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Indistinguishable reasoning leading to confusion for participants.

Indistinguishable reasoning leading to confusion for participants.

Posted: 3 May 2015 10:44AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: -
This post was deleted by the author on 22 Jun 2015 4:34PM GMT

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 12:41PM GMT
Classification: Query
"The removal of posting without prior explanation although you have the right gives rise to unsatisfactory consumer relations. And does not solve the issue in your approach. The posting belong to the authors, and should remain where they have been placed.
Unless community guidelines are not followed."

That's funny, coming from an admin who has deleted completely on-topic posts from several of his surname boards. With no explanation, either prior to or afterward.

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 1:25PM GMT
Classification: Query
In a little while Joan is going to come back with her standard set of guidelines which were apparently established when dinosaurs roamed the earth. She will tell you that Rootsweb decreed that this board could only exist if the subject matter was restricted to foreign born ancestors who settled in the US. Everything else gets moved. The fact that the Board title does not describe this at all appears not to be of any concern to her.

She rarely deletes anything, just moves it to where she thinks it belongs. Searching your own posting history should uncover the new location.

If she would only post these known-only-to-Joan rules in "Board Information," perhaps there would not be so much consternation regarding "missing" posts.

BTW, I got sufficiently tired of this vague title with very specific criteria, I asked Ancestry to establish a new Board, "Localities > North America > United States > Unknown Locality" It seems to describe more accurately the type of queries that some posters think belong in "Localities > North America > United States > General"

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 1:38PM GMT
Classification: Query
"BTW, I got sufficiently tired of this vague title with very specific criteria, I asked Ancestry to establish a new Board, "Localities > North America > United States > Unknown Locality" It seems to describe more accurately the type of queries that some posters think belong in "Localities > North America > United States > General"

Good idea, that would make the title much more accurate.

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 7:11PM GMT
Classification: Query
Bob: I used to have the board rules for this board in a customized board info page and it got broken at some point and hasn't been fixed so that a customized page actually works...I had to revert to the standard page. Plus even when the rules for posting on USA General were listed on the Board Info page no one ever read them...it wasn't helpful to anyone other than experienced board users (who knew about board info) who already knew the purpose of this board.

I have posted the criteria for posting on this board numerous times and have suggested Ancestry establish the ability to PIN a post that remains on top but that hasn't happened as yet.

Years ago this board was going to be killed off because it was felt it wasn't needed. There is almost always a more appropriate board for posting: either a more specific locality board if a state or county is known, a surname board if you are posting about a surname, or a topic board if you are posting about a census, family reunion, or DNA for example. USA General does in my opinion have a purpose though...albeit limited. That purpose being for research involving someone who immigrated to the USA and the poster doesn't know where the immigrant lived after arriving OR where they arrived and settled in multiple locations that can't be pinned down to a specific locality board.

The rules are not arbitrary or capricious and apply equally to ALL posters. The only posts that are actually deleted are those that are inappropriate for ANY of our genealogy message boards ---mostly spam or non-genealogy posts.

If a post is moved as Bob noted you can find it in a search although searches are not updated instantly and if you should receive a response and click to view it you will be redirected to the new location.

Joan, board admin
USA General message board

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 7:17PM GMT
Classification: Query
Are you aware that is it also improper to post on a State Unknown County board if you know the county? Same thing as USA General: GENERAL meaning you don't know a more specific board for posting. It is a very limited category.

Joan
PS: What you should be requesting if you really feel strongly is that the NAME of USA General be changed to unknown locality although that naming criteria would not fit with existing board hierarchy. Creating a second board for the same topic/locality would only muddy the waters as you well know. Would you also suggest changing England General and Germany General to "Unknown location?" The same criteria exists for those other locality boards...if you know a more specific locality that is the board to use.

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 7:45PM GMT
Classification: Query
" . . . for research involving someone who immigrated to the USA and the poster doesn't know where the immigrant lived after arriving OR where they arrived and settled in multiple locations that can't be pinned down to a specific locality board. "


What you have just defined perfectly describes
Message Boards > Topics > Immigration and Emigration > United States > General

The Message Boards > Localities > North America > United States > General board appears to be both confusing to the average poster (since it makes no reference to immigrants) and redundant in its purpose.

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 9:10PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you, I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Abt 95% of replies to any post are by volunteers. After spending a goodly amount of time to research for the poster, then SEND, only to find it has been moved to the "appropriate" County Board, or Surname Board. Once it's moved, the chance of MORE help is nil, as I doubt any volunteer checks Surname Boards. I also do not sit here and check every county in the US! Therefore, I feel the poster is possibly going to lose very valuable information. I can't begin to know why some posters, knowing the state, will post to the General board [wider audience?], but what harm is done?! Ancestry owns and controls the boards, but why the iron fist/judge & jury?
The correspondence I've had with Joan, board admn, has left me befuddled, dumbfounded, stymied, and anything else you can think of. One mindset, and no dissuading.
The above not only applies to the General Board, but also to State Boards.

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 9:57PM GMT
Classification: Query
Bob- There are instances as you probably already know where a post IS appropriate for USA General but NOT for the Immigration and Emigration board and vice versa...and they are moved there if that is where they belong. It depends on the focus of the query. If the query pertains primarily to immigration and/or emigration then it belongs on that board...the focus being on the issue of immigration/emigration. If the question pertains to what the person or family did...where they settled in America...that isn't an immigration/emigration question...it is a USA General question.

Joan

Re: Unclear criteria of General message board.

Posted: 3 May 2015 10:05PM GMT
Classification: Query
Mztiz1- I realized that queries posted on this board are replied to by volunteers and volunteers are valued and appreciated...but volunteers helping on this board are also mostly experienced enough in board usage to know which posts are going to be moved to a more appropriate board.

Appropriateness of which board to post on is not based upon which board is going to get the widest audience, it is based upon where the post BELONGS.

If getting a reply was all that mattered and if you feel more people help on the USA General board then by that argument just do away will all other boards and let everyone post on one huge board.

The appropriate locality board is ALWAYS the one that is most local that you know about unless multiple counties are involved. USA General means someone came to America and you want to know more about where they lived and what they did (marry, have children, server in military, die) and you don't know that information. State Unknown County boards are for instances where you know the state but not the county or where multiple counties are involved. That isn't rocket science...easy enough to determine.

And if your query isn't really about the locality but rather the SURNAME or family...then the surname board is more appropriate.

We also have posters on this board who never mention the USA...but are asking about Canadians or Europeans, etc. Not only are those posts inappropriate for this board, the poster is going to get better help on the board of the target area.

Joan
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