I continue to be amazed at the way people's minds work! I, for one, am grateful for whatever even MINOR tidbits Melly can provide free that I cannot get elsewhere. She has provided free information in the past over this site and I've seen nobody complain. Now that she is offering -- still -- free information, but with a caveat that she can also offer other specific information for a fee, all of a sudden people are coming out of the woodwork to complain. I wonder that her comment below is so gracious. Yes, indeed, Bill Floyd's efforts for Rutherford County have been tremendous. I think he's done a wonderful job, and I am most appreciative of the help I've received from his posting's over this and other locations. He also lives in the area, as I understand it, and, though he has been doing this work for many years and much of it, no doubt, out of his own pocket, he is now retired. The fact that he continues to work is generous, and we should all be grateful. Melly, on the other hands, sounds like a young mother and wife who is trying to provide several things at once: some income for her family; some free help to those who avail themselves of it; and an offer for work for pay for additional research for individuals who are willing and able to pay. The fact that RootsWeb has found no problem with this kind of offer in the past means to me that Melly is doing nothing wrong -- and that she is, in fact, rendering a terrific service which, I notice, no one else has come forward to offer, free or otherwise. I, for one, have found her free posts on her website to be quite helpful. As a disabled person who lives far away from the place where most of my ancestors were born, lived and died, I have been thrilled to see some familiar names on her free post -- names that could possibly give me some extra piece of information that will help in my search for family. Once again, I think of some of the letters and comments I've read over the Rootsweb posts of the past from the Home Site -- the questions of who owns the information, the questions and problems of people posting erroneous information to sites and never correcting it, the questions of how to deal with people who don't want to pass their information on and share it. I think Melly is to be commended that she was trying to get correct information out -- no matter how small an amount it was -- to people she didn't even know and wasn't even related to -- in an effort to provide a minor source on a regular basis. I hope she will not let the sour notes sounded in this space keep her from her initial goal. I, for one, will continue to visit her website on a regular basis to see what tidbits she's found -- and I'll pass the word on to other cousins and researchers who may not have seen it. AND, if I come across a windfall or minor inheritance or a few extra dollars some fine day, I may even ask for her help -- she sounds like someone who knows what she's doing! Thanks, Melly, and thanks to all of you out there who genuinely have altruistic interests -- not just your own selfish interests, but the broader world of interests in the human race and the fascinating search for universal ancestry as you go about your daily tasks and hobbies. At 07:00 AM 10/10/04 -0600, you wrote: >NCRUTHER-D Digest Volume 04 : Issue 98 > >Today's Topics: > #1 Re: NCRUTHER-D Digest V04 #97 [RBTallman@aol.com] > #2 Re: [NCRUTHER-L] Re: NCRUTHER-D Di [RBTallman@aol.com] > #3 Website [MellyBkr@aol.com] > >Administrivia: >To unsubscribe from NCRUTHER-D, send a message to > > NCRUTHER-D-request@rootsweb.com > >that contains in the body of the message the command > > unsubscribe > >and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software >requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. > >______________________________X-Message: #1 >Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 20:40:15 EDT >From: RBTallman@aol.com >To: NCRUTHER-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <157.40e506ce.2e99deef@aol.com> >Subject: Re: NCRUTHER-D Digest V04 #97 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > >It isn't that I don't appreciate someone helping others doing genealogical >research for free or for a fee, it is just that I object to this forum being >used to advertise one's services. According to Roots Web's terms of service: > >"Content submitted for the purpose of commercial use, advertising or fee for >service is prohibited." > >Rhonda > >______________________________X-Message: #2 >Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 21:55:31 EDT >From: RBTallman@aol.com >To: NCRUTHER-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <87.184059b1.2e99f093@aol.com> >Subject: Re: [NCRUTHER-L] Re: NCRUTHER-D Digest V04 #97 - List manager >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > >I have heard from others that complained about these postings and were told >by the list manager that as long as the site offered something free, then it >was okay. On other list serves people are sometimes not even allowed to >promote >DNA testing for genealogical use, even though there is no profit made on the >testing. I will also be interested in what the list manager has to say about >this and if it is allowed, so be it. I am not attacking the person, or >their >right to do research for a fee, or denying the helpfulness of such services. >It is just that the postings make it seem like there is very important >information posted and once you go to the site you find it is for fee based >services. In all honesty, there is very little offered for free. > >As for how we might find the services of someone like Melody, most list >serves allow tag lines in the signature that reference a person's title >and web >site. For example, if I had a site at the end of my post my signature >might say: > >Rhonda Tallman >Certified Genealogist >www.researchforfee.com > >Which by the way is just an example, not a real site. > >And Kathy, did you blind copy the list? It looks like your email came >directly to me...so if you were wanting the list administrator to see it, >they might >not, unless you bcc'd them. > >Rhonda > > > >In a message dated 10/9/2004 9:15:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, >ksummers55@mchsi.com writes: >List manager - could we have your opinion on this? I'm not sure how we >would find out about Melody's work otherwise. Is there an available site at >Rootsweb where we can find such publications for sale? > >Kathy > >______________________________X-Message: #3 >Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 22:08:39 EDT >From: MellyBkr@aol.com >To: NCRUTHER-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <9.34fe9357.2e99f3a7@aol.com> >Subject: Website >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > >Whew! I didn't expect the negative comments about my website. It has taken >me a while to calm myself and formulate a proper reply. First of all, I >want to say I have shared information freely since I began >doing genealogy. I >will continue to do so. The starting of a website and putting >information on >CD for sale is a new venture for me. It began when I started going through >the court records looking for my own family in Rutherford County. I >thought it >would be beneficial for folks to have an index, since the North Carolina >Archives will not do a look up unless you know the specific part of the >court >records you want them to look up. To start doing that, I purchased a >microfilm >machine and started ordering films from the archives. I do not live in North >Carolina where I can go to the court house or archives. At this point, I >have purchased 18 films, which has not been inexpensive. I have spent >the last >10 months indexing the court records when I have had time (I have a child in >kindergarten and work part time). I have gone thru close to 1400 pages of >records. I recently purchased the deed films and offered to copy pages for a >fee that is 1/4 of what it is if the Archives do it for you if you are >out of >state. I am not a corporation, I am not Ancestry.com. I am a person doing >this on their own and trying to share some of what I find as I do. At no >time >would I require you to pay for anything I put on my website. I am sorry if >some people think I am not sharing enough information, but I am doing >my best. >Thank you to those who have given me encouragement, I truly appreciate it. > >At this point (due to my own feelings and the advice of my husband, who saw >how upset I was), I will not be posting updates about my website on this >list. I may occasionally post information I have found regarding my family >(Wilkinson, Nowlin) as I find it. I will still post the free >information on my >website. It is a way for me to keep track of what I have shared. You are >welcome to visit my website if you so choose. > >Thanks, > >Melody Booker