One of the first things I noticed when I began my research is how stingy some people can be with information. Why put it out there that you have information, just to deny others the privilege of seeing it? Personally, I find it more than a little odd.
On ancestry.com there are people with "private" family trees. I think I understand this one. It's very important to protect your privacy in this day and age. You don't want to give anyone anything they could potentially use to steal your identity. But, ancestry.com automatically sets living people to private. If your parents, or even grandparents are deceased, but you don't want people knowing their names, etc., why not just put that they are still living? They will be set to private, but people can still see the lines of your family that extend through history. After all, most people researching their family tree are more interested in going backward than they are forward.
Pictures are my absolute favorite. You just cannot beat being able to put a face with a name, so why hold them back? I realize your great-great-great grandmother is YOURS, but it might be mine too. And his. And hers. And his and his and hers too. Show us yours and we'll show you ours.
I've also noticed people on message forums who are annoyed someone "stole" their work and didn't give them credit. I get it. Researching this stuff takes A LOT of time and patience. A lot. Really. I feel your pain. Of course you should be given credit, but hopefully you didn't only research your family tree to receive glory from your family and friends. Surely you did all that work so you could feel confident about the true identity of your ancestors? Well, no amount of "copying" can take that from you. You did the work and you should feel proud that because of you, your family tree is well-sourced and out there for public use. The work you did will help countless others find their ancestors.
I really appreciate the trees people have online, and the pictures, and information in general, because part of the fun of all this is the exchange of information. And just like the Golden Rule teaches us, I believe the more willing you are to share with others, the more willing others will be to share with you.
On ancestry.com there are people with "private" family trees. I think I understand this one. It's very important to protect your privacy in this day and age. You don't want to give anyone anything they could potentially use to steal your identity. But, ancestry.com automatically sets living people to private. If your parents, or even grandparents are deceased, but you don't want people knowing their names, etc., why not just put that they are still living? They will be set to private, but people can still see the lines of your family that extend through history. After all, most people researching their family tree are more interested in going backward than they are forward.
Pictures are my absolute favorite. You just cannot beat being able to put a face with a name, so why hold them back? I realize your great-great-great grandmother is YOURS, but it might be mine too. And his. And hers. And his and his and hers too. Show us yours and we'll show you ours.
I've also noticed people on message forums who are annoyed someone "stole" their work and didn't give them credit. I get it. Researching this stuff takes A LOT of time and patience. A lot. Really. I feel your pain. Of course you should be given credit, but hopefully you didn't only research your family tree to receive glory from your family and friends. Surely you did all that work so you could feel confident about the true identity of your ancestors? Well, no amount of "copying" can take that from you. You did the work and you should feel proud that because of you, your family tree is well-sourced and out there for public use. The work you did will help countless others find their ancestors.
I really appreciate the trees people have online, and the pictures, and information in general, because part of the fun of all this is the exchange of information. And just like the Golden Rule teaches us, I believe the more willing you are to share with others, the more willing others will be to share with you.
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