Dear Collene and List Members, I am responding to the entire list instead of just to Collene so my remarks will not be taken out of context, and you will know how I am responding to the comments posted to this list today. Collene first contacted me with dissatisfaction with the FGS site because she could not or did not want to type in her information and wanted us to redesign the site so all she and other researchers would have to do is upload. As I told her then, there are so many genealogical systems in use that to design one program that would allow even half of these systems to upload to the site is cost prohibitive. We would have to have the site professionally programmed to read the different family group sheets being uploaded by the many members of the list. To spend this type of money, the site would then have to charge to upload information and or to look at information. This would defeat the reasons that this site was designed, another free research tool for Oklahoma researchers. I also feel the need to comment on the lack of time being the reason that the site needs to be changed. I like everyone of you have many things going on in my world, but I find time to do the things important to me as each of you do and as the many many volunteers out there who give of their time designing sites, gathering information, surveying cemeteries, taking photos, uploading these surveys and photos, re-typing census records, obits, taking care of boards, answering questions do. Complaining at the way these volunteers give of this valuable time and information or that it caused you to spend time you don’t have to participate in it makes me wonder. The FGS site is a way for you to share you Oklahoma FGS with others researching Oklahoma lines. It is not perfect, and has some flaws, but it is the best we have at this point in time. I appreciate the many messages from those of you who have told us that you appreciate this site. To you, we say, it is because of you we designed it and it is because of you we spend the time it takes to add your date to it. Kathleen Burnett List Mom Original Message: ----------------- From: Collene Pearce collene@jump.net Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 13:21:14 -0700 To: OK-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com Subject: OK FGS website, was: Re: [OK-CEM] Oklahoma Research I'll add my 2 cents to this topic, so others will not be as disappointed as I was, when I first visited. My intention was to upload every FGS for each of my OT and IT ancestors. I got to the site and discovered there is no way to upload your existing FGS. In order to submit, you have to sit there and RE-TYPE each FGS. No thank you. I don't have that much time to waste. :-( I contacted the site owner and told her the site would be much more useful, if she's allow people to upload existing FGS, rather than expect them to reenter their data. She did NOT appreciate my suggestion and I ended up unsubbing from the OKROOTS-L list, because of her. :-( It's a shame that the site is the way it is and the owner doesn't understand the problems with it. Several people emailed me about the situation. We've agreed, if you are retired and have all the time in the world, it might be a good use of your time. However, for people, such as myself, who can't spend all their time on genealogy, our time is better spent submitting data to and researching other sites. :-) acp -----------------original post------------------------------ This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/UQ.2ADI/324 Message Board Post: If you have not had a chance, you might want to visit the Oklahoma Family Group Sheet web site and submit your FGS. http://www.rootsweb.com/~okfamgrp/fgs.htm ==== OK-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for removal. Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett kathleenburnett@earthlink.net Oklahoma Cemeteries Volunteer Website http://www.rootsweb.com/~okcemete/okcem.htm ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

"kathleenburnett@earthlink.net" wrote: > Collene first contacted me with dissatisfaction with the FGS site because > she could not or did not want to type in her information This is perfectly true. I seem to remember saying that the design of the site made it useful only for people who have all the time in the world -- or something similar. I believe I suggested that when you were advertising the site, it would be beneficial if you'd let people know, up front, that they would need to re-enter all their FGS data, in order to use it. I believe, when you objected to that, I said something about the fact that I'm very willing to share gene. data, which may or may not be useful to others and MIGHT be viewed sometime, but not when it takes an extrodinary amount of time away from my research, my job, my homelife, my other hobbies and interests. I believe I told you there was no point in chastizing me for my opinion. I, for one, will simply not be using your sight, but I'm sure there are many, who have the time and priority, who will. I believe I implied that it was not necessary to create a vendetta, simply because I don't like or approve of your site or the manner in which you advertise it. It really is NOT that big an issue. >and wanted us to redesign the site so all she and other researchers >would have to do is upload. I NEVER asked you to redesign the site for me or anyone else. I didn't even suggest it. However, I did tell you, in my professional opinion, that NOT designing it so that people could upload, is basically poor design. I also noted that I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, by assuming you did not have the expertise to create a more robust site and so were doing the best you could, with the resources and expertise you had. So, with that in mind, I believe I reiterated that you should let people know, so they would not be disappointed, as I had been and as the other "visitors", who had contacted me about it, were. And I believe I reiterated that it was NOT a crime to lack the expertise to create (what I consider) a universally useful website, so it makes no sense (to me) to be so defensive about it. The site is not something I can use, or that many people, can use, but there are many people who will love it and use it. It's not necessary for EVERYONE to like it. It's not a reflection on you, so it makes no sense for you to take it so personally. To those who want to use it -- I applaud you. To those who don't, so what. To me, it's that simple and really has nothing to do with the author. I would suggest a bit more data be included, in the advertising of the site. Some of us, who have full time jobs, multiple hobbies and responsibilities, were very disappointed, once we visited the site. Now, add to this, the fact that around the same time this site was instroduced, some of the existing OK county sites were "re-adopte" and much of the data we had uploaded to those sites was removed. I'm just a bit more selective in where I spend my time, sharing data, than I have been in the past. Now -- since it was suggested in your earlier messages -- Please do not assume we, who are short of time, would browse the site to use the info, without taking the time to add our own data. I don't think that would be at all fair (kind of like "now, who will eat this porridge"), so for me, personally, I promise, until I have time to reenter all my FGS data manually, I won't look at any of the existing data on your site. So, please do not worry about that. :-) acp -------