General Chat

I have only just discovered that if anyone taps in a name of a person you have been researching through the Community "Find ancestors" board, then the whole thread is there for anyone to see!

I dont know why I thought it but because we pay to use the site I thought these type of messages were just between members.

Because of this I feel I need to me more careful in the future with what I enter.

What does anyone feel about this? I am the only one that was not aware this happened!

Ps I have just changed my profile name too as I did not reliase that if you clicked on it you could see my full name!

This forum (like many others) is open and info can be found by a google search. So, yes, you do have to be careful with posting. That's why its not a good thing to include your email or details of living persons.

Andy

I have noticed that as well - it did make me wonder if by GR releasing information from threads could put them in breach of the Data Protection Act.

Although 'old hands' know of this, there are probably quite a few more recent posters who don't.

That's why the T&C of the site specify that nothing that could precisley identify a living person (eg full dob unless a name changed through adoption), phone numbers or email addresses should be revealed on a post. ;-)

Thanks Andy I realised about the email address etc.
I was just surprised that someone who knew I was researching Information about a certain person for them decided to just google the name and had access to the complete thread from here ! Just felt a tad uncomfortable I suppose. But yes I realise a lot of forums are open.

A lesson to be learnt !

It does have a warning in the 'Privacy' section ( 3 T & cs)

"Any posting, including but not limited to the family tree details and/or message board postings you submit to the Genes Reunited Service (including any personal information you post) may be able to be viewed by non-Member internet users around the world including via internet search engines. "

But yes, it applies anywhere on the internet pretty much, don't post what you aren't happy with everyone knowing.

But on the plus side, that also raises the chances of finding out about ancestors, missing people etc.

I have just read the other replies thanks.

I did understand the T&C about Privacy.

I am still surprise that the information from the theads is available for anyone to see, it feels uncomfortable to me now.

Rambling rose- I agree, I have had some amzing contact from people following a post I have but on here but naively, I thought they were members too!!! Not just picked it up from a name search on Google how thick!

No not thick at all Rose, it's not something you think about to start with, until someone perhaps mentions that they have seen what you said.

It also works with 'board names' for instance if you put 'Rambling Rose Genes reunited' into google you would see reference to a few old threads in my name lol. Oddly enough there is one from 2005 before I joined, which is a previous 'Rambling Rose' .

Thats why us seasoned helpers try to guide new posters pointing out they shouldnt post personal info like full birth dates. personal email addresses etc etc .

Sometimes this doesnt go down well and I have been admonished in the past by pointing this out

You cant win :-( :-(

Rose,

If anyone replies on this site, then they must be members to be able to post on the boards.

I don't see a problem with adding your own email address to a post.. But from GR's point of view anyone coming across the said post on Google, could then contact the poster direct, rather than have to pay to join to reply or contact

older hands have long known this ......... and point it out regularly.


It is not GR who releases the information


It is Google that picks it up.


It can take as short a time as 10 minutes to get onto the web .............................


and using Google is sometimes the way that "helpers" discover that a member asking a question has already got a thread dating back some years, or has asked the same question on another Forum




Also try Googling your own name .............. you might get one heck of a shock




Moral ..................... put nothing on GR, FMP, Ancestry etc etc that you do not wish to get into the public domain.....................


including things that could lead to ID theft, people finding out your home address, photos and names of your children / grandchildren, etc etc.

ALSO


please be aware that GR is not always as careful with your information as they say they will be.


The Personal Details page under Your Account asks if your Board Name should be used when sending messages




NOT TRUE ................. this does not seem to apply under many circumstances.




As an example ................

I had a pm earlier this week from a contact on here (and I'll use false names here)

Board Name Janet67892200555

Email told me that I had a pm waiting from "Janet Jones"

pm said message was from "Janet Jenkinson"


................. so now I know her maiden and her married surnames!



Not only that, but I had a very interesting experience a couple of years ago ...............


I was having a little onsite discussion / disagreement with a male

One of his posts was RR'd, not by me but he thought I had done it (I had not) ............... so he RR'd one of my posts in retaliation

He worded the reason in such a way that GR upheld the RR, and removed my post

HE then sent a pm saying "ha ha look what I have done" .................... and c&p'd the pm he had received from GR saying that the RR on xxxxxxx had been upheld



You can see my Board Name above, although I was registered with GR under my maiden name


That is what is supposed to be on any message sent




NO NO NO



The message to that guy used the name that was on the CREDIT CARD that I used to pay my subscription





That means he could find me very easily.




I had a major row with GR about it ................... and they said that the only way I could prevent my registered name being released to other members was by changing it to "InCanada"




I still do not know if they have ever released my married surname to anyone else.

Sylvia

I changed my registered name to 'in Kent' for exactly that reason, when I saw that people were contacting me showing surnames other than their names shown on the boards.

Gwyn

Gwyn ....................

I was absolutely fit to be tied when I discovered that GR had actually used my name in the BODY of the pm to that person


It was bad enough to realise that pms showed surnames other than board names .................


..................... the thing was that was a nasty report he made, with a made-up reason, AND he had been going after me on the Boards.




He added insult to injury by contacting another member and warning them away from me ................... fortunately, she was an on-site friend and let me know.



GR did issue a stern warning to him, and told him never to contact me again.

Doesn't work for me :-S

have typed my own name in, and that of my grandfather, absolutely nothing :-D

As my grandfather shares a name with a very famous playwright, thousands of hits with the name of the author, but, alas none relating to my ancestor.

A few years ago, when I worked in local government and was on various committees, both State and Federal, my name was all over Google.

Now, no longer.

I do post on GR with my real name

You can always delete any threads you post Rose.

Prickles. :-)

Prickles

unfortunately, deleting your thread OR even your post on GR does NOT remove them from the internet if Google has already picked up the reference.


once on the internet, always on the internet.



all you can hope for is that eventually "your" reference falls so far back that it doesn't appear until p. 10 of the Google listing and that people give up before getting thta far.