I appreciate Find-A-Grave and its volunteers, use it often, and upload photographs of gravestones whenever possible. I agree that most people probably think they are creating the memorials as a service. Canvassing cemeteries, photographing gravestones, etc. is a wonderful service. As one of the so-called "complainers," however, I think it is important to clarify that my problem is with RECENT DEATHS where there is no gravestone to photograph or transcribe. While the people who are copying recent obituaries and death notices willy-nilly may have the best of intentions, those intentions are misguided. If I'd wanted an online "memorial" to my mother posted within three days of her death, I would have arranged for it. If I'd wanted her obituary published on Find-A-Grave, or anywhere other than the places I chose to publish it, I would have done so. Others have expressed more eloquently than I can the emotional jolt that can occur when one discovers a complete stranger has taken it upon themselves to add their recently deceased loved one to FindAGrave. I just ask that, in our passion to promote genealogy, we be more sensitive to the fact that there may be family members, especially of a recently deceased person, who think differently than we do about online services like FindAGrave. Connie

There is a man in the Augusta, GA that uploads all of the obits from the Augusta Chronicle every day. I am sure he thinks he is doing a service but this has always bothered me. I wonder if F-A-G should have something like a 10 year rule. No memorial unless the person has been deceased for 10 years. Michele -----Original Message----- From: transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Connie Sheets Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 8:54 PM To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com Subject: [TGF] Find A Grave I appreciate Find-A-Grave and its volunteers, use it often, and upload photographs of gravestones whenever possible. I agree that most people probably think they are creating the memorials as a service. Canvassing cemeteries, photographing gravestones, etc. is a wonderful service. As one of the so-called "complainers," however, I think it is important to clarify that my problem is with RECENT DEATHS where there is no gravestone to photograph or transcribe. While the people who are copying recent obituaries and death notices willy-nilly may have the best of intentions, those intentions are misguided. If I'd wanted an online "memorial" to my mother posted within three days of her death, I would have arranged for it. If I'd wanted her obituary published on Find-A-Grave, or anywhere other than the places I chose to publish it, I would have done so. Others have expressed more eloquently than I can the emotional jolt that can occur when one discovers a complete stranger has taken it upon themselves to add their recently deceased loved one to FindAGrave. I just ask that, in our passion to promote genealogy, we be more sensitive to the fact that there may be family members, especially of a recently deceased person, who think differently than we do about online services like FindAGrave. Connie The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I love Find-a-Grave and have found a lot of ancestors. I have made several requests for photos and volunteers have been great to fulfill the request. I even manage a few of my own ancestor's memorials. But, I have never understood these memorials for people who are not buried in a cemetery. Isn't that the point of Find-a-Grave, to find grave site locations of people buried in cemeteries? Why would someone put up obituaries before they are buried? Many people today are not even buried. My parents weren't. Lisa Gorrell On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 6:09 PM, Michele Lewis <ancestoring@gmail.com>wrote: > There is a man in the Augusta, GA that uploads all of the obits from the > Augusta Chronicle every day. I am sure he thinks he is doing a service but > this has always bothered me. > > I wonder if F-A-G should have something like a 10 year rule. No memorial > unless the person has been deceased for 10 years. > > > Michele > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of > Connie Sheets > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 8:54 PM > To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com > Subject: [TGF] Find A Grave > > I appreciate Find-A-Grave and its volunteers, use it often, and upload > photographs of gravestones whenever possible. I agree that most people > probably think they are creating the memorials as a service. Canvassing > cemeteries, photographing gravestones, etc. is a wonderful service. > > As one of the so-called "complainers," however, I think it is important to > clarify that my problem is with RECENT DEATHS where there is no gravestone > to photograph or transcribe. > > While the people who are copying recent obituaries and death notices > willy-nilly may have the best of intentions, those intentions are > misguided. > If I'd wanted an online "memorial" to my mother posted within three days of > her death, I would have arranged for it. If I'd wanted her obituary > published on Find-A-Grave, or anywhere other than the places I chose to > publish it, I would have done so. > > Others have expressed more eloquently than I can the emotional jolt that > can > occur when one discovers a complete stranger has taken it upon themselves > to > add their recently deceased loved one to FindAGrave. I just ask that, in > our > passion to promote genealogy, we be more sensitive to the fact that there > may be family members, especially of a recently deceased person, who think > differently than we do about online services like FindAGrave. > > Connie > > > > > > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Find A Grave has as one of their rules that obits are not to be uploaded.  