>Didn't B&K spend the effort one time trying to get 501(c)3 >status? It's not nearly as easy or as inexpensive as it sounds. NOT TRUE! >OTOH, a belief in Free Genealogy doesn't get you far at the >County Courthouse, which will charge you as much as $2 a >page for a Xerox copy or $30 for a certified birth record. > >As you mentioned, there IS no free lunch. > >Cheryl >cc WVHampsh Please recall the old adage--NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!!! We have been the beneficiaries for many years of free site housing. So what do we have to really complain about? Concentrate on the things that have an immediate impact: The Digital Archives are currently in limbo. This is in spite of the fact that they have been offered free to the public for over ten years because of the contributions of the generous submitters and the server space of RootsWeb. It is incumbent on each CC to decide what to do with them. 1. If you have a server, do you want to copy them your personal site and then and move them to a new server? 2. Does your State Project want to incorporate them them into a new USGenWeb Archive Project? OR 3. Do you want to watch them suddenly appear on a commercial site, available only on a pay-per-view basis. Again, we have the option to do as we choose. As for your county court house, mine and probably yours, allows us the opportunity to copy the public records for free if we are willing to exert the effort to do so. Again, the county entities are entitled to charge for copies of documents. They don't provide a "free lunch" either. --Derick

Some genealogists that I've encountered over the years at RootsWeb have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses or have written to say they are going into a nursing home and will not ever have Internet access again...most have expressed a desire just as Karima stated, that their webpages and GEDCOMs be left in place to help other researchers in the future. Some have stated that they have no living family or no family who are interested in their research--but don't want to see their years of work go to waste and be thrown out. That definitely is one advantage of the free webspace at Rootsweb. Of course, the company will reap advertising revenue from banner ads and page views to your content--but the arrangement is of mutual benefit if that is what you want. Joan -------------------- Our own death is the only certainty in life luckily we are unlikely to know when and how Hugh W **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)

I just noticed something interesting with these three links. Using Firefox I see a RootsWeb favicon.ico even though it's not in the coding. Is this new, or did I just not notice it before? On my http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scwhite/ pages I have my own favicon.ico and that apparently takes precedence. Answered my own question. My USGenWeb site http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~palackaw/ now has the RootsWeb favicon.ico and it didn't before. Hugh Watkins wrote: > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nrthamgw/ > > it looks like you guys already made the break > > and I don't see any banners here > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engwgw/ > or here > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dnkcen/index.html > > so I think the reports are exagerated and have been used as an excuse > for empire building by your senior adminstrators with a chip on their > shoulders about TGN

Steve- Oh, absolutely...if your website requires features not available at RootsWeb or wishes to pursue commercial activity there are plenty of good alternatives out there. I never said otherwise. These are valid reasons to maintain sites elsewhere--but I think you will find that reliable sites don't come for $3.95 or $5.95 a month or free unless you are going to pay for the service through adverstising. My point is that no one is going to give you reliable webspace for nothing or next to nothing--there is something in it for every hosting service. Joan ---------------------------------- Genealogical & Historical societies have received good value from the Rootsweb relationship. However, as I am advising the two organizations I supports as a volunteer webmaster, the opportunity to introduce a new, easy to use Content Management System (Joomla and Wordpress are the two we are evaluating) to the process of administering the site will return significant benefits to the organization in ease of use and therefor the ability to maintain or more active and beneficial site. In addition, the societies will now be able to maintain a commercial presence on their website that has been prohibited by Rootsweb. Rather than relying on a diminishing volunteer base to print, inventory and fulfill orders for publications, they will be able to utilize Print on Demand and website order fulfillment. And they will no longer have to rely on me to handle HTML, tables and related issues. I can concentrate on providing back end support and advice but I can train them to maintain their own site. All items that were not available from Rootsweb. **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)

Gloria- Yes, you can do that but there are many possible problems associated with this type of arrangement: 1) bait and switch and increase in charges if you use too much of the shared bandwidth 2) extremely slow loading of pages during peak hours when all of the other webpages sharing the bandwidth with you are getting too much traffic 3) the service taking your pages offline if you exceed a specific amount of traffic in an allotted timeframe 4) the possibility that you are sharing a server with porn services that will result in your pages with shared IP addresses being blocked 5) loss of data because these cheap hosting services don't backup their data 6) while all the bells and whistle and "unlimited" claims sound good--many times you cannot make use of them because you are sharing with thousands of other sites using the same space/resources 7) fly by night hosting companies can just "disappear" and with them your data disappears too 8) "free" sites are not really "free" as someone has to be paying the bills and someone has SOMETHING to gain from hosting your site. You will either have advertising banners plastered across your site or nags for "donations" to support the "free" service. I could go on and on but those will do for starters. Joan ------------------------ Just thought I'd mention - Buying hosting for a web site is really awfully cheap - not a 'pay and pay' thing. Maybe $5-10 per month, or less in many cases, sometimes free. And getting 'easier and easier' to do. So that really has nothing to do with this issue. Gloria **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)

