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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2004-05 > 1083608903


From: "Roberta J. Estes" <>
Subject: RE: Re: [DNA] Ancestry new policy
Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 14:28:23 -0400
In-Reply-To: <004e01c4313b$3fccbbb0$0300a8c0@local.net>


I have for years felt consistently guilty about not uploading my
information anyplace, but today I feel like I have done the right thing
after all.

I am on the lists and message boards, and will willingly and eagerly
share any info I have with other researchers on my family lines, but I
have always been very reserved about what is out there on Ancestry. I,
like others, have seen many, many abuses and errors.

In addition, I have speculative date in my own file. It's documented as
such, and as I work on things I update it, but it has all the potential
to become "fact" or maybe more appropriately termed "legend", taking on
a life of its own, that I can never effectively update or recall. I
never felt like "cleaning up the file" to post it, meaning remove
anything unproven, my notes, etc.

The fact that one can never remove something even if it is in error
always had me very concerned. Good genealogy is always changing with
the addition of new information, especially on those long-ago lines.

I'm reminded of the old pac-man game where all of the little pac-men run
around and gobble each other up.

I'm always saddened to find that "things" happen that are unexpected -
like the example herein stated where the World Connect info "finds" its
way into Ancestry. I doubt from what Beth said that he would have
loaded his info in to World Connect had he known. I strongly considered
World Connect, but now am glad that I did not participate. I certainly
saw nothing indicating the "leak" between the firms.

I have these same concerns about the DNA testing companies in the
future. When I see the affiliations of "for profit" testing companies
and "non-profit" firms, it makes the red neon danger light start
flashing. I can't quantify what the specific issues might or will be,
but I do know that it makes me nervous as those goals seems to be in
conflict with each other and the "for profit" one clearly seems to be in
a position to take advantage of the info from the "non-profit" one where
people contributed their DNA and data without any idea where this
fledgling science and market would take the results.

There are some uncomfortable parallels in all of this to me. It's just
that the ancestry.com "genealogy data" field is several years ahead of
the "DNA data" field. In all market segments of new technology, there
are new entries into a new field, some die off, some buy each other,
then finally a few establish themselves as permanent players.

So in a nutshell, if Ancestry.com (or similar company, not to pick on
ancestry) ever buys one of the major DNA testing companies, we're all
screwed.

Roberta Estes

-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Adams [mailto:]
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 2:20 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Re: [DNA] Ancestry new policy


Bill,

I have never posted my GEDCOM on Ancestry.com.....always used World
Connect at Rootsweb. However, they share the files. When I do a search
on Ancestry's Family Trees, my GEDCOM appears even though I have never
submitted anything to Ancestry.com. It is my bet that anything that is
uploaded to World Connect will eventually end up in the new "One World
Tree."

Beth



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