It's one thing to glean info from an obit, but another to upload the obit in its entirety.   A number of obits are written by family members of the deceased.  But regardless of who the author is, it is copyrighted.        Someone once contacted me about my dad's memorial and suggested I include the obit and tell who all the survivors were.  I purposely did not include myself or my siblings on my dad's memorial because I am concerned with identity theft and desired my privacy.  I also pointed out to the person who contacted me about Find A Grave's policy on this subject and included a copy of it in my response.  I never heard from her again.  And she wasn't even a relative.         But having said that, I do use Find A Grave a lot and am grateful to those who post the memorials and spend hours and hours at a time in cemeteries photographing the stones.  They are doing me a service - especially when those graves are in locations far far from me.       My hat's off to the F A G volunteers!           Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana               ________________________________ From: Michele Lewis <ancestoring@gmail.com> To: 'Connie Sheets' <clsheets1@yahoo.com>; transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:09 PM Subject: Re: [TGF] Find A Grave There is a man in the Augusta, GA that uploads all of the obits from the Augusta Chronicle every day.  I am sure he thinks he is doing a service but this has always bothered me. I wonder if F-A-G should have something like a 10 year rule.  No memorial unless the person has been deceased for 10 years. Michele -----Original Message----- From: transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:transitional-genealogists-forum-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Connie Sheets Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 8:54 PM To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com Subject: [TGF] Find A Grave I appreciate Find-A-Grave and its volunteers, use it often, and upload photographs of gravestones whenever possible. I agree that most people probably think they are creating the memorials as a service. Canvassing cemeteries, photographing gravestones, etc. is a wonderful service. As one of the so-called "complainers," however, I think it is important to clarify that my problem is with RECENT DEATHS where there is no gravestone to photograph or transcribe. While the people who are copying recent obituaries and death notices willy-nilly may have the best of intentions, those intentions are misguided. If I'd wanted an online "memorial" to my mother posted within three days of her death, I would have arranged for it.  If I'd wanted her obituary published on Find-A-Grave, or anywhere other than the places I chose to publish it, I would have done so. Others have expressed more eloquently than I can the emotional jolt that can occur when one discovers a complete stranger has taken it upon themselves to add their recently deceased loved one to FindAGrave. I just ask that, in our passion to promote genealogy, we be more sensitive to the fact that there may be family members, especially of a recently deceased person, who think differently than we do about online services like FindAGrave. Connie  The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Connie, I didn't think of you as a "complainer"--but as one pointing out the poor judgement of an individual on FindAGrave. :) Janis Walker Gilmore Pawleys Island, SC On Oct 15, 2012, at 8:54 PM, Connie Sheets wrote: > I appreciate Find-A-Grave and its volunteers, use it often, and upload photographs of gravestones whenever possible. I agree that most people probably think they are creating the memorials as a service. Canvassing cemeteries, photographing gravestones, etc. is a wonderful service. > > As one of the so-called "complainers," however, I think it is important to clarify that my problem is with RECENT DEATHS where there is no gravestone to photograph or transcribe. > > While the people who are copying recent obituaries and death notices willy-nilly may have the best of intentions, those intentions are misguided. If I'd wanted an online "memorial" to my mother posted within three days of her death, I would have arranged for it. If I'd wanted her obituary published on Find-A-Grave, or anywhere other than the places I chose to publish it, I would have done so. > > Others have expressed more eloquently than I can the emotional jolt that can occur when one discovers a complete stranger has taken it upon themselves to add their recently deceased loved one to FindAGrave. I just ask that, in our passion to promote genealogy, we be more sensitive to the fact that there may be family members, especially of a recently deceased person, who think differently than we do about online services like FindAGrave. > > Connie > > > > > > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message