The main drawback of hosting genealogical web sites on "private" web sites is that once the person who is paying for the site stops paying (for whatever reason) the web site is taken down by the ISP and disappears. At least, by having my information on Rootsweb sites, I know that my hard work will be available for researchers in the future, if for some reason I am not. Karima

Derick Hartshorn wrote: > Folks, > > Like many of you, I have been in the USGenWeb Project since the git-go. > I have used RW servers since they first offered to house my sites. > I am extremely grateful to RootsWeb for these ten years of free hosting. > But lets not confuse RootsWeb with those who have a commercial > interest and who have been picking up the tab for server space. > Basically, there is "no such thing as a free lunch." Somebody has to > pay the bills. Absolutely. For many years, it was Brian and Karen who carried the load. Then we-who-benefitted got greedy -- we wanted not just free space, but free luxury space (i.e., search engines, cgi-capability, message boards and not just ONE, but one for obits and one for wills and one for deeds and one for marriages and one for...) without ever stopping to think of the long-range costs. For several years, no sooner than one new feature of RW would begin working properly 100% of the time than a newer feature would be introduced and four others requested. RW was buying additional servers with alarming frequency...and that was back before we all wanted so many images. B&K did what they could, but with day-jobs and a life to live it wasn't easy. They'd take a weekend off for family and a server would crash and from the screams, you'd've thought Armageddon was 30-seconds away, just because a free site went down for less than 24 hours. Then Brian fell ill. Those WERE the days, my friends, we thought they'd never end ... > TGN, in an attempt to promote Ancestry.com decided to add banners to > our pages without any discussion. The way they went about it has been > the point of contention. > Panic ensued and many folks could actually see the sky falling. > Whether or not our pages (and lists) were going to be cached became a > moot point. > Folks who had accurately predicted the end of the free lunch > blistered the rest of us with their "I told you so" reminders. > > I hope this will not only answer Judy's questions but be edifying to all. > First off, please refer to the history of how RootsWeb originated and > learn where we are coming from. > See: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~socgen/history.html > > > >>1. Will TGN "own" "my" stuff? Will my genie info on county sites still be >>"mine" (and my submitters), or will TGN "sell" my stuff? Will they put it >>into any pay subscription or product? > > > Not as long as the US Copyright laws are in effect. As far as caching > your material, I would be interested in knowing how they can use it > WITHOUT linking it to one of their RW sites. Of course, even if you You can't copyright FACTS. So if what you've put up is FACTS, nobody owns a copyright and everybody and his first cousin's wife's uncle can copy it legally. > have a new (non-RW) site, there is no guaranteed way to prevent > linking. That's the same as citing a source (almost). > The question everyone is asking: > > >>2. Will TGN "index" my stuff or do I leave the on-site search boxes. If TGN >>indexes, what are the pros and cons? If I later move from RW, will "my" >>indexed info (if they do it) drop off their index eventually? > > > TGN has probably already indexed your material--they won't say. That > involves a tricky interpretation of copyright laws and how they use > your information, if indeed, they do. You are free to remove your > material from their servers which should effectively end their shared > interest in it. If you have no connection with their server, they > would have a difficult time justifying their use of your material. > Don't be surprised that if you are removing your county site that > they don't put it up for adoption. > > >>3. RW has always been "easy" (well, relatively), so how do I pick another >>host IF I ever wanted to do that? I tried once before to pick a pay site >>for a personal web, but it got too confusing reading each host's info. > > > You either need to have the ability to finance your own server or > work within your own state Project to obtain one. > The NCGenWeb Project has a benefactor who has established a trust to > finance a server for the Project in perpetuity. > See: http://www.ncgenweb.us/ > > >>4. I'm still confused about the headers. What do I need to do? > > > Nothing. If they haven't appeared there yet, they will. > Your URL will also be renamed, if it hasn't already. The new address > is already appearing as http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/xxx > > Bottom line: Nobody can blame TGN for trying to enhance their > commercial presence on the web. While they may have used a ham-handed > approach in doing so, that is their right. They have been paying the > server bills and we were suddenly faced with either accepting their > banners or moving out. They may or may not have posed a threat to the > exclusive right to our intellectual creations. As for me, I have > always believed in FREE GENEALOGY, with no strings attached. The last > thing I want to see is the USGWP become a fragmented entity. The > USGWP Board has made some bold moves and is headed in the right > direction. My personal belief is that the national organization and > each state entity would be best served by incorporating as a 401 > (c)(3) or 501 (c)(3). I believe we will come out of this stronger than before. Didn't B&K spend the effort one time trying to get 501(c)3 status? It's not nearly as easy or as inexpensive as it sounds. OTOH, a belief in Free Genealogy doesn't get you far at the County Courthouse, which will charge you as much as $2 a page for a Xerox copy or $30 for a certified birth record. As you mentioned, there IS no free lunch. Cheryl cc WVHampsh -- There should be no attachments on this message, unless I specifically mentioned them above.

