Groups that are apparently non-functioning

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sue McCormick on January 10, 2010 at 7:48am

BUMP: No one has answered this, did it get lost in the Holiday rush?

Permalink Reply by Sue McCormick on January 19, 2010 at 7:59pm

Sheila,

Thank you for your comment. I understand the holiday delay. There are two types of "dead" groups here. The most common type doesn't bother me. This is the type of group with only casual activity. Someone posts a statement and is answered. Perhaps there is a thank you. Then there isn't any activity for quite a while. This is fine; Genealogy Wise is a very busy place and many topics will be dormant for fairly long periods of time.
The second type is the one which bothers me. A serious question is asked of the group AND NO ANSWER OR RESPONSE is given for long periods of time (the 4 months I mentioned in my original post has now stretched to 5). I thought that Genealogy Wise monitored this topic. Yours is the only response I have had since I posted the question; I don't believe you are "official" or "semi-official."
When the organizer of a group doesn't bother to respond to questions shouldn't GenealogyWise take action?

I answered your post earlier today; I then thought it had disappeared so I made this answer. With better navigation, I saw that I had double-posted. This answer is better stated, so I deleted the earlier one, and added this paragraph to explain the changes.

Sue

Permalink Reply by S. J. Cruse on January 20, 2010 at 3:01pm

Hello
I am Suz (Susan) Cruse and I share your frustrations about this. It is really frustrