A request for our Scottish members

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I have had a few threads running recently which have had over 1000 views, they were mostly about saving money on a certain subscription, this one is even better, i can point you towards FREE photographs but to make the resource even better i need your help.

Are there any Scottish members who can help with the project at all?

There are several ways you can contribute towards what is (hopefully) becoming the premier online source of copyright free images and information relating to the churches in Scotland. Our very own Places of Worship (POW) project here on FTF.

The only downside to the project is that you still have to put up with me as a co-ordinator, sorry but that is the price you have to pay.

Images
Anyone with a camera can help by taking photographs, you don't have to make a special trip, even if you can only photograph the odd building close to where you live each contribution helps. Anyone visiting the area can also help too, every image added means one less to take in future. No particular expertise behind the camera is needed and an image can always be enhanced a little if needed.

Can you help by taking a few photographs?

Information
The Scotland POW project features many "talk pages" which give a brief description about the building along with dates and notable events connected to many of the buildings.

Do you have any information or a website link that may help to create or add to a talk page?

Database of submitted and required photographs
After much burning of midnight oil a database of submitted photographs has been completed and is now online at http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/index.php/Places_of_Worship_Photos_ON_the_WIKI_Scotland
Updates to the database are made as required thanks to the efforts of one member who volunteered around Christmas 2008, a few minutes each day are given over to checking the latest submissions and adding them into the database, a thankless task and not very glamourous but a hugely important one nonetheless.

The database of required photographs is underway but at present is a long way from completion, can you help by compiling a list of POW buildings (past and present) in your area and sending the information to me for inclusion?

If you haven't seen any of the pages then click the following link,
http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/index.php/Places_of_Worship

the Scotland county listings are at the bottom of the page (we saved the best country till last ), simply click the county you are interested in (either from a research or contribution angle) to see how far the project has progressed and how far we stil have to go.


Any contribution however small is always welcome, if you would like to help or just want to ask a question and learn a little more about the project then shout up. There will always be someone to help with an answer and you just might be able to help another researcher with an image or information that has eluded them for some time.

Scotland Country & County WIKI Pages are also being updated with new links and additions. Please see post 12 in this thread for some of the latest news and info about submitting a link you think may be useful to other researchers.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Does anyone require a particular photograph for a Scottish POW?

If so please add your requests to the discussion threads on the regional boards, http://www.familytreeforum.com/scotland/

by discovering who can photograph certain areas we may be able to cover some as yet untapped areas.

[Ann Bentley]

Hi Glen,
Last time we visited Scotland, we went to what used to be the street where I did some of my growing up. Most of it had changed;The street itself no longer existed, but we did find the church, looking very much as it had done way back then.
It used to be Plantation Street off Paisley Road West. The tenements had all gone and there were nice little brick houses and blocks of flats.
We took a couple of pictures of the church (Kinning Park Parish Church I think,) and I could have sworn I also took one of the Baptist Church on what had been Craigiehall Street, which was also still there, but I cannot find that one at all, so maybe I didn't.
No worries about copyright, it is my photograph!
How do I get the piccy to you?
Best regards
Wee Ann

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Hi Ann

Usually we ask members to add the picture to the relevant regional threads by using an image hosting site such as photobucket (PB).
If you are unfamiliar with a site such as PB and it's just an odd picture or two then i can send you my e-mail addy if that is easier. You can then send them direct to me as an attachment and i'll do the rest.

There is a screenshot guide to using PB at the following link
http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/index.php/How_to_Use_Photobucket


It doesn't matter how big the image is (the bigger the better really) as i can resize them but ideally the minimum should be the 640 x 480 size.

i'm logging off for the night now but if you need any help or want my e-mail addy just shout up.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

98 views and just the yin offer, i cannay get ma heed roon yous lot

[Konovolov]

Hi Glen,
Just saw this thread, so thought I`d better try to lend a hand! I`m based in the west end of Glasgow so just let me know if theres anything in the area you would like. I`ve only got a camera phone though so I`m not sure about the resolution etc. Do you need to get permission from the vicar/minister/priest to take photos or can you just go ahead?
Craig

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Hi Craig

No special permission is required, i'm not sure how well the phone used as a camera would be though to be honest, i don't think anyone has tried as yet.
We do have around a dozen churches photographed so far in Glasgow so i reckon that leaves a fair few still to get (understatement of the year :D).

