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Hi, all
I'm new to geneaology searching my family and signed up with ancestry.com.
I see all these ads and discussions on this board about software, and want to know if I need something more than the tree I'm creating on ancestry.com??
I've gotten back to the 1910 time period, 4 generations now back, and it seems to hold all the information I've found so far.
Someone please correct me if I am wrong... but the tree you make on Ancestry is available to everyone. So all your living relatives that you place on it will be available.
So while you are delving into the Smith family, the entries might come up Living Smith if the person is alive.... but then, with a few clicks you can find out who they are.
It's not perfect.
So I'd far rather not share my information so easily online. I've been as close as I never want to be again to a couple of online stalker situations.
Other people don't like the idea of the hours of work and investigation they put into something, having it outright stolen and misused online. I can't say that I don't agree with them on that, considering some of the amazingly sloppy work I've seen done by people, just to fill in a slot.
It is never wise to only use an online site for holding your research. Access rules change, sites go down, glitches happen. It is best to have a program on your computer for this data and then if you wish to share it at an online site you can make a gedcom and upload it.
Someone please correct me if I am wrong... but the tree you make on Ancestry is available to everyone. So all your living relatives that you place on it will be available.
So while you are delving into the Smith family, the entries might come up Living Smith if the person is alive.... but then, with a few clicks you can find out who they are.
I have not found that to be the case. Any time I've seen a living person in someone else's tree, I am not able to access their details - it says "Because this person is living, we've hidden personal details". But if you're worried about it, you can make your tree private instead of public and in this case, no one can access anything on your tree unless you allow them.
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Other people don't like the idea of the hours of work and investigation they put into something, having it outright stolen and misused online. I can't say that I don't agree with them on that, considering some of the amazingly sloppy work I've seen done by people, just to fill in a slot.
Again, that's why some people make their tree private.
To answer the OP's question, the main reason people use software is because it allows a lot more management options. Recently, Ancestry has added a lot of new features to the online trees - but they still do not match the features their software offers. For example, with the software, you can bring up all people in your tree who have burial information so if you're going out to visit the known cemeteries of where your ancestors are buried, you can easily view only the relevant individuals. Or say you're missing the birth dates of certain ancestors - the software can pull up all individuals missing those details and provide you with a list to work off of. You can bring up all individuals who lived in a certain area. Or all those with immigration details. The options are limitless and the online trees don't provide these features as far as I know. You may not have a need for such features yet but as your tree grows, you might.
I have not found that to be the case. Any time I've seen a living person in someone else's tree, I am not able to access their details - it says "Because this person is living, we've hidden personal details". But if you're worried about it, you can make your tree private instead of public and in this case, no one can access anything on your tree unless you allow them.
Again, that's why some people make their tree private.
To answer the OP's question, the main reason people use software is because it allows a lot more management options. Recently, Ancestry has added a lot of new features to the online trees - but they still do not match the features their software offers. For example, with the software, you can bring up all people in your tree who have burial information so if you're going out to visit the known cemeteries of where your ancestors are buried, you can easily view only the relevant individuals. Or say you're missing the birth dates of certain ancestors - the software can pull up all individuals missing those details and provide you with a list to work off of. You can bring up all individuals who lived in a certain area. Or all those with immigration details. The options are limitless and the online trees don't provide these features as far as I know. You may not have a need for such features yet but as your tree grows, you might.
I may have been toodling around Ancestry while there was some glitch, but I did find actual names of living people about a year or so ago, when I upgraded my FTM to the newer version. That's when I started getting leaves. A number of close relatives started trees and abandoned them... and that's where I found them.
I had no idea about the cemetery thing. That could be QUITE handy.... I think this is the year I really delve into the minutia of my family. I've recovered enough from losing my mother in June that I've stopped walking around in a total fog....
I also seem to recall that I did a rather thorough comparison between softwares and went with FTM, although I can't remember why (momfog).
I agree with all the posters above. I don't post my information online because of privacy concerns, potential availability issues, ease (or complexity) of use, and "theft" (for lack of a better word). I spent hours verifying information, and in my experience people will just "steal" your facts and incorporate them into their own trees. It very much annoys me to work for weeks or months on a line and have someone take anything they want without adding information. Maybe that makes me selfish. I'll gladly help others or share information, but I expect reciprocity.
Mostly, I like having my tree accessible with or without the internet. I like doing searches like PA2UK mentioned. I like the convenience of my own program. To each their own. Just have fun!
Other people don't like the idea of the hours of work and investigation they put into something, having it outright stolen and misused online.
Yes, there is a lot to think about in making that decision. I made my tree private and was immediately pestered by people sending messages. Set it back to public and people immediately started poaching. The records I assured were accurate: death/birth/marriage certificates, I kinda didn't mind, at least I knew that trees might be made more accurate. On the other hand, as you've said, I put a lot of time and resources into finding that stuff. Also, I saw people pulling stuff from my public tree and adding it to their private trees. Those users got a message from me saying "hey. I share, you share." If they kept taking records, I blocked their butts
I suppose the most aggravating of all was that people were pulling records that weren't that hard to find: census records and the like that Ancestry practically throws in your face. I scowled at that activity and thought "lazy @ss people. It only took me about 15 minutes to find that record."
Adding to the "stalker" aspect - Ancestry might list people as "living", making it seem as if they are protected, but if you are subscribed to a news archive service there is a good chance those people can be tracked down via obituary listings (survivors) or wedding and birth announcements. On the good side of that, I've connected to distant cousins who helped me build my tree and make it accurate.
So, it can be a conundrum - trade the aggravations of working with Ancestry and remaining public with positive aspect of making connections and gaining information that might only be found in private hands.
Myself - I use a combination of Ancestry and FTM. As I delve into sources found outside Ancestry - information found in state and local genealogical societies as well as publications - I find myself adding the info to FTM and not updating Ancestry. The annoyance factor just grows greater in adding that info one day and seeing two or three people poach it the next. I swear, I think there are some people who are hovering like vultures over my tree, ready to pluck whatever I add to it
Uh, what about good ol' paper and ink. The original "software."
I have to say I cannot even imagine what that would look like. I have a binder full of stuff I need to upload. it's such a daunting task that it might never get done. Add to that I've found the same censuses so many times because I never found a way to keep track of anything that way.
Uh, what about good ol' paper and ink. The original "software."
The amount of paper and ink is astounding if you really get into it. Plus it is difficult to make corrections. A genealogy program costs very little and really makes it a million times easier.
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