That may be. We have not experienced those problems at all, and things have worked well. There are some fine hosting companies out there. Right now I have a private server (non- rootsweb sites) with various sites on it. Am getting ready to move some sites elsewhere to hosting companies, and have experience with other (non-rootsweb) sites on various hosting companies. In my experience it's been fine. Gloria At 11:35 AM 3/31/2008, you wrote: >Gloria- > >Yes, you can do that but there are many possible problems associated with >this type of arrangement: >1) bait and switch and increase in charges if you use too much of the shared >bandwidth >2) extremely slow loading of pages during peak hours when all of the other >webpages sharing the bandwidth with you are getting too much traffic >3) the service taking your pages offline if you exceed a specific amount of >traffic in an allotted timeframe >4) the possibility that you are sharing a server with porn services that >will result in your pages with shared IP addresses being blocked >5) loss of data because these cheap hosting services don't backup their data >6) while all the bells and whistle and "unlimited" claims sound good--many >times you cannot make use of them because you are sharing with thousands of >other sites using the same space/resources >7) fly by night hosting companies can just "disappear" and with them your >data disappears too >8) "free" sites are not really "free" as someone has to be paying the bills >and someone has SOMETHING to gain from hosting your site. You will either >have advertising banners plastered across your site or nags for >"donations" to >support the "free" service. > >I could go on and on but those will do for starters. > >Joan >------------------------ > >Just thought I'd mention - Buying hosting for a web site is really >awfully cheap - not a 'pay and pay' thing. Maybe $5-10 per month, or >less in many cases, sometimes free. And getting 'easier and easier' to >do. So that really has nothing to do with this issue. > >Gloria > > > > >**************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL >Home. >(http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001) > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Good heavens. And you were concerned about the inflammatory nature of the TGN/Ancestry discussion. Genealogical & Historical societies have received good value from the Rootsweb relationship. However, as I am advising the two organizations I supports as a volunteer webmaster, the opportunity to introduce a new, easy to use Content Management System (Joomla and Wordpress are the two we are evaluating) to the process of administering the site will return significant benefits to the organization in ease of use and therefor the ability to maintain or more active and beneficial site. In addition, the societies will now be able to maintain a commercial presence on their website that has been prohibited by Rootsweb. Rather than relying on a diminishing volunteer base to print, inventory and fulfill orders for publications, they will be able to utilize Print on Demand and website order fulfillment. And they will no longer have to rely on me to handle HTML, tables and related issues. I can concentrate on providing back end support and advice but I can train them to maintain their own site. All items that were not available from Rootsweb. That is the single greatest benefit I have received from the range of conversations that have come from this change. It has allowed my organizations to take an honest look at the cost/performance opportunity available. For one of them, the implementation of a commercial address for maintaining a blog a year ago has already resulted in placement on the first page of Google searches for keywords related to our organization. We'll maintain a presence on Rootsweb to prevent cybersquatters who want our Google juice but the future will be a well maintained, administered and backed up website on a reliable ISP. Of which there are many despite the opinions I've read recently. On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 12:35 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Gloria- > > Yes, you can do that but there are many possible problems associated with > this type of arrangement: > 1) bait and switch and increase in charges if you use too much of the > shared > bandwidth > 2) extremely slow loading of pages during peak hours when all of the other > webpages sharing the bandwidth with you are getting too much traffic > 3) the service taking your pages offline if you exceed a specific amount > of > traffic in an allotted timeframe > 4) the possibility that you are sharing a server with porn services that > will result in your pages with shared IP addresses being blocked > 5) loss of data because these cheap hosting services don't backup their > data > 6) while all the bells and whistle and "unlimited" claims sound good--many > times you cannot make use of them because you are sharing with thousands > of > other sites using the same space/resources > 7) fly by night hosting companies can just "disappear" and with them your > data disappears too > 8) "free" sites are not really "free" as someone has to be paying the > bills > and someone has SOMETHING to gain from hosting your site. You will either > have advertising banners plastered across your site or nags for > "donations" to > support the "free" service. > > I could go on and on but those will do for starters. > > Joan > ------------------------ > > Just thought I'd mention - Buying hosting for a web site is really > awfully cheap - not a 'pay and pay' thing. Maybe $5-10 per month, or > less in many cases, sometimes free. And getting 'easier and easier' to > do. So that really has nothing to do with this issue. > > Gloria > > > > -- Steve Ole Olson 417-569-8062, mobile/text

