I don't think you need to apologize. Many of us shared your frustrations and disgust over practices in this hobby of ours. All of us were "newbies" at some point and many of us were introduced to the fun of genealogy through the internet. Often times newbies aren't aware of the courtesies of the hobby and I certainly don't think it is inappropriate to discuss the issue on a mailing list. There are sources, I believe on rootsweb, regarding these issues but they are often over looked by beginners because they don't realize the time, effort and indeed expense that researchers have gone too. Most of us have learned from other researchers. I had the benefit of a distance cousin, now deceased, who helped me on my way and instructed me as to how to avoid the pit falls. Only after three or four years of my own research did I really appreciate what he had taught me. One of the biggest problems is the perpetuation of incorrect material or data without being able to support it with sources. Information without sources is worthless and please don't pass it on! Check those sources and research for additional as well. In fact you may find to your surprise additional information beyond what you have in your files and find that you weren't correct either. Example: One John Buckle of Kanawaha County with entries by numerous genealogist on rootsweb family trees which shows him married to one Rebecca Henderton. Source came from a book written by a researcher connected with the Henderton/Henderson family. This evidently was accepted as being correct without further research and she is shown as the mother of his children. Kanawha County marriages shows him married as recorded in 1798 to Rebecah Upton. When I wrote emails requesting additional sources from these posters of info I received only one reply. What are then, these posters of info, researchers or name collectors? Am I right? My research and that of two other descendents of this family who helped tremendously found only one John Buckle in Kanawha County during that time frame but that doesn't mean it is sit in stone and to be a real researcher you must be open to challenges on your own research. I subscribe to Ancestry and use My Family information but to assume that everything you get off this information is correct is where the problem often develops. All of us would like to have access to information or research available at the actual court houses and historical societies but won't be able to travel to that location to do research so the internet is our next best alternative. I don't have any problem telling new or old researcher alike to not post any info I share to My Family web sites and also that I expect to receive acknowledgement for what I do share. Sometimes I offend people with my bluntness but you can be assured that I don't offend you any more so than I am offended by seeing my own research uses as your own. Rootsweb could do all of us a favorite by addressing this issue. Ruth Skidmore