Personally, I wouldn't give FAG the time of day. I browsed their website a few days ago to find that many of my cemetery transcriptions have been copied from the MI Archives and/or my websites. The one I am VERY positive of, because it is not only a transcription, but also research that I did on death certificates noting persons buried there that did not have stones. 1560 of them. No mention of the original person - ME - who went out and did all the work. NOPE - it all belongs to one of their top 50 contributors. Now, if I sat on my butt every day and took all the transcriptions off from others websites, I could be the #1 contributor to FAG. NOT! First of all, let me say that I know that dates and names are not copyrightable. So, that is not the point, however, if they can copy all my work, does that mean it is open season on all their transcriptions that I can copy to my websites? I probably wouldn't have given it much thought other than FAG stirred up such a stink over some work we had on the MI Tombstone Project saying that we stole their work and put it on our website. The guy who contributed it to us after he sent it to FAG was all upset and I finally just removed it. I managed to get the email of the guy who took my work and told him what I thought, but, unless I become a member of FAG, I can't write them and tell them what I think. And ya know what - it will be a sorry day in you know where before I ever become a member of that organization. Definitely ticked here. <sigh> Jan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cheryl Rothwell" <[email protected]> > Find A Grave has become aggressive lately, at least in my area. In a > couple > cases [different counties], having discovered someone walking and > photographing a cemetery, a regular contributor demanded that the pictures > be given to Find A Grave INSTEAD of ILGenWeb. A G&H got chewed out for > giving things to me. Three different people doesn't seem like a > coincidence. > I am not happy. And they probably would have shared the pictures IF they > hadn't wanted the pictures INSTEAD of us. > > > > ------------------------------- > 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.431 / Virus Database: 270.14.123/2592 - Release Date: 12/29/09 07:47:00

I totally agree with you Jan. I do have some FAG contributors that send me duplicate photos first then upload them to FAG. However, I went to FAG looking for a clarification on a name someone was looking for and found a photo of my own fathers headstone on their site which # 1 I did not give them permission to use, # 2, the stone hasn't even been set in the cemetery as yet! It is sitting in my backyard and I know I haven't given anyone permission to come in my backyard to take a photo of it It can't be seen unless you walk in my yard around the back of the house around the porch and uncover it from the tarps it is under. So how did they just happen to get a photo of it? They swiped that one for sure! There are some definite thieves that work on FAG, now mind you, there are some great people that volunteer there, I have a few that go out and take duplicate photos of the headstones in the cemeteries so that they can send me a set for the counties I maintain and they can upload a different set to FAG, that way they don't break FAG's copyright violations, but when I saw the photo of my father's headstone on there I went ballistic. I personally won't send FAG anything and wouldn't P on them if they were on fire at this point. JMHO, Diane  NCGenWeb SC NCGenWeb CC NCGenWeb Special Projects -------Original Message------- From: Jan Cortez Date: 12/29/2009 9:45:07 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [STATE-COORD] Your Guidance is Requested - Cemetery Photos Personally, I wouldn't give FAG the time of day. I browsed their website a Few days ago to find that many of my cemetery transcriptions have been Copied from the MI Archives and/or my websites. The one I am VERY positive Of, because it is not only a transcription, but also research that I did on Death certificates noting persons buried there that did not have stones. 1560 of them. No mention of the original person - ME - who went out and did All the work. NOPE - it all belongs to one of their top 50 contributors. Now, if I sat on my butt every day and took all the transcriptions off from Others websites, I could be the #1 contributor to FAG. NOT! First of all, let me say that I know that dates and names are not Copyrightable. So, that is not the point, however, if they can copy all my Work, does that mean it is open season on all their transcriptions that I Can copy to my websites? I probably wouldn't have given it much thought other than FAG stirred up Such a stink over some work we had on the MI Tombstone Project saying that We stole their work and put it on our website. The guy who contributed it To us after he sent it to FAG was all upset and I finally just removed it. I managed to get the email of the guy who took my work and told him what I Thought, but, unless I become a member of FAG, I can't write them and tell Them what I think. And ya know what - it will be a sorry day in you know Where before I ever become a member of that organization. Definitely ticked Here. <sigh> Jan