RootsWeb was "taken over" by Ancestry years ago when Ancestry purchased RootsWeb and kept running it exactly as it always had. If they hadn't, RootsWeb would be bankrupt and gone by now. The change is that the Ancestry "brand" will show on all pages hosted by Ancestry/RootsWeb. RootsWeb hosts (for free) the USGenWeb sites, which are a volunteer organization separate from Ancestry & RootsWeb. A few of the GenWeb owners are choosing to move to other locations. The only change for us is that it will be more difficult to find the sites which are moving. Diane Hettrick dhettrick@earthlink.net On Mar 15, 2008, at 3:27 PM, Helen Graves wrote: > I learned of this just a few days ago when the state administrator for > North > Carolina on GenWeb and several NC county administrators posted what is > happening or was about to happen, which was a takeover by Ancestry.com. > > NC and 28 other volunteer state administrators with state websites on > USGenWeb chose not to be taken over by Ancestry.com. Instead, they > frantically moved their websites to different servers of their choice. > Thus, > a total of 29 states have avoided being taken over by Ancestry. > > Even though the CEO of Ancestry made assurances that access to the > USGenWeb > sites would remain free; most folks think it was a business decision > and > likely that there will be an access fee in the future. > > All I know about this is based upon the postings of the USGenWeb > volunteers > for North Carolina who have sent messages to NC county mailing lists. > > New York was not on the list of states that have obtained their own > servers. > I was told there was a lot of talk today on the NYGen mailing list > (open > only to NY county administrators) so I don't know what will happen to > NY. > It sounds like if they don't make their move now, Ancestry will be > sweeping > NY under their umbrella sometime today or perhaps have already done so. > Today was the day that the takeover by Ancestry was supposed to take > place. > > I can remember when Rootsweb was started by one or two people. It was > always to be free. Then it got sold, with the promise it would remain > free. > I think the "free" days for rootsweb are probably numbered. Ancestry > is in > the genealogy BUSINESS to make $$ off their subscription fees. They > have > acquired many of the "free access" websites for a reason, and I don't > think > it will be to continue offering free access. > > Helen > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Al Lenkner" <alenkner@stargate.net> > To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:14 PM > Subject: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com > > >> >> from another list: >> >> >> >> Interesting article here: >> >> http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/03/rootsweb-to- >> be.html >> >> See also: http?//blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom >> >> RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com. >> >> As a more-or-less skeptic, I wonder when the other shoe will drop >> and RW will be either terminated or become a for-a-fee service, >> despite Sullivan's claims to the contrary.. >> >>

Diane, According the the No Carolina state administrator, NC has left rootsweb and found their own serve. She posted that 29 states have left and she named which ones they were. Her post is all I know about this, except the county administrators for New York apparently were discussing what to do today. I can remember when rootsweb was family owned and operated. I remember when it was sold to Ancestry and I remember the promise that access to rootsweb would always be free. The "Ancestry brand" you mention will be Ancestry advertising on all USGenWeb pages. No doubt the access to the GenWeb state and county sites (the ones that stay with them) will be free. But what about all the records and databases the volunteers places on the sites? What about all the information people have submitted to those sites under the premise that access would be free? Won't all the volunteer work and freely donated information instantly become an Ancestry property to do with as they wish? Helen in Calif. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diane Hettrick" <dhettrick@earthlink.net> To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 3:30 PM Subject: Re: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com > RootsWeb was "taken over" by Ancestry years ago when Ancestry purchased > RootsWeb and kept running it exactly as it always had. If they > hadn't, RootsWeb would be bankrupt and gone by now. The change is that > the Ancestry "brand" will show on all pages hosted by > Ancestry/RootsWeb. RootsWeb hosts (for free) the USGenWeb sites, which > are a volunteer organization separate from Ancestry & RootsWeb. A few > of the GenWeb owners are choosing to move to other locations. The only > change for us is that it will be more difficult to find the sites which > are moving. > > Diane Hettrick > dhettrick@earthlink.net > > > > On Mar 15, 2008, at 3:27 PM, Helen Graves