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Archiver > APG > 1999-12 > 0944425875


From: "Mills" <>
Subject: Re: [APG] Data CDs
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999 14:31:15 -0600


Jan wrote:
<I think a diamond-studded carrot would be to authorize them to use the APG
Seal of Approval (or some such seal). If the council doesn't think they
have
followed the standards, they don't get to use it. . . . or is this something
that the
NGS should own (i.e. clearly relating to supporting genealogical standards
and
principles . . . ?>

Jan, what exactly would APG or NGS be approving? What standards would be
set? Would we approve the reliability of a publisher's advertising--in print
or on its website? The thoroughness with which the company has described its
product in its preface to the content? The thoroughness or accuracy of the
product's source citations? The accuracy of its content? Would the great
masses of untrained hobbyists see our seal of approval on a product and
assume that the content *is* reliable because the product bears APG's or
NGS's seal of approval? Would we provide this service for print publishers
as well as electronic publishers? Would we provide it only for print and
electronic publishers that are big names (how would we define that
criteria?) or would we do this for every individual genealogist who
publishes anything at all?

I know I'm sounding like a total wet blanket here. But the idea has been
introduced to the APG board more than once over its 20-year history (though
not recently, to my knowledge) and so far no one has been able to establish
criteria that the majority considers doable.

On a related but broader scale, dare I say that I see a double standard
being applied in this thread? For a long time, there were two "camps" in
genealogy -- computer genealogists and "real" genealogists. The "real"
genealogists" felt it was their mission to teach the "computer genealogists"
what standards were, whether the "computer genealogists" realized that they
needed this help or not -- and the "computer genealogists" resented that
attitude. We've come a long way from that point. The two "camps" are totally
integrated now. But vestiges of the bias still remain. We all know that
there are print publishers who produce works of inferior quality. Gee
whillikers, Virkus is still a big seller! So why has this forum not targeted
its publisher for complaints about the unreliability and poor quality of
some its material? (Before I'm through with this thread, I'm liable to have
both print and electronic publishers mad at me <g>, but at least I'm showing
no bias to either <vbg>.)

Elizabet

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