Folks, Like many of you, I have been in the USGenWeb Project since the git-go. I have used RW servers since they first offered to house my sites. I am extremely grateful to RootsWeb for these ten years of free hosting. But lets not confuse RootsWeb with those who have a commercial interest and who have been picking up the tab for server space. Basically, there is "no such thing as a free lunch." Somebody has to pay the bills. TGN, in an attempt to promote Ancestry.com decided to add banners to our pages without any discussion. The way they went about it has been the point of contention. Panic ensued and many folks could actually see the sky falling. Whether or not our pages (and lists) were going to be cached became a moot point. Folks who had accurately predicted the end of the free lunch blistered the rest of us with their "I told you so" reminders. I hope this will not only answer Judy's questions but be edifying to all. First off, please refer to the history of how RootsWeb originated and learn where we are coming from. See: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~socgen/history.html >1. Will TGN "own" "my" stuff? Will my genie info on county sites still be >"mine" (and my submitters), or will TGN "sell" my stuff? Will they put it >into any pay subscription or product? Not as long as the US Copyright laws are in effect. As far as caching your material, I would be interested in knowing how they can use it WITHOUT linking it to one of their RW sites. Of course, even if you have a new (non-RW) site, there is no guaranteed way to prevent linking. That's the same as citing a source (almost). The question everyone is asking: >2. Will TGN "index" my stuff or do I leave the on-site search boxes. If TGN >indexes, what are the pros and cons? If I later move from RW, will "my" >indexed info (if they do it) drop off their index eventually? TGN has probably already indexed your material--they won't say. That involves a tricky interpretation of copyright laws and how they use your information, if indeed, they do. You are free to remove your material from their servers which should effectively end their shared interest in it. If you have no connection with their server, they would have a difficult time justifying their use of your material. Don't be surprised that if you are removing your county site that they don't put it up for adoption. >3. RW has always been "easy" (well, relatively), so how do I pick another >host IF I ever wanted to do that? I tried once before to pick a pay site >for a personal web, but it got too confusing reading each host's info. You either need to have the ability to finance your own server or work within your own state Project to obtain one. The NCGenWeb Project has a benefactor who has established a trust to finance a server for the Project in perpetuity. See: http://www.ncgenweb.us/ >4. I'm still confused about the headers. What do I need to do? Nothing. If they haven't appeared there yet, they will. Your URL will also be renamed, if it hasn't already. The new address is already appearing as http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/xxx Bottom line: Nobody can blame TGN for trying to enhance their commercial presence on the web. While they may have used a ham-handed approach in doing so, that is their right. They have been paying the server bills and we were suddenly faced with either accepting their banners or moving out. They may or may not have posed a threat to the exclusive right to our intellectual creations. As for me, I have always believed in FREE GENEALOGY, with no strings attached. The last thing I want to see is the USGWP become a fragmented entity. The USGWP Board has made some bold moves and is headed in the right direction. My personal belief is that the national organization and each state entity would be best served by incorporating as a 401 (c)(3) or 501 (c)(3). I believe we will come out of this stronger than before. Derick S. Hartshorn, County Coordinator, Catawba-Burke-Lincoln-Gaston-Cleveland, NC NCGenWeb.us Project

At 09:21 AM 3/31/2008, Sherri wrote: >The problem is because of the URL change from rootsweb.com to >rootsweb.ancestry.com. This change (URL) has broken everyone's includes and >mail merge forms. My includes and Mailmerge forms continue to work because I have used relative instead of absolute links. Pat

