Geni.com -- a flawed site?
Steve Hayes
I tried it and it was not a pleasant experience. I've reviewed it here:
http://hayesgreene.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/geni-com-a-flawed-site/
I'd be interested in knowing whether anyone else had better luck than I did.
--
Steve Hayes
Web: http://hayesgreene.wordpress.com/
http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/famhist1.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7783/
Bob Melson
I don't remember quite when it was some one of my kin first mentioned
geni.com, but it was several years ago. As a curious newbie I of course
went to the site and explored what I could without actually signing up and
have to say I was negatively impressed. The site was clearly, even then,
intended to be a money making proposition - nothing wrong with that - but
offered little that would justify a subscription: poorly organized,
limited in scope and clearly greedy. Too bad nothing has changed.
Stingy Ol' Bob
--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
A government big enough to give you everything you want is big
enough to take away everything you have. Thomas Jefferson
Gerry
Steve Hayes <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Has here anybody used Geni.com?
>
> I tried it and it was not a pleasant experience. I've reviewed it here:
>
> http://hayesgreene.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/geni-com-a-flawed-site/
>
> I'd be interested in knowing whether anyone else had better luck than I did.
On my resent family visit my brother-in-law showed me his relatives
posting to the Geni.com site, so when I got home I took a look at the
site. First things first I'm a skeptic at heart, and I was immediately
suspicious when the site was more interested obtaining information from
me then they were in explaining who they were. I did some research an
found this article at Wikipedia: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geni.com>.
The primary function of the Geni.com web site is to make money using
genealogy as the catch.
You cannot search the family trees of other members, unless you are
related at some cousin level (3rd to 5th comes to mind).
I passed on giving them any information on my family.
Wes Groleau
> The primary function of the Geni.com web site is to make money using
> genealogy as the catch.
True.
> You cannot search the family trees of other members, unless you are
> related at some cousin level (3rd to 5th comes to mind).
Are you suggesting that's bad?
When I looked at it long ago, I was concerned that
privacy was insufficient. Sounds like they've
at least done a little on that.
--
Wes Groleau
In any formula, constants (especially those obtained
from handbooks) are to be treated as variables.
Gerry
Wes Groleau <grolea...@freeshell.org> wrote:
> Gerry wrote:
> > The primary function of the Geni.com web site is to make money using
> > genealogy as the catch.
>
> True.
>
> > You cannot search the family trees of other members, unless you are
> > related at some cousin level (3rd to 5th comes to mind).
>
> Are you suggesting that's bad?
I use the RootsWeb World Connect where I can search very distant
ancestors, which would not be possible on the Geni.com site, as far as I
understand their rules.
Huntersglenn
that basically stated that I'd been included on someone's tree, and they
provided a link for me to see that tree. Only when I clicked on the
link, it was to find that in order to see the tree, I had to sign up
with Geni.com. I was able to contact the person who supposedly added me
to her tree, but she couldn't come up with a reason as to why she'd put
me on there - she is definitely not related to me in any way. I wrote
an e-mail to Geni.com, expressing my displeasure over being 'tricked'
into joining their site and requesting that they remove my name from
that tree and their site. They assured me that they would do so, but
I've never checked back to see if it happened.
I found those tactics to be slightly underhanded, and promised myself
that I would never use them.
Cathy
Huntersglenn
> Gerry wrote:
>> The primary function of the Geni.com web site is to make money using
>> genealogy as the catch.
>
> True.
>
>> You cannot search the family trees of other members, unless you are
>> related at some cousin level (3rd to 5th comes to mind).
>
> Are you suggesting that's bad?
> When I looked at it long ago, I was concerned that
> privacy was insufficient. Sounds like they've
> at least done a little on that.
I think that it's bad, mainly because if you've been added to someone's
tree (which usually happens without your knowledge), you should have the
chance to see what kind of information has been added. Someone added me
to their tree, but it was at some extreme cousin level and when pressed,
she had no idea why she'd added me, as we're not related in any way.
Cathy
Me
"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:lf7r15hcfv76jqqqv...@4ax.com...