Even if you just managed to list a few from the phone book or similiar and send the list in a private message to me that would help with the database i'm working on.

[Ann Bentley]

Hi Glen,
Me again! If you don't mind sending me your E-mail address? I think that would probably be the best way to go. I'm not really good on learning "new stuff".
Best regards
Ann

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Hi Glen,
Me again! If you don't mind sending me your E-mail address? I think that would probably be the best way to go. I'm not really good on learning "new stuff".
Best regards
Ann


Thankyou Ann, i have sent you a message.

[GallowayLass]

I will do a few for you in my area, once the roads are bit better. I'd be happier if you sent me your email addy as I tries something like this before to help out the Scottish War Memorials bunch and by photies kept disappearing off the site. Never figured out why.
If I get time I'll also try a few in West Lothian and do Shotts for you this weekend. Unless of course OH has plans to whisk me off somewhere romantic LOL

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Well, it's nice to see some photographs as a result of the thread, a nice snow covered church and some in the winter and even one church lurking next to a blossoming tree too.

A little bit of everything so far and all very welcome, all the ones received so far have been added to the wiki and a small number have been put on the county boards as a little teaser to tempt you to have a closer look at the wiki pages.

*we interrupt this thread for an important announcement*

News just coming in suggests Lovettpod has succesfully negotiated the first edit of the database and is now breathing without assistance again and was last seen scouring the nooks and crannies for late additions to include on her next foray beyond the edit button.... Helen, we wish you well and can i say thankyou for your help so far with the boring oily bits that make life so much easier for me.;)

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Scotland Country & County WIKI Page Updates

A few new links have come to light in the last day or two and added to the relevant pages, look out for the new additions flagged up by the red new icons alongside the entries.

Recent additions;

Monumental Inscription and burial ground/graveyard sites, many feature either a searchable database and/or images.

East Lothian County Page, new links for register office, library and MI sites

-----

If anyone finds a site they would like to see included, (either a useful country wide or a county/town site) that they think may be useful for other researchers then please add the url and a brief description to the following thread for inclusion http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki-housekeeping/52481-wiki-links-suggestions-broken-links.html

[Lovettpod]

LOL Glen - just spotted the previous post...thanks!:o:o

'tis but a drop in the ocean :)

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I just wanted to give a little recognition for your efforts and commitment Helen, the database is useful for the members of other sites who are looking to contribute towards the pow project as well as everyone here on FTF.

It also makes it easier for me to check what and where the talk pages might be lacking too so it may only seem a small drop in the ocean but a hugely important one to the POW project.

[Janet]

There is this one on Tulliallan Churchyard:

KLHG - Tulliallan Churchyard Restoration Project (http://www.rocinante.demon.co.uk/klhg/tullkirk/tullindx.htm)

Very good if you have ancestors from that part of Scotland.

Janet

[wulliam]

Hi Glen,
we're planning a summer holiday in the NW of Scotland inc the Isle of Lewis. Also a week around Dumfries - so in a few months I should be able to offer you a few photos. Keep up the good work!

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Just another bump and a call for help.


The pow project for Scotland now has images for over 220 buildings in 21 counties, around 130 buildings are mentioned on talk pages, some of the remotest buildings are the hardest to research so talk page coverage for those areas is sometimes not quite as good as for others.

The database of submitted images
Places of Worship Photos ON the WIKI Scotland - Family Tree Forum (http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/index.php/Places_of_Worship_Photos_ON_the_WIKI_Scotland)

also lists all buildings with a talk page (look for the "+" symbol after the church name).

Can anyone help with historical information for the churches currently without a talk page at all please?

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Over 220 buildings now with close to 150 talk pages.

I'll rephrase the last comment in the post above

Is anyone going to come forwards and help with historical information for any of the buildings or is it a case of stopping the project due to lack of interest and support?

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

The response to the request in the last post above has been absolutely zero. To say i am dissapointed is an understatement. No contributions, images or offers of information have been made whatsoever.