Joan has done her research and provides some good points. As usual, they're all negative. To be honest, those things can happen, have happened and will happen. Anyone considering going to a web hosting service needs to be aware of potential problems and check things out. The first thing, of course, is checking independent rating services to see what they say about web hosts. This is no different that checking with the BBB on a company with whom you're considering doing business. When you call the sales people, have the list of what they offer. Ask about each and every item. Ask about limits and costs if the limit is exceeded. A couple specific items. It is less expensive to go with a shared server. If that's a concern, ask about a dedicated IP. It's not that much extra. Backups? Anyone would be crazy to solely rely on the host. Buy a 500GB USB external hard drive, about $120, and backup all of your files each night and stick the HD in a fire proof safe. You should probably be doing that anyway. I'm not going to say where my sites reside. I'll tell anyone who is interested - offlist. Suffice to say, it's $136 for two years and about thirty times more disk space and bandwidth than the combined 30+ accounts use. Yes, not only my county account but all but seven of the towns in my county are all being hosted on one master domain. There is a tremendous list of stuff that's already included. How about your own mail list? Blogs? Photo gallery? Have you thought of something you'd like to be able to do and haven't? It's probably available on almost any decent web host. Be informed and make your decision based on all of the facts and what you think will best serve you and those who use your site. As another said, the cost for everything I get is well worth it. John In loving memory of our son, Brennan. 11/10/88-5/31/01. http://John.EssexCountyMA.net/Brennan Massachusetts Vital Records Project Administrator - http://MA-VitalRecords.org USGenWeb County Coordinator Essex County, MA - http://EssexCountyMA.net USGenWeb Town Coordinator Ipswich, Essex, MA - http://Ipswich.EssexCountyMA.net > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] Cheap and Free Webhosting > From: [email protected] > Date: Mon, March 31, 2008 9:35 am > To: [email protected] > Gloria- > > Yes, you can do that but there are many possible problems associated with > this type of arrangement: > 1) bait and switch and increase in charges if you use too much of the shared > bandwidth > 2) extremely slow loading of pages during peak hours when all of the other > webpages sharing the bandwidth with you are getting too much traffic > 3) the service taking your pages offline if you exceed a specific amount of > traffic in an allotted timeframe > 4) the possibility that you are sharing a server with porn services that > will result in your pages with shared IP addresses being blocked > 5) loss of data because these cheap hosting services don't backup their data > 6) while all the bells and whistle and "unlimited" claims sound good--many > times you cannot make use of them because you are sharing with thousands of > other sites using the same space/resources > 7) fly by night hosting companies can just "disappear" and with them your > data disappears too > 8) "free" sites are not really "free" as someone has to be paying the bills > and someone has SOMETHING to gain from hosting your site. You will either > have advertising banners plastered across your site or nags for "donations" to > support the "free" service. > > I could go on and on but those will do for starters. > > Joan > ------------------------ > > Just thought I'd mention - Buying hosting for a web site is really > awfully cheap - not a 'pay and pay' thing. Maybe $5-10 per month, or > less in many cases, sometimes free. And getting 'easier and easier' to > do. So that really has nothing to do with this issue. > Gloria > **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL > Home. > (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Just thought I'd mention - Buying hosting for a web site is really awfully cheap - not a 'pay and pay' thing. Maybe $5-10 per month, or less in many cases, sometimes free. And getting 'easier and easier' to do. So that really has nothing to do with this issue. Gloria On Mar 31, 2008, at 9:08 AM, Hugh Watkins wrote: > If it is not broken don't fix it :-) > > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okgenweb/ has moved so they have to > raise funds to pay and pay and pay > if they don't their ISP will take the site off line and delete it > > I believe that the ancestry GSU conflict started when the CEO of TGN > wanted have a formal agreement in place for accounts of the Family > History Libraries instead of an unwritten agreement for free access - > more panic occured after a now discontinued search engine sought to > index all trees and naive people thought their data had been stolen. > > In UK ante USA resentments surfaced "they have stolen our census" > simply not true - we pay for an index and copies on a remote server > and the convenience of home use - the census is still gratis to use > at our National Archives (pay for print outs) > > Hugh W > > On 31/03/2008, Judy Florian <[email protected]> wrote: >> No, no problems so far. Just confused by all the uproar and everyone >> "moving" and just want to make the right choices. >> >> >> Judy >> >> >> >> On 3/30/08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Judy- >>> >>> Read the RootsWeb AUP (click on the link at the bottom of any >>> RootsWeb page) >>> --note the section that explains the treatment of User Provided >>> Content. >>> That should answer your question #1. Also read the newsroom >>> announcements that >>> I linked to in my previous post--which clearly explains that >>> RootsWeb will >>> continue to be a free service as always (your webpage content is not >>> suddenly >>> going to become a part of any subscription service). I think this >>> is the >>> best >>> way for you to answer your own questions rather than listening to >>> what >>> anyone >>> interprets policy to be for you. >>> >>> RootsWeb's newly redesigned Search Thingy search engine will >>> index the >>> data >>> on your site and other privately owned websites at RootsWeb just as >>> Google >>> and any other search engine would do. There is no change is >>> your capability of >>> having a site search engine on your page as well. >>> >>> RootsWeb's AUP assures us all that our copyright and ownership of >>> any >>> original content on our websites will be honored. RootsWeb serves >>> as the >>> host of >>> the content for as long as you decide to house the content at >>> RootsWeb. >>> You >>> grant RootsWeb a limited license to distribute and house the data >>> while >>> your >>> pages reside on RootsWeb's servers. Of course, neither we nor >>> RootsWeb/TGN can >>> copyright or own facts. We can only copyright our original >>> content and >>> page >>> design and graphics we create. >>> >>> You shouldn't need to do anything about the new banners/headers. >>> That >>> is all >>> handled by RootsWeb and seems to work pretty transparently--at >>> least it >>> has >>> on all the pages I've seen. Are you having a problem with them? >>> >>> Joan >>> ---------------------------- >>> >>> >>> 1. Will TGN "own" "my" stuff? Will my genie info on county >>> sites still >>> be >>> "mine" (and my submitters), or will TGN "sell" my stuff? Will >>> they put >>> it >>> into any pay subscription or product? >>> >>> 2. Will TGN "index" my stuff or do I leave the on-site search >>> boxes. If TGN >>> indexes, what are the pros and cons? If I later move from RW, >>> will "my" >>> indexed info (if they do it) drop off their index eventually? >>> >>> 3. RW has always been "easy" (well, relatively), so how do I pick >>> another >>> host IF I ever wanted to do that? I tried once before to pick a >>> pay site >>> for a personal web, but it got too confusing reading each host's >>> info. >>> >>> 4. I'm still confused about the headers. What do I need to do? >>> >>> Thanks for clarifying, >>> >>> Judy >>> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] >> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and >> the body of the message >> > > > -- > For genealogy and help with family and local history in Bristol and > district. > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Brycgstow/ > > http://snaps4.blogspot.com/ photographs and walks > > main blog GENEALOGE > http://hughw36.blogspot.com/ MAIN BLOG > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message >

