Genealogy Chat

Can anyone give me any tips on how to get through to the people I have sent messages to. I rarely get a response. Am I doing something wrong or if not why am I sent hot matches for people who do not use the site? Some of them match my tree through all the generations but they don't reply
Anne

There is nothing you can do if people don't reply. Sometimes people just come onto Genes as a place to keep their family tree but don't really use the site for anything else. Have you checked to see whether or not your message to them has been opened?

Kath. x

Some have opened the message others not
Anne

When I write making initial contact I give a lot of information about the connection, date of births, parents, siblings and spouses but keep some information in reserve. I never request to view the other persons tree on this initial contact and never open my tree to anyone else unless a link has been established.

I have found that some members just don't reply, so reply thanking me for taking the trouble even when we don't have a link. I alway send a message back thanking them so that I can cross them off the list and sometimes I find that elusive contact with loads of new information. To the ones that don't reply I think it is their loss though I do find it frustrating that I cannot find out when they last came on GR. I do know that there are some trees on here that are redundant as the member has died but GR have not cleared them off the system.

My home page tells me that there are well over 10 million members on GR ........... that is information as of February 2009.

It must be well over 11 million by now.


That number is cumulative from the day that GR started back in 2003/4


That number includes untold numbers of free members, paying standard memebrs and paying Gold members.

Free members can start a tree, maintain the tree, get Hot Matches, read these boards but not post on them, and reply to emails but not initiate them

The only difference between Gold and Standard members is that Gold members can access and open all official records on here ....... or rather be re-directed to other sites where those records are found.


I have posted several times that I believe that active members on this site probably number many less that 1 million.


Many people join in great exuberance, load their tree, then depart and never do anything else.

If they then change their email address and do not let GR know the change, there is no way to contact them


Members may have died, or been hospitalised, and no longer look on here.


Others may just have lost interest, and don't care about Hot Matches


If they leave GR or die, GR does not remove their tree. A tree can only be removed by the member, or by someone who has that member's information (password etc)

If a paying member decides to no longer subscribe ................ GR just downgrades them to Free membership.


As long as a tree is still on this site, the computer at GR will continue to scan them for Hot Matches with other trees.


I have heard of people who check in here once a year.


At least 50% of the people who used to frequent these boards when I first joined in 2003/4 ......... are no longer active on this site. They are active on other sites. I have no idea whether they still have trees on here, or whether they respond to pms from people on here.



sylvia

Thanks Sylvia

Thanks for the reason it is most interesting, it is mind boggling as to what is going to happen in the next ten years if it continues to multiply at the same rate!!!!!!!

Unfortunately it does not stop the downward spiral of exuberance that I have found someone, waiting expectantly for the answer and then getting depressed that nothing has happened. Then another batch of hot matches coming in and starting all over again.

Anne

Genes has been going since 5th Nov 2002

Whilst HotMatches can be a useful tool, why not do your own searching on the names you are interested in? If you check those that have been added within the past 14 days then you are pretty certain that the member has recently visited the site.

I do most of my searching this way and get a high success rate of replies.

Also don't forget to keep a check on 'my updates', this shows which of your contacts are adding to their tree.

Thanks your advice
anne

Hi all, I've had the same experience. I rarely get a reply when I try to follow up a hot match. By the way, how do you check which names have been added in the past 14 days?

Thanks and regards

If you go to 'seach trees-search all trees', at the bottom of the purple box is where you check on additions.

Oh Yes, I feel the same with some of my ancestors!!!!!!
Anne

Thanks, DesperatelySeeking. By the way, I just had a reply today from someone I contacted about a hot match and it was indeed a match! I've now got some more info about one of my ancestors and a few leads. It's very exciting when it happens so it's worth continuing to contact people.

Regards

hotmatches, never had a result from them in 4 years

The "14 days" option is on the Surnames Summary, which appears as part of the menu if you click "search trees" at the top of the page. The initial option is "all" which you can change to any number of recent days up to 14.

surely genes reunited could help with this by getting rid of members details who no longer are participating members,or like ancestry .co.uk site put their last visit to the site for us to see, I have sent dozens of request about my family members in other peoples trees and feel really frustrated when they fail to respond if I know that they have not been on site in past six months then at least I will have an idea of why they aren't answering my correspondence
bmd

I ignore hot matches but I check the names that I'm interested in daily for those that have been added in the last day. I usually get a response.

Do remember to check to see if your message to them has been opened


Just go back to Messages

Click on Sent


If the envelope is purple, then it has not been opened

If the envelope is pale green, it has been opened and (possibly) read

If the envelope is pale green with a dark green arrow, it has been opened and a reply sent



If the envelope is purple .......... then the person has not received notification, or has received notification but is not interested enough to look

If the envelope is pale green ........ then the person has opened it but is not interested enough to respond, or does not believe there is a connection but cannot be bothered to let you know.




sylvia