Excuse me, but I can hold my peace no longer and feel I must chime in.... I
know first hand that Ancestry never planned or promised to post everything
free, so no one should ever have gotten that idea. My husband started
Ancestry in 1983, built it originally as a publisher of the very best
genealogical reference books available to the public during a time when
reference books were not very common, and when he sold his company to the
folks who now operate it, they told him/us from the beginning that they
planned to build an internet online company which had some things free but
which mainly earned its money (to keep it operating and expanding!) from pay
services and information. While we do not agree with everything they have
done (including getting away from seeking out authors to write those
extremely important reference books, which continues to be a portion of
their business), we do feel that there has not been a departure from their
originally-stated purpose and certainly has not been any attempt at
deceiving the public. As a company they continue to be committed to creating
the best available - in this case the best online genealogy database for
those who choose, for whatever reason, to do at least some of their research
at home. Those who don't like the idea should continue to do their own
research in libraries of their choice; those who do not find information on
their own lines should perhaps consider checking again in a year or two to
see what new things Ancestry may have added; and those who wish to have an
online place to find genealogical information should certainly think
supporting Ancestry by purchasing their yearly membership. Thanks for
listening.... Kathi
** Using Legacy, THE genealogy program! **
To download the Legacy 3.0 free version, click here:
http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Index.asp?mid=13MBFAP
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott and Aliceann Carlton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Ancestry.com [et al]
> Messrs. Turner and Blair (who submitted on behalf of Elizabeth Watkins):
>
> Such pompous responses. Such mercenary attitudes. Such quintessential
> American consumerism. We certainly all owe the people at Legacy and
> Millenniacorp a true vote of thanks and appreciation ... at least THEY
don't
> reflect your 'values.' Yet. And that, my friends, is precisely the
point.
> Neither did Ancestry. I'm still naive enough and ignorant enough and
> stubborn enough (and poor enough) to believe in sticking to an agreement.
>
> You both reference the work and costs associated with posting databases.
> There are lots of things which might be posted were it not for 'policies'
> which are contrary to the spirit of such postings. I, for one, (and I've
> learned that no matter how I feel about some particular issue, I am NOT
> unique. Someone else out there feels the same way... God, that I should
be
> so special!) have many cemetery records which could be posted (should be)
> but I'll not post them to a commercial site. For a while I had looked
> forward to that at Ancestry.com. Past tense. Perfect.
>
> You know, it's a bit like, well, "So you get what you pay for." {Robert
> Blair} So where is this philosophy where Legacy is concerned? Why are we
> still seeing postings about 'why can't Legacy print my page MY way? Maybe
> they will hurry up with the fix and get things MY way in the next up-date?
> Hurry??'
>
> And what is this $15.99 figure? It is not, as I read it, Ancestry's
annual
> "membership" nor a monthly breakdown thereof.
>
> "The only site that I know that can
> offer some of these services for free is the familysearch.org. The reason
> they can is because they have the services of their church members for
free.
> They have very low personal [sic] costs." Robert Blair
>
> Yes... it's called sharing. It's called caring. It's called helping.
It's
> called volunteering. It goes by many names but, the name notwithstanding,
> the idea is life is not just buy and sell. Although you leave me with the
> feeling that you haven't learned that yet.
>
> "Hey, while we're on this train of
> thought; maybe my doctor should see me for free because he was going to be
> in the office today anyway....." C. Turner
>
> Yes, he probably should, IF that's what he agreed to when he first became
> your doctor!!
>
> "When I work I charge for my
> services. I sometimes provide information that was free to me -- I still
> charge for my services [computer sciences instructor]." C. Turner
>
> "... $100 per month - then add my subscriptions at Ancestry and
> Genealogy.com
> among others, books, copies, postage, and gen. society dues... what an
> expensive hobby ...." C. Turner
>
> So are you saying that, like Ancestry.com and other commercial sites, you
> are no stranger to overcharging for your services?? Kinda sounds that
way.
>
> If I ever encounter you stranded on the side of the road somewhere down
> there in Cabarrus County, NC. ... perhaps a flat tire or an inadvertent
slip
> on the ice ... remind me to send you a bill, ok, Mr. Turner? You'll have
to
> promise to remind me because I don't normally charge for such assistance.