A lot of work has gone into using what has already been submitted, new pages created, ideas tried, layouts refined and hundreds of hours spent researching, inputting and editing. The majority of the project is a result of just six or seven people, two of those people are not members of FTF but willingly contribute to the project by way of images and information, it's quite a sad state to be in when non family historians from outside websites contribute 20% of the content to our project. We have over 6000 members here but i have to beg steal and borrow from members of outside websites as our own members don't or won't contribute. WHY?

I doubt anyone will respond to the "WHY?" question if past experience is anything to go by. I will ask once again "Is anyone going to come forwards and help?"



The project now has images for around 300 buildings (plus around 150 additional hi res images with alternate views and some interior images held on cd), approximately 200 buildings have a historical talk page

Recent Additions to the Scotland POW project from January to mid February

Berwickshire:
Additional images and talk pages

Kirkcudbrightshire:
New photographs and talk pages

Lanarkshire;
40+ Photographs added to Glasgow
20+ new listings on the Glasgow talk page
Listings of demolished Glasgow buildings on a brand new page

New pictures and talk pages for 5 other Lanarkshire Parishes.

Roxburghshire;
New images and additional talk pages.

---

[RNM]

Glen
What are the rules re using google earth pics of churches - mostly only in plan view but increasingly street view as well ??? I know you can download them , I have for design projects.

While I'm about it do we have photos of war memorials on here ? Cos theres one about 20 yards from where I'm sitting !!

Roger:)

[Elaine ..Spain]

Glen, I think the reason for the lack of response to your initial request is that we appear to have very few members in Scotland. Not a lot we can do about that I am afraid.

[Elaine ..Spain]

Glen
What are the rules re using google earth pics of churches - mostly only in plan view but increasingly street view as well ??? I know you can download them , I have for design projects.

While I'm about it do we have photos of war memorials on here ? Cos theres one about 20 yards from where I'm sitting !!

Roger:)

Roger, we only accept photos which have been taken by members because of copyright issues.
We don't have a section for UK war memorials, but if you have any from outside the UK then there is a section for them in the wiki.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Authors and photographers of material in the wiki grant permission for it to be used under a GNU agreement and copied for personal research.

Use of images (and text) anywhere on the site from another website or printed material is subject to copyright issues.

Copyright Guidelines - Family Tree Forum (http://www.familytreeforum.com/wiki/index.php/Copyright_Guidelines)



War memorials haven't been included as part of the wiki.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Glen, I think the reason for the lack of response to your initial request is that we appear to have very few members in Scotland. Not a lot we can do about that I am afraid.

The requests are not just for images though Elaine, information, weblinks and help with compiling a list for a parish, city, town or village can be done from anywhere. If someone is in a mud hut in the middle of Borneo they could still contribute, in truth where they live is irrelevant.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

The requests are not just for images though Elaine, information, weblinks and help with compiling a list for a parish, city, town or village can be done from anywhere. If someone is in a mud hut in the middle of Borneo they could still contribute, in truth where they live is irrelevant.

In which case you need to change the thread title! I wouldn't normally have opened this at all as I don't live in Scotland and don't have any Scots ancestors.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

In which case you need to change the thread title! I wouldn't normally have opened this at all as I don't live in Scotland and don't have any Scots ancestors.

In which case you really need to read the contents of the thread Merry, once you do you will see there are several requests for assistance from anyone who reads it.

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

In which case you really need to read the contents of the thread Merry, once you do you will see there are several requests for assistance from anyone who reads it.

But I wouldn't have even opened the thread because it says it's for Scottish members :)

Do you want me to change the title as well?

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

But I wouldn't have even opened the thread because it says it's for Scottish members :)

Do you want me to change the title as well?


Forgive my confusion Merry but you obviously have opened the thread despite the title.

Changing the title isn't needed but in your capacity as a mod there is one thing i would like to ask you to do for me.

Please remove my name as co-ord on both the discussion and photo boards for region 18, it is evident that there is little to be gained by trying to encourage any type of help or assistance whether it be on this board, general or the regional boards all efforts have had minimal response, as a result i no longer wish to be involved or associated with the project.

