In a message dated 3/30/98 12:32:53 PM, [email protected] wrote:
<<Recently I have seen some discussion about why you should not upload your
"less than perfect" genealogy data to the internet. As a result, I have
just taken my database offline temporarily while I mull this over. I was a
COMPLETE novice when I started collecting genealogy data about 8 years
ago... I didn't even know enough to write down the sources of my info for
the first year! (Of course when I started this it was just for myself and I
never imagined that anyone else would see it.) My present database contains
over 12,000 persons, not counting the royalty. I have worked almost daily
for the last 4 years going back over each of my direct lines trying to find
and record more info and better sources. But I have included info on
siblings and their families and collateral lines which I have not, for the
most part, tried to verify. I have not yet even had time, access to
resources, or money to gather all the primary sources that I expect are
available for every one of my direct ancestors. I do/did have a notice
quite prominently on the homepage of my database warning to copy the data at
your own risk because it was not all verified by me. But now I am wondering
if that is enough. Should I not upload ANY genealogical info that has not
been verified by me with a primary source at best or secondary source at
least? I hate to have someone copy something from my data without them
checking it further, but I will also miss out on the MANY people who have
seen my data and written to give me more info or correct my errors or point
me to other resources. I'm sure not everyone who has a less than perfect
database is going to remove theirs from the web. But I don't want to have
mine up there just because "everyone else is doing it"! Does anyone care to
discuss the pros and cons of this issue?
Linda Cassidy Lewis
[email protected]
>>
Hello Linda,
If you indicate in some way that the information is questionable such as
stating " Robert Jones was probably the husband of Jane Smith, that leaves it
to the researcher to make the choice. But any good researcher will use what
they get on the internet as a clue and will gather the documentation to prove
it them selves.
John Fox
WinstonSalem , NC