cause a little controversy, but that's OK. Jack Cox BTW, My Brownings are from Lexington, KY, Nicholasville, KY, Greene and Macoupin County Illinois. [email protected] wrote: > Does anyone know what the protocol is for naming living persons on your > genealogy webpage. I have names only without any personal information about > the living persons and I have been told that "it is not proper or legal to > place the names of living family members unless they have given their > permission". I thought that only pertained to personal information and that > is why one must use the privacy mode when creating a genealogy webpage. I > don't consider a persons name as personal information but do consider > anything about that living person as personal and not to be shared with the > whole world without permission. Am I all wet? > ~Carolyn Menges > > ==== BROWNING Mailing List ==== > > ============================== > Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. > RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: > http://pml.rootsweb.com/