[herky]

I would just like to say a big personal thank you to Glen for his help in getting my few Scottish pics on to the site. As a complete novice with the computer he has been a great help and has done the hard work for me - it is much appreciated.
Thanks Glen.

My apologies if this is the wrong thread to post this on but I just wanted to express my gratitude.

[Hugo]

The requests are not just for images though Elaine, information, weblinks and help with compiling a list for a parish, city, town or village can be done from anywhere. If someone is in a mud hut in the middle of Borneo they could still contribute, in truth where they live is irrelevant.

I am confused. My understanding was that the database was about images. Are you now looking to have information about towns, parishes, and POW even if there is no image of the POW? If so, I would be happy to help.

Hugo

[GallowayLass]

I'd like to add my vote of appreciation to Herky's for all Glen's efforts with my Scottish POW photos. I haven't the technical knowhow to do what he can.

I have just recently taken more photos for Kirkcudbright town and was going to do Harthill in Lanarkshire sometime this weekend as I'm on a wee hol. If whoever takes over wants to get in touch, then I'll gladly email them the files.

[Elaine ..Spain]

Galloway Lass,
I'll pm you my email address - quite happy to upload any photos until we find someone to take over from Glen.

Glen has contributed an enormous amount to the Place of Worship project, not only with the set up but with content as well, and on behalf of FTF I would like to take this opportunity of thanking him for all that he has done.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I am confused. My understanding was that the database was about images. Are you now looking to have information about towns, parishes, and POW even if there is no image of the POW? If so, I would be happy to help.

Hugo

The database is about images and has been online since around christmas and a thread to announce it was posted on the wiki board some time ago.
http://www.familytreeforum.com/regional-projects/56752-scotland-database-now-operating.html

The pow project (of which the database forms a small part) has been going for around a year and there have been numerous threads highlighting the talk pages and asking for weblinks, information and questions about specific churches photographed so far, some threads have asked for feedback about the layout and navigation issues, the threads have been posted on the general board, research board and the regional boards. The first of the talk pages was probably created way back in April of last year. Ample oppurtunity has been given for people to contribute or comment and it's clear from the threads that even something as small as a weblink was welcome but alas the results were always less than i hoped for.


Screenshots to demonstrate the image and talk pages have also been posted here on FTF as well as Rootschat, Talking Scot and ScotFamTree websites and it is those last three sites (SFT in particular) which have resulted in the project being as advanced as it is and some useful links and detail have come about as a result.

A trial page for Glasgow was created a few weeks ago and 20 members were sent a pm (who had names associated to Glasgow and Edinburgh in the gedcom database) asking for their comments about the layout, presentatiion, navigation and how easy the page was to use and search, just two of the twenty replied and one of those was to say they hadn't looked as they were not interested.


It's safe to say that any thread which has Scotland POW in the title is largely ignored on FTF, ably demonstrated by this thread, it has had far more views than previous threads relating to the subject and does not have POW in the title, possibly more views to this thread than the combined totals of several others but as can be seen by anyone who reads the contents of the entire thread there have been just a couple of offers and my frustration at the lack of support hasn't just appeared in the last day or two. The most frustrating thing being that those who shouted loudest for the project initially have been conspicious by their absence ever since the whole thing went online.


On the plus side a tiny but devoted group have contributed in assorted ways, they know who they are and i have always tried to use their contributions as best i can, to display their images in neat well presented pages and where possible to also include the information they have taken the time to enquire about when taking photographs, the combination of their efforts and mine are something that we as a group are proud of, and although i have sent them all a pm to say thanks i would like to say it here too, without them the project would be much smaller and far less developed. I hope that in future the standard set so far is maintained and possibly even bettered, to see things take a step back would be a sad thing and i hope it doesn't happen but i have doubts that anyone in future will devote the time and care that has gone before, i would like to be proved wrong but no-one really appreciates just how many hours have been put into the project so far.

[Hugo]

Glen,

Your frustration is understandable, given you have put in hours of work and then got little support.I rarely read the POW threads and when I found this thread involved POWs I obviously did not read as closely as I should.

There was no intention to upset you.

Sorry,

Hugo