wrote: > >> I learned of this just a few days ago when the state administrator for >> North >> Carolina on GenWeb and several NC county administrators posted what is >> happening or was about to happen, which was a takeover by Ancestry.com. >> >> NC and 28 other volunteer state administrators with state websites on >> USGenWeb chose not to be taken over by Ancestry.com. Instead, they >> frantically moved their websites to different servers of their choice. >> Thus, >> a total of 29 states have avoided being taken over by Ancestry. >> >> Even though the CEO of Ancestry made assurances that access to the >> USGenWeb >> sites would remain free; most folks think it was a business decision >> and >> likely that there will be an access fee in the future. >> >> All I know about this is based upon the postings of the USGenWeb >> volunteers >> for North Carolina who have sent messages to NC county mailing lists. >> >> New York was not on the list of states that have obtained their own >> servers. >> I was told there was a lot of talk today on the NYGen mailing list >> (open >> only to NY county administrators) so I don't know what will happen to >> NY. >> It sounds like if they don't make their move now, Ancestry will be >> sweeping >> NY under their umbrella sometime today or perhaps have already done so. >> Today was the day that the takeover by Ancestry was supposed to take >> place. >> >> I can remember when Rootsweb was started by one or two people. It was >> always to be free. Then it got sold, with the promise it would remain >> free. >> I think the "free" days for rootsweb are probably numbered. Ancestry >> is in >> the genealogy BUSINESS to make $$ off their subscription fees. They >> have >> acquired many of the "free access" websites for a reason, and I don't >> think >> it will be to continue offering free access. >> >> Helen >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Al Lenkner" <alenkner@stargate.net> >> To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:14 PM >> Subject: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com >> >> >>> >>> from another list: >>> >>> >>> >>> Interesting article here: >>> >>> http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/03/rootsweb-to- >>> be.html >>> >>> See also: http?//blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom >>> >>> RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com. >>> >>> As a more-or-less skeptic, I wonder when the other shoe will drop >>> and RW will be either terminated or become a for-a-fee service, >>> despite Sullivan's claims to the contrary.. >>> >>> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PABUCKS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

I don't want to beat this subject to death so I promise that this is my last message on the subject. I think it's perfectly all right if people want to leave the RootsWeb/Ancestry system and set up elsewhere. Kathi posted that nice link which we have all dutifully bookmarked to help us find the GenWeb sites no matter where they are, so there's no effect on us. I remember the Maisur lists which predated RootsWeb. I'm still on a few of them. I remember that Brian and Karen had second and third mortgages on their property to buy servers to keep RootsWeb alive and that very few of us were lending financial support. Things do not remain the same forever. As far as content being taken and sold - that did happen but I seem to remember that it was FamilyTreeMaker that did it, not Ancestry. I personally think there's a risk anytime you post anything on a webpage. I am no expert on copyrights but there are a lot of resources which you can find through CyndisList.com. I don't think the sky is falling because Ancestry puts a lot of resources into genealogy. I thought that Brian's message was quite interesting and I look forward to what he comes up with - he was always the techogeek and I'm sure he's way ahead of the rest of us. Diane Diane Hettrick dhettrick@earthlink.net On Mar 15, 2008, at 4:01 PM, Helen Graves wrote: > Diane, > > According the the No Carolina state administrator, NC has left > rootsweb and > found their own serve. She posted that 29 states have left and she > named > which ones they were. Her post is all I know about this, except the > county > administrators for New York apparently were discussing what to do > today. > > I can remember when rootsweb was family owned and operated. I remember > when > it was sold to Ancestry and I remember the promise that access to > rootsweb > would always be free. > > The "Ancestry brand" you mention will be Ancestry advertising on all > USGenWeb pages. No doubt the access to the GenWeb state and county > sites > (the ones that stay with them) will be free. But what about all the > records > and databases the volunteers places on the sites? What about all the > information people have submitted to those sites under the premise that > access would be free? Won't all the volunteer work and freely donated > information instantly become an Ancestry property to do