At 09:13 AM 3/31/2008, you wrote: >My question is why the text of an included header is missing on >Rootsweb.Ancestry page of cemeteries. > > >http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okdewey/cem/vassar/index.html > >The header includes the text >"This information is available free. If you paid money for a >subscription to get to this site, demand a refund." > >The text is on the header uploaded. It doesn't appear on the >page. The text USED TO APPEAR when it was on www.rootsweb.comJust >looking at your code, there are a lot of coding errors - You have a couple of doctype statements, a couple of head sections, etc. That may be caused by the way you have inserted your ssi's if that is what you are using. pat ---------- Pat Geary, Microsoft MVP - FrontPage We discuss FrontPage and Expression Web http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gearyfamily/frontpage/ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gearyfamily/expression-web/ Genealogy Web Design Tips and Tutorials http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/ http://www.genealogy-computer-tips.com/ - Blog

The problem is because of the URL change from rootsweb.com to rootsweb.ancestry.com. This change (URL) has broken everyone's includes and mail merge forms. Sherri -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Susan Bradford Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 9:13 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] page header missing My question is why the text of an included header is missing on Rootsweb.Ancestry page of cemeteries. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~okdewey/cem/vassar/index.html The header includes the text "This information is available free. If you paid money for a subscription to get to this site, demand a refund." The text is on the header uploaded. It doesn't appear on the page. The text USED TO APPEAR when it was on www.rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