>
> Scott Carlton
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: C. Turner
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 11:37 PM
> Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Ancestry.com [et al]
>
>
> Great response Elizabeth and may I add to the earlier comment "I don't
need
> a web host, I am my own" I can't imagine that any one of us can afford to
> truly be our own web host. If you do manage to run your own server as a
> hobby then I am very impressed, keep it up and maybe more folks will
> purchase server software, dedicated web servers, bandwidth, and the power
to
> leave their systems online 24/7.
>
> Now, I research and read Cabarrus County NC public records every single
> week -- I just happen to live in Cabarrus County NC. I need to access
some
> public records near New York (where I don't live and never visit) and
> therefor I should expect someone to get those records to me in an
electronic
> format and I should expect to pay them nothing? Also, I'd like them to
send
> me the indexes so that I can select the additional records I'll need.
After
> all, the records are free to them. Hey, while we're on this train of
> thought; maybe my doctor should see me for free because he was going to be
> in the office today anyway.....
>
> It's just not fair to continue complaining about companies that charge for
> services -- we each can elect to pay or not -- same goes for gen software,
> don't want to spend much then use PAF or Legacy, want to spend big bucks
> then try FTW. It remains a personal decision. When I work I charge for
my
> services. I sometimes provide information that was free to me -- I still
> charge for my services [computer sciences instructor].
>
> [note: I wish I paid only $15.99 for my ISP. Add the extra phone, AOL
> account, local dial-up, and Roadrunner bills and my service costs almost
> $100 per month - then add my subscriptions at Ancestry and Genealogy.com
> among others, books, copies, postage, and gen. society dues... what an
> expensive hobby -- didn't someone say this hobby was free?]
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> Elizabeth Watkins
> Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 1:11 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: [LegacyUG] Ancestry.com
>
>
> I just read a good answer to some of the complaints on Rootsweb. OK, I
will
> try to educate you. You say you have a web site with data available for
> free. How many megabytes of data do you have? My guess is much less than
> 5mb. Those sites that charge have many 1,000s of megabytes of data.
Storage
> cost money, a lot of money. The computers to run a web site cost money. To
> run a large web site you need main frame computers, PCs will not handle
the
> work load. You are paying 15.99 for a very small part of the computers
that
> your ISP has. They have many hundreds of people paying a like amount or
more
> if they have large storage requirements. Their business customers pay much
> more than your 15.99. How much data on your web site did you transcribe
from
> the original records? To put a census on the web you have to scan each and
> every image and then have someone edit the image to clean it up so you can
> read it. If you have indexes that can be searched you have to transcribe
> each name in those images by hand. I know of no program that can read
census
> records and come up with a list of names. How many names can a person
> transcribe in a day? It takes a long time and many people to create these
> indexes, and people cost a lot of money. The only site that I know that
can
> offer some of these services for free is the familysearch.org. The reason
> they can is because they have the services of their church members for
free.
> They have very low personal costs. All the other sites need to pay their
> people a salary. RootsWeb was (still is but not adding information) free.
> But they asked for donations to cover their costs. Not enough people came
> forward with donations so they had to sell. So you get what you pay for.
You
> get less on the free sites and more on the pay sites. Even some of the pay
> sites have free areas. These free areas may not have everything you want
but
> they do give you some service. Me I don't mind paying for a service that
> gives me what I want. I was a subscriber to RootsWeb. I have subscribed to
> some that did not seem worth it, so I canceled my subscription. You need
to
> make up your own mind on what you spend your money on. And since I am
> retired I need to be a bit picky about who gets my money but I do not
object
> to paying for a good service. Robert Blair
> In response to the following;
> > Speaking or thinking of ancestry.com or any other site that charge >
> people to see public records such as census or news papers ,really >
sickens
> me. yet I can walk into a courthouse or city hall and pick out > anyone's
> criminal record land and tax records etc: and read the entire > thing word
> through word for free!! > > these sites are charging outrageous prices
above
> all. I have a website > with several pages and much info ,it didn't cost
me
> a
> penny to put them > together other than my monthly fee for internet
service
> which is $15.99 > a month I dot need a webhost I am my own ,I don't charge
> anyone to read > them. so where do the charges come from that these
> genealogy sites come > up with? some one please educate me. >
>
>
>
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