> > In the hope that some continued discussion will benefit newbies... > > > > None of my "proven" data is on any web site for several > > reasons. > > > > J. Hugh Sullivan > > I think a general discussion of this topic could be useful to > anyone. I agree with your reticence to do this, and have been > "agonizing" over it for a long, long time. > > "Karen Rhodes" <[email protected]> Your comments were very interesting and should be read as a foreword. I have snipped for brevity of reply. There is an old story about the farmer who tired of people stealing his watermelons so he posted a sign saying, "One of these melons is poisoned." One morning he went to his field and the "one" had been changed to "two". In like manner I have heard of people who deliberately put false data on their websites so they can trap commercial harvesters. I have thought of doing that with a disclaimer but I doubt the harvesters would pick that up so it would be an injustice to researchers. Sources is another problem and not everyone understands. If I include my sources, they are not anyone else's sources until they personally have either viewed the source or corroborated it by another source. In the interim I am their source. I recently thought of what I may do. For a number of years I have been a fact collector of Sullivan data. I have posted every Sullivan fact I found in VA and NC up to about 1835 when my gg grandfather headed to AL. The facts are chronologically posted by state, year and county and include my sources. They are saved on the computer and printed on pages in 3 ring binders. I also have Sullivan census records for my states of interest saved in the same manner. I may post the fact listing to a web site. I see this having several benefits... 1. The data might not be harvested and, if it was, it would be out of date as soon as the next fact was posted. 2. The site might become the focal point for exchange of data and encourage contacts between researchers. The site could include the e-maill adds of interested people with their permission. 3. The site could continue long after the one who maintained it returned to dust. Not only have I not heard the idea mentioned, I don't know of anyone who keeps their data in the aforementioned manner. Comments anyone? Hugh [email protected] (J. Hugh Sullivan)