The banners were originally scheduled to appear on sites the middle of April, I believe. A decision was made to delay them while TGN looked at ways that the special USGW banner could be placed on all pages on the site without the webmaster having to put special code in each and every page. John In loving memory of our son, Brennan. 11/10/88-5/31/01. http://John.EssexCountyMA.net/Brennan Massachusetts Vital Records Project Administrator - http://MA-VitalRecords.org USGenWeb County Coordinator Essex County, MA - http://EssexCountyMA.net USGenWeb Town Coordinator Ipswich, Essex, MA - http://Ipswich.EssexCountyMA.net > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] Questions about RW/URL change > From: "Hugh Watkins" <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, March 31, 2008 8:51 am > To: [email protected] > and http://www.worldgenweb.org/ > ?? > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nrthamgw/ > it looks like you guys already made the break > and I don't see any banners here > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engwgw/ > or here > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dnkcen/index.html > so I think the reports are exagerated and have been used as an excuse > for empire building by your senior adminstrators with a chip on their > shoulders about TGN > too bad > the yahoo groups / boards / lists has better technology than RW > but the big disadvantage if a lone admin dies they do not appoint a replacement > Hugh W > On 31/03/2008, Derick Hartshorn <[email protected]> wrote: > > Folks, > > > > Like many of you, I have been in the USGenWeb Project since the git-go. > > I have used RW servers since they first offered to house my sites. > > I am extremely grateful to RootsWeb for these ten years of free hosting. > > But lets not confuse RootsWeb with those who have a commercial > > interest and who have been picking up the tab for server space. > > Basically, there is "no such thing as a free lunch." Somebody has to > > pay the bills. > > TGN, in an attempt to promote Ancestry.com decided to add banners to > > our pages without any discussion. The way they went about it has been > > the point of contention. > > Panic ensued and many folks could actually see the sky falling. > > Whether or not our pages (and lists) were going to be cached became a > > moot point. > > Folks who had accurately predicted the end of the free lunch > > blistered the rest of us with their "I told you so" reminders. > > > > I hope this will not only answer Judy's questions but be edifying to all. > > First off, please refer to the history of how RootsWeb originated and > > learn where we are coming from. > > See: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~socgen/history.html > > > > > > > > >1. Will TGN "own" "my" stuff? Will my genie info on county sites still be > > >"mine" (and my submitters), or will TGN "sell" my stuff? Will they put it > > >into any pay subscription or product? > > > > > > Not as long as the US Copyright laws are in effect. As far as caching > > your material, I would be interested in knowing how they can use it > > WITHOUT linking it to one of their RW sites. Of course, even if you > > have a new (non-RW) site, there is no guaranteed way to prevent > > linking. That's the same as citing a source (almost). > > The question everyone is asking: > > > > > > >2. Will TGN "index" my stuff or do I leave the on-site search boxes. If TGN > > >indexes, what are the pros and cons? If I later move from RW, will "my" > > >indexed info (if they do it) drop off their index eventually? > > > > > > TGN has probably already indexed your material--they won't say. That > > involves a tricky interpretation of copyright laws and how they use > > your information, if indeed, they do. You are free to remove your > > material from their servers which should effectively end their shared > > interest in it. If you have no connection with their server, they > > would have a difficult time justifying their use of your material. > > Don't be surprised that if you are removing your county site that > > they don't put it up for adoption. > > > > > > >3. RW has always been "easy" (well, relatively), so how do I pick another > > >host IF I ever wanted to do that? I tried once before to pick a pay site > > >for a personal web, but it got too confusing reading each host's info. > > > > > > You either need to have the ability to finance your own server or > > work within your own state Project to obtain one. > > The NCGenWeb Project has a benefactor who has established a trust to > > finance a server for the Project in perpetuity. > > See: http://www.ncgenweb.us/ > > > > > > >4. I'm still confused about the headers. What do I need to do? > > > > > > Nothing. If they haven't appeared there yet, they will. > > Your URL will also be renamed, if it hasn't already. The new address > > is already appearing as http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/xxx > > > > Bottom line: Nobody can blame TGN for trying to enhance their > > commercial presence on the web. While they may have used a ham-handed > > approach in doing so, that is their right. They have been paying the > > server bills and we were suddenly faced with either accepting their > > banners or moving out. They may or may not have posed a threat to the > > exclusive right to our intellectual creations. As for me, I have > > always believed in FREE GENEALOGY, with no strings attached. The last > > thing I want to see is the USGWP become a fragmented entity. The > > USGWP Board has made some bold moves and is headed in the right > > direction. My personal belief is that the national organization and > > each state entity would be best served by incorporating as a 401 > > (c)(3) or 501 (c)(3). I believe we will come out of this stronger than before. > > > > Derick S. Hartshorn, County Coordinator, > > Catawba-Burke-Lincoln-Gaston-Cleveland, NC > > NCGenWeb.us Project > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

