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  • The Genealogist website

    Has anyone else tried this website (I am on a free trial at the moment which expires on 27th.
    I tried looking for a relative who I am having great trouble finding - nothing.
    I tried looking up BMDs on others who I already have on my Tree and couldn't get anything at all on the various names.
    I tried looking myself up and found nothing!

    Is there something different about how this website works as I have had absolutely no success with anything I have tried to find i.e. - doesn't exist.

    Sue .............. bewildered!
    Last edited by Sue1; 20-11-15, 14:30.

  • #2
    Many people have not found it particularly helpful, Sue. The search is clunky and I only found things I already had from Ancestry and FMP. They are very proud of the fact that you can search censuses on an occupation so it could be useful if that's what you need.
    Anne

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    • #3
      They are also VERY strict - if they think you are doing look-ups for other people you will lose your sub if you cannot prove otherwise. No good for me as I often go off at a huge tangent and look up people who are not my relatives (but not for anyone else)

      OC

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      • #4
        Finding by occupation would be a good idea for me, though I doubt they'd find my Edward Smith, bricklayer b c1828 in Glasgow. I have him only in the 1861 and 1871 census in Edinburgh and Linlithgow, Midlothian in Scotland but after that nothing.



        Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
          They are also VERY strict - if they think you are doing look-ups for other people you will lose your sub if you cannot prove otherwise. No good for me as I often go off at a huge tangent and look up people who are not my relatives (but not for anyone else)

          OC
          That's absolute ********. What a loathsome attitude. How are you supposed to prove that? At what point did genealogy have to be strictly for your own family?

          Thanks for the heads-up, OC. I'll give them a swerve.
          Eighteen -- Hadleigh, Suffolk; Reading, Berkshire
          Hendry -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire
          Wylie -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire

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          • #6
            I have just sent them a second E-mail asking them to cancel my free trial - due to expire on 27th of this month.
            I have found absolutely zilch and have not heard that my trial has been cancelled (requested 2 days ago and second sent today). I have kept a copy of this one!
            Think I might try "occupation" search since I can't find anything at all (neither of my parents were born either and I copied their details from their birth certificates!) If you are really stuck you have to put the volume and the page of the BMorD in for them - if I knew that I wouldn't have to be searching on their website, would I!
            Might nip back in and see if I can find an elusive "tailor" by occupation - bet I won't.
            How does this website survive I wonder? Sue

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            • #7
              Originally posted by James18 View Post
              That's absolute ********. What a loathsome attitude. How are you supposed to prove that? At what point did genealogy have to be strictly for your own family?

              Thanks for the heads-up, OC. I'll give them a swerve.
              A case of reading the small print very carefully, James. I believe this policy is set out in their t & c.
              When FMP first started, I think that had a "fair usage" policy too, although it was much more generous and didn't have access to anything like the number of records they offer today.
              These companies do invest a LOT of money in their databases and would also argue that it is "unfair" to the majority of their subscribing members if a minority of users do free look ups for people unwilling to take out a few credits/month's sub.

              Jay
              Janet in Yorkshire



              Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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              • #8
                But as OC say how do they decide if you are looking things up for your own (even very distant) family or doing it for other people? I can happily do research all day every day and sometimes look at very distant family. We don't have a limited number of surnames in our families if we spread out, and what about neighbours and village studies. I'm not sure it would pay them to invesigate!
                Anne

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                • #9
                  I think all commercial sites have a fair usage policy but it's only the Genealogist which vigorously pursues that policy.

                  As Jay says, they are (all sites) entitled to protect their assets and to take any steps they think fit to do so. It does say in the T & Cs that they (all sites) are for personal use only.

                  OC

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                  • #10
                    Yes, but how would they prove it?? What if I was doing a One Place Study? I don't normally do look ups anyway (too busy with my own stuff) and would be very upset to be accused of exceeding an arbitary limit.
                    Anne
                    Last edited by Anne in Carlisle; 21-11-15, 22:06.

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                    • #11
                      Anne

                      Now, I don't know how true this is because I read it on another website some time ago, but the suggestion was that they trawl sites and look for people offering to do lookups. They would only have to catch one or two and ban them for the word to get around.

                      Their policy doesn't bother me personally because I wouldn't have a sub to any site which put a limit on the scope of my lookups.

                      OC

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                      • #12
                        OK, I understand. I did have a one year sub, tempted by a special offer, something I very much regretted taking up!!!
                        Anne

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                        • #13
                          Day 2 when I was completely bewildered by the site - I put a message on their board asking what I was doing wrongly - the reply told me I was not allowed to post on there and would I please remove it - I have not done so (for the record it was not an offensive message in any way, just asking for guidance or where to find it!)
                          I didn't know how to remove my message and didn't dare ask
                          My summing up of site is: not helpful for record finding (I found absolutely nothing) and intimidating. Looking at their forum numbers I suspect they do not have a plethora of members. Site not easy to navigate but maybe that is unfair as I didn't use it for long.
                          Last edited by Sue1; 22-11-15, 16:06.

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                          • #14
                            Well, if this is a sample of the user feedback then I doubt they're going to have a particularly successful run.

                            Besides, Ancestry and FMP offer a much broader choice.
                            Eighteen -- Hadleigh, Suffolk; Reading, Berkshire
                            Hendry -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire
                            Wylie -- Ballymena, Antrim; Glasgow, Lanarkshire

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Anne in Carlisle View Post
                              Yes, but how would they prove it??
                              Ultimately, they don't have to prove anything - they are a business and can choose who to do business with, or not. If they decide you are breaching their T&Cs they can cancel a subscription.


                              FMP have a usage policy too - a limit of 5,000 records per month or 500 in a 48hr period I think it is....which is enough for most of us !
                              Last edited by AntonyM; 22-11-15, 17:27.
                              Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
                              Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

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                              • #16
                                I see "My Heritage" has a free trial - know nothing about this website. Am not tempted after recent experiences.
                                Sue

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                                • #17
                                  Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                                  I think all commercial sites have a fair usage policy but it's only the Genealogist which vigorously pursues that policy.

                                  As Jay says, they are (all sites) entitled to protect their assets and to take any steps they think fit to do so. It does say in the T & Cs that they (all sites) are for personal use only.

                                  OC
                                  Exactly OC, it seems many people on the internet have the opinion that commercial firms are ripe for the picking.
                                  The Genealogist is a comparatively small family run business Unlike the large companies such as FMP and Ancestry or even Myheritage who have large assets.

                                  If subscribers conformed to the terms & conditions they sign up to there would be no problem but these days they seem to think it is ok to rip off a company.

                                  What has happened to basic honesty these days?

                                  Cheers
                                  Guy
                                  Guy passed away October 2022

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