Thanks for your sane message. America today tends to be so "het up" and "black and white". Best, Hal McCawley 4178 Pindar Way, Oceanside, CA 92056 760.941.4716 <HalMac@Cox.net> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Johnette Hodgin" <jhodgin@swbell.net> To: <pabucks@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 3:29 PM Subject: Re: [PABUCKS] RootsWeb to be Moved to Ancestry.com >I understand the concern about a cost for rootsweb (which I must admit I >haven't heard from any other site other than this one) especially since we >were all told would continue to be free to all when acquired by >ancestry.com many years ago. For that I feel we have the right to feel >misled if it is true. > > However, with regard to charges by ancestry.com, of course no one has to > subscribe. I work at a college that is currently researching the costs of > scanning documents. We are not talking campus-wide, but a small area of a > small to midsize college, and the costs are coming in a minimum of $70,000 > plus personnel. The cost of server space to house such an endeavor is > quite expensive, as are the programmers or software packages that allow it > to run. Most smaller college software packages cost over $2M - and that > is without all the implementation costs to get it working and the annual > licensing costs. I can't even imagine the costs for ancestry.com on the > scale that they have. I am so relieved that they have been able to access > many records that I can't reach, either because of the costs of gas > (whether by car or plane), with the hotel and food costs while I am there, > or just because I have no idea where to begin looking. They have also > provided a great > gathering place for those who may have information for me, like I have > information for them. Otherwise, we would continue to do what we did many > years ago--comb phone books (which fewer people are included in any more), > write lots of letters that go unanswered, try to run down family members > who somehow got custody of the family bible, or hope to find the last > living relative who remembers some very necessary piece of information. > > I'm sure many who subscribe are like me, willing to share particular bits > of information with others who can't afford access or who are not near a > library that can still afford the staff to house census records and other > information. I will be the first to admit that I cringe when I get the > bill. I also sit down and do a cost/benefit study to see if it is still > worth it to me. It still is. The time may come when I no longer benefit > proportionally or when I just plain can't afford it. I really hate to see > that time come. Meanwhile, I'm using it as much as I can. > > Bottom line is, please don't be too critical of ancestry.com for their > subscription services. Be critical as you want for their countering their > written statement to us many years ago that rootsweb will continue to be > free. However, I intend to write ancestry.com to make sure that what we > are hearing is true and ask them why, if so, they went back on the > original commitment. There might be a very good reason - or maybe not. > > ------------------------------- > 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 > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.21.7/1331 - Release Date: 3/16/2008 > 10:34 AM > >