Friday, May 14, 2004

Finding Your Folks

By JUDY FOWLER KILGORE
jkilgore@thecitizennews.

Those of you who have submitted family trees (GEDCOMS) to Ancestry.com and Rootsweb.com have about a week to make some choices.

On May 21, those trees remaining on Ancestry.com’s Ancestry World Tree which were submitted through Ancestry will start being assimilated into the new One World Tree, a paid new feature at Ancestry.com. (See last week’s column for details on the new feature.) Those GEDCOMS which were submitted through Rootsweb have a while longer before their trees will be added — but they will eventually be included.

The trees and features on the existing WorldConnect Project (Rootsweb) and Ancestry World Tree, will remain the same. You may add to, delete, update and view those trees at no cost whatsoever. Trees submitted to Ancestry will automatically be included on WorldConnect and vice versa, just as they have been in the past.

Another conversation last Wednesday with Mary-Kay Evans, director of public relations for MyFamily.com, gave me more answers. Also, I subscribed to the One World Tree, so I can speak with a little more knowledge this week.

Right now, there’s not much to it. It is in the “preview” stage, which would probably be better described as a “sample.” The subscription price is $49.95 for 14 months of the service if you currently do not have a regular subscription to Ancestry. If you do, the price is only $39.95. I said last week that I considered that a little “pricey.” Well, I’ve changed my mind after doing a little math.

The full price, $49.95, comes to only $3.57 per month. The member discount rate ($39.95) comes to only $2.85 per month. Friends, that is definitely not pricey. The introductory preview price ends June 21. I do not know what the rate will be after that, but it is definitely a bargain to get in on the ground floor.

Playing around with One World Tree last week, after subscribing, led to a little disappointment until I realized it was only a “sample” of what the service will be. I did test runs on a few of my ancestors and was very disappointed that of all the GEDCOMS submitted on my Robert Boyd, the only one referenced on the One World Tree was the one with tons of errors. My GEDCOM was not there. However, I later learned it was because I submitted my GEDCOM through Rootsweb, not through Ancestry.

And, while the links on the tree are, at present, minimal, more references and databases will be added over time, giving a better picture of all the resources available on your ancestors. Mary-Kay said that you also eventually will be able to build your own tree on the site, using information on One World Tree.

When you submit your tree (GEDCOM) to Ancestry, you need to know what you are agreeing to. This is spelled out on the One World Tree site, and was further reiterated by Mary-Kay in her e-mail to me last week. Namely, the Ancestry World Tree and OneWorldTree Submission Agreement, which is ....

“Before submitting your Family Tree File to Ancestry.com, please review the following terms and conditions that define your rights, responsibilities, and benefits as a contributor to the Ancestry World Tree. By submitting your GEDCOM file to the Ancestry World Tree and the OneWorldTree service, you agree to the following:

“• Ancestry may reproduce, compile, and distribute, all information about nonliving individuals in your submitted GEDCOM file.

“• Ancestry will remove all information about living individuals except the name prior to reproducing, compiling, and distributing your submitted GEDCOM file. We will use a process which in our belief excludes the living if a date of death is not included on any particular record.

“• Ancestry may provide your name and mailing address to other family history enthusiasts who may wish to contact you.

“• You agree not to submit information that infringes on the copyrights of others, invades the privacy of others, or is defamatory or profane in any way. Ancestry reserves the right to remove any information, which, at its sole discretion, violates these terms.

“• You agree that submitting your GEDCOM file to the Ancestry World Tree and/or the OneWorldTree service does not entitle you to any compensation, monetary or other.

“• Ancestry grants you download rights to GEDCOM files that have been contributed to the Ancestry World Tree, except information about living individuals.

“• Ancestry, Ancestry.com, and Ancestry World Tree are trademarks of MyFamily.com, Incorporated. OneWorldTree is a service mark of MyFamily.com, Incorporated. Only the compilation of information contained within the Ancestry World Tree and the OneWorldTree service is copyrighted. This copyright does not apply to your individual GEDCOM file nor does it limit you from publishing, selling, giving, or otherwise distributing for commercial or noncommercial purposes your own family information as you see fit.

“• The general terms and conditions for use of the Ancestry site apply to your use and submission of GEDCOMs to Ancestry.”

Okay, now you have the legalities but there is much more to say and I’m at the end of my space for this week. What you have an immediate need to know has already been said and I hope it helps you decide to either delete or leave your tree at Ancestry. You must do it before May 21. I am definitely leaving mine there.

They are not selling your information but they are selling one mode of access to it, and coupling it with other resources for a more complete range of information. FamilyTreeMaker has been selling your stuff for eons, either with or without your knowledge. At least Ancestry is giving you a choice and telling you before they do it.

I think that’s commendable. More on this next week.

I welcome your letters about genealogy and info on south metro Atlanta families. Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Any letters and/or e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.

Until next week, happy hunting!

s that time does not permit her to do personal research for others.)