with as they > wish? > > Helen in Calif. > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Diane Hettrick" <dhettrick@earthlink.net> > To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 3:30 PM > Subject: Re: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com > > >> RootsWeb was "taken over" by Ancestry years ago when Ancestry >> purchased >> RootsWeb and kept running it exactly as it always had. If they >> hadn't, RootsWeb would be bankrupt and gone by now. The change is >> that >> the Ancestry "brand" will show on all pages hosted by >> Ancestry/RootsWeb. RootsWeb hosts (for free) the USGenWeb sites, >> which >> are a volunteer organization separate from Ancestry & RootsWeb. A few >> of the GenWeb owners are choosing to move to other locations. The >> only >> change for us is that it will be more difficult to find the sites >> which >> are moving. >> >> Diane Hettrick >> dhettrick@earthlink.net >> >> >> >> On Mar 15, 2008, at 3:27 PM, Helen Graves wrote: >> >>> I learned of this just a few days ago when the state administrator >>> for >>> North >>> Carolina on GenWeb and several NC county administrators posted what >>> is >>> happening or was about to happen, which was a takeover by >>> Ancestry.com. >>> >>> NC and 28 other volunteer state administrators with state websites on >>> USGenWeb chose not to be taken over by Ancestry.com. Instead, they >>> frantically moved their websites to different servers of their >>> choice. >>> Thus, >>> a total of 29 states have avoided being taken over by Ancestry. >>> >>> Even though the CEO of Ancestry made assurances that access to the >>> USGenWeb >>> sites would remain free; most folks think it was a business decision >>> and >>> likely that there will be an access fee in the future. >>> >>> All I know about this is based upon the postings of the USGenWeb >>> volunteers >>> for North Carolina who have sent messages to NC county mailing lists. >>> >>> New York was not on the list of states that have obtained their own >>> servers. >>> I was told there was a lot of talk today on the NYGen mailing list >>> (open >>> only to NY county administrators) so I don't know what will happen to >>> NY. >>> It sounds like if they don't make their move now, Ancestry will be >>> sweeping >>> NY under their umbrella sometime today or perhaps have already done >>> so. >>> Today was the day that the takeover by Ancestry was supposed to take >>> place. >>> >>> I can remember when Rootsweb was started by one or two people. It >>> was >>> always to be free. Then it got sold, with the promise it would >>> remain >>> free. >>> I think the "free" days for rootsweb are probably numbered. Ancestry >>> is in >>> the genealogy BUSINESS to make $$ off their subscription fees. They >>> have >>> acquired many of the "free access" websites for a reason, and I don't >>> think >>> it will be to continue offering free access. >>> >>> Helen >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Al Lenkner" <alenkner@stargate.net> >>> To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> >>> Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:14 PM >>> Subject: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com >>> >>> >>>> >>>> from another list: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Interesting article here: >>>> >>>> http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/03/rootsweb-to- >>>> be.html >>>> >>>> See also: http?//blogs.rootsweb.com/newsroom >>>> >>>> RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com. >>>> >>>> As a more-or-less skeptic, I wonder when the other shoe will drop >>>> and RW will be either terminated or become a for-a-fee service, >>>> despite Sullivan's claims to the contrary.. >>>> >>>> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> PABUCKS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PABUCKS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Please send me links to sites that have chose to leave rather than be associate with Ancestry.com I am one of the people that donated my information to them only to have them decide to charge me for access to MY OWN information ! NO WAY WILL I EVER PAY THEM A PENNY FOR ACCESS TO THEIR INFORMATION, If I am too old or too poor to visit the places and look up the PUBLIC information,then I will do without !!!! Linda --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

USGenWeb national pages has it's own domain name so no matter what server it is housed on it can be found by going to: http://www.usgenweb.org/ or http://www.usgenweb.com/ or http://www.usgenweb.net/ If a state or special project moves to server space outside of RW-Ancestry, the new link will be added to the national pages so it should not be hard for anyone to find their favorite state/county/special project. No need to be concerned that you will have trouble finding any USGenWeb page. Kathi Jones-Hudson, National Coordinator Tombstone Transcription Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~cemetery/index.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