There are pros and cons. I lean toward putting the information out there. One exception is if I plan to publish something that resulted from serious research at a high cost (travel, fees, motels, Xeroxing, etc); that there is little chance of anyone duplicating my findings, I don't distribute it before publication. I've had several experiences similar to Sharon. On one occasion, I reluctantly gave several group sheets to someone who promised not to publish nor distribute further until my book is published, including submittal to companies that publish on CDs, such as WFT. This was VALUABLE data-- I foolishly included the source notes. Well, the person lost no time submitting the information for publication on one of the CDs. They even failed to eliminate the first footnote that warned not to submit this material to any organization that publishes the information on CDs. I was shocked, and decided that no one would ever be able to hijack that kind of information again. But for much of the material that I have developed, I share it, especially if it is not in the pipeline for publication and the information can be secured in courthouses and other public sources. Wilmer L. Kerns -----Original Message----- From: Sharon Banzhoff [mailto:shabanz@intrepid.net] Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 9:29 PM To: WVMORGAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [WVMorgan] Something To Think About - Family Group Sheet Project I learned the HARD WAY - I handed over 10 years of research and about a year later found it posted on the web as their own. They have marriages documented as FACT, when there has never been documentation to substantiate it. I have a few things I felt strongly about but I had no proof and I had it documented "IT IS MY BELIEF...........". When I saw it on the web, it was documented as a FACT. What I had spent 10 years working to find and document had been trashed in minutes. The line I passed on was MY maternal line. When I saw the material on the web, they even included MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, who had no ties whatsoever to the person posting. The person REALLY screwed up my line for sure - making things fact that never were. This is why you can't take what's online as gospel - you have to do your own research to be sure it's correct. What we get from others may be a starting point. We have too many genealogy pirates to just see something and take it as truth. The word soon gets out on those Pirating Genealogy and passing it off as their own. ALWAYS give credit to the person whose work you are adding to your own and MOST OF ALl, NEVER state something as a FACT, if it is only the belief of another - DOCUMENT IT AS SUCH. SKB ==== WVMORGAN Mailing List ==== Join the Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society TODAY! Visit their website @ <http://www.mchgs.com> for a membership form. Cost is $5 per person or $7.50 per couple per year.... a good investment. ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237