Genealogy Chat

...it is unlikely that the person you are contacting is still looking for replies...may even have totally forgotten about it. It is best to click on the name and send a personal message to them as well as the board. I think the GR team should have some way to alert members when they reply to these posts as I'm sure most people don't realise they are replying to a Trying to Find request that is years old.

Hi Sue,
I agree with your sentiments. It would be nice to distinguish between an active and inactive account. Perhaps something like "last posted.... dated"
Paul

Unfortunately this is happening on Tips and Records boards.

Why someone should add a request to a thread that is 3 years old is beyond me.

Likely members are finding the trying to find message in their name Summary. It does say when the person last posted the message when you click onto the message.

Margaret

Well, I recently replied to a surname message from March 2005 and made contact with a distant relative of my husband. We've been able to add bits to each others trees and confirm other details, so even if a post is old it can be well worth replying to.

I guess its worth trying to contact them by pm and as someone has said, I think the old threads are being brought up by people realising they can use the search facility.

I found one the other day that had been dug up from 2002

I think the problem has arisen because the Trying to Find Board was never threaded until after the latest update to the Genes site.

At one time the only way to answer a "trying to find" query was to send a pm. and I think it was better that way, but apparently a lot of members wanted the board to be the same as the others.

Kath. x

n

I think that threading the "trying to find" board has been such a good thing. The most beautiful story unfolded before us a few months ago.

One sister posted on "trying to find" back in 2005? and it wasn't until very recently that her younger sister saw and replied to the thread.

Although the older sister was no longer an active member of GR and wasn't responding to PM's, many of us saw the thread and were able to track her down through electrol rolls and forward info on to her sister.

They are now in touch.




Deb:)

It isn't the tracking on the Trying to Find that is the bother ................ it is the fact that people are posting directly on to those new-found threads, when the poster isn't likely to even check back


I think what we are saying ..... certainly what I am saying ..... is that it would be much better to send a pm direct to the original poster. At least GR will then notify that person that there is a message waiting for them.


Then all you have to do is hope that they have not changed their home email address, or have notified GR if there has been a change.


There is absolutely nothing wrong with being able to find the old threads .......... I think it is a great idea ........ the problem is in the best way to make contact!!


sylvia

Yes its a shame that GR doesnt contact people when their threads are answered. I mean just on the trying to find boards - as I appreciate it would be bedlam to do it for all the boards.

I replied to a post directly by pm it was from 3years ago and i received a lovely reply from the lady we are now in touch and have exchanged info and our ancestors were related so it is worth giving it ago you never know what you might find out. now together we have gone back to 1771 on that side of our families.

Pauline