On 30/03/2008, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: snip > > By "our website" I'm not sure which website you are referring to--but if you > mean someone (the "company") was going to claim the right to your webpage > hosted by RootsWeb--what is the basis for this claim? More fear tactics designed > to frighten people with no basis in fact. If anything is ever going to KILL > RootsWeb, it will be the rumor and innuendo being so carelessly accepted as > fact by far too many otherwise intelligent people. snip as always I can count on words of mature wisdom from Joan Young I agree there is a hysterical ante TGN campagn no doubt due to petty jealousy of their commercial success and conflicts wirth GSU and US Genweb who next will be desparate for funding of their new sites If TGN maskes money from my data (eg by advertising) they will preserve it after I am gone good luck to them Hugh W

you guys are so pessimistic that you make me laugh a change ot URL is a tiny detail on todays web The CEO has just guaranteed in a keynote speech that RW will remain free to us Hugh W On 30/03/2008, John Slaughter <[email protected]> wrote: > The interface has changed "a bit?" The only thing that is the same is > the header. The "help desk" is nothing more than pages and pages of > FAQs. It's almost impossible to find what you want. One of the best > features of the old page was the notice of known problems and estimates > of repair time. All just more examples of the lack of concern for people > needing help. > > This is just what all corporate entities do. Make it difficult or > impossible to find how to actually contact someone. Make a person spend > hours reading useless FAQs. It is all intended to make the person give > up and go away. > > > John > In loving memory of our son, Brennan. 11/10/88-5/31/01. > http://John.EssexCountyMA/Brennan > > Massachusetts Vital Records Project Administrator - > http://MA-VitalRecords.org > USGenWeb County Coordinator Essex County, MA - http://EssexCountyMA.net > USGenWeb Town Coordinator Ipswich, Essex, MA - > http://Ipswich.EssexCountyMA.net > > > > -------- Original Message -------- > > Subject: Re: [ROOTSWEB-HELP] URLs > > From: [email protected] > > > Date: Sat, March 29, 2008 11:07 am > > To: [email protected] > > Linda- > > > > > The HelpDesk is still there whether or not the same names and faces are > > handling the requests for assistance. The interface has changed a bit -- but the > > RootsWeb HelpDesk is still there. Things change--get over it. > > > > Joan > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- For genealogy and help with family and local history in Bristol and district. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Brycgstow/ http://snaps4.blogspot.com/ photographs and walks main blog GENEALOGE http://hughw36.blogspot.com/ MAIN BLOG

get a gmail account as a back up Hugh W On 30/03/2008, Allison Saxman <[email protected]> wrote: > [Allison Saxman] I have been monitoring all these changes that have come up > in the last few months and I have not gotten resolution to several things... > > 1. 3 years ago, my ISP changed it's spam filtering and for one day, all > rootsweb emails (lists, subscriptions, etc) bounced - rootweb, per its > policy, automatically deleted me from all of my lists. That I understood, > wasn't their fault, and I re-sub'd to all lists that I could. However, > because I'm an AL CC (2 counties), I could only be manually re-sub'd to that > list by the AL SC. I emailed him then and he never re-sub'd me (there was > little traffic so I wasn't really concerned). I also emailed him about the > death of my co-CC for one county, asking for a replacement to be appointed - > again - 4 years later, still no response to repeated emails. Now, he's > moved the AL main AlGenWeb page. I haven't yet decided whether or not to > move my two AlGenWeb sites but likely will decide based on the response I > get to this email. And yes, the failure of my SC to resub me is a USGENWEB > problem not Rootsweb. > > 2. All that said, I have been a long-time subscriber to "Rootsweb Review." > I haven't received an issue for many months. I thought it was discontinued > until a few days ago I discovered the archives. I double-checked my > subscriptions - I'm subscribed, according to the website, but haven't > received either text or html versions of the "e-zine" since at least last > fall. How can I show as being subscribed and never get an email? > > Things are in turmoil, as far as I can tell. And I have to add...I am a > long-time ancestry.com subscriber. I have the "world" subscription. I am a > major researcher not only for my and my husband's families, but am a member > of the DAR and use it almost daily. It is not perfect, but makes my job and > my "hobby/obsession' easier for me. But I am extremely concerned about the > recent events. I have not yet pulled my websites but am on the verge of > doing so because I don't think the "volunteer" sites are being respected any > longer. > > Please, if anyone knows how I can solve either of my above technical > problems, let me know. > > Best wishes, > Allison Saxman > CC - Lamar Co, AlGenWeb > CC - Marion Co. AlGenWeb > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- For genealogy and help with family and local history in Bristol and district. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Brycgstow/ http://snaps4.blogspot.com/ photographs and walks main blog GENEALOGE http://hughw36.blogspot.com/ MAIN BLOG