I just looked at the site and the notion that I have to give them my email
address just to peek behind the curtain smells of mischief.
Steve Hayes
>Geni.com was brought to my attention when I received an e-mail from them
>that basically stated that I'd been included on someone's tree, and they
>provided a link for me to see that tree. Only when I clicked on the
>link, it was to find that in order to see the tree, I had to sign up
>with Geni.com. I was able to contact the person who supposedly added me
>to her tree, but she couldn't come up with a reason as to why she'd put
>me on there - she is definitely not related to me in any way. I wrote
>an e-mail to Geni.com, expressing my displeasure over being 'tricked'
>into joining their site and requesting that they remove my name from
>that tree and their site. They assured me that they would do so, but
>I've never checked back to see if it happened.
>
>I found those tactics to be slightly underhanded, and promised myself
>that I would never use them.
I've had a comment on my blog from someone from Geni.com, offering to help me
fix the problem, but in view of other peoples' negative experience described
here I'm not sure that it's worth the bother.
It seems rather similar to the My Heritage site, and possibly uses the same or
similar software.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
Daniel Horowitz
his pros and cons, but if you really want to build MORE than just your
family tree AND get tools that really work I will suggest you to try
MyHeritage.com
- First, is FREE
- You can customize your privacy level (from completely open to
completely private and in between)
- You invite family and friend to the site to do a collaborative job.
- You will get AUTOMATICALLY and continuously, a report of matches in
other family trees that you can see and even contact the owner of the
other tree very easily.
- You can upload pictures and tag people with face recognition
technology and create a beautiful slideshow.
- Display and input information in 34 languages (you may speak English
but your relative maybe not)
- Did I mention is free (till 500 people on the tree)
And many many more genealogy tools.
Yes they ask for your info, but only the basic to know how you are and
help you build your family tree.
Give it a try and let me know your opinion.
Did someone already use it??
Regards to all
Daniel Horowitz
Albert Conklin
I saw the part about free until you have 500 people on the tree. Which
I am sure most, even amateurs, already have.
Albert
J G Miller
> I'd be interested in knowing whether anyone else had better luck than I
> did.
Is it any worse than the ITV plc owned GenesReunited site?
Bob Melson
opined:
Yeah, MyHeritage is free - for 500 names. After that, you must pay. As
well, their "smart" matches are NOT terribly bright and their automated
research feature has never worked in the couple of years I've attempted to
use the service. It had gotten so bad a couple of weeks ago that I
removed my gedcom and cancelled my (free) membership.
As they say, your mileage may vary, but this is another that is, IMNSHO,
not worth the effort.
Bob Melson
Steve Hayes
<dydho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Give it a try and let me know your opinion.
>Did someone already use it??
I discovered that my family trees had been moved there from GenCircles (and
they didn't ask me first).
But now they keep nagging me that my family trees are too big for my "plan"
(the free one). But since they put them there without asking me, I think
that's their problem, not mine.
Hugh Watkins
> On Thu, 28 May 2009 03:44:49 -0700 (PDT), Daniel Horowitz
> <dydho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Give it a try and let me know your opinion.
>> Did someone already use it??
>
> I discovered that my family trees had been moved there from GenCircles (and
> they didn't ask me first).
>
> But now they keep nagging me that my family trees are too big for my "plan"
> (the free one). But since they put them there without asking me, I think
> that's their problem, not mine.
>
>
tell them to delete them
Hugh W
Wes Groleau
> - You can customize your privacy level (from completely open to
> completely private and in between)
> - You invite family and friend to the site to do a collaborative job.
And anyone you invite can invite anyone else. Making privacy a total
joke and making it inevitable that you will eventually have a member
nobody wants.
> - Did I mention is free (till 500 people on the tree)
Only three generations, eh? Bummer.
--
Wes Groleau
Bob Melson
opined:
> TANSTAAFL
> http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/WWW?itemid=984
Thank you, Robert Heinlein! There is, indeed, no
such thing as a free lunch.
Sci-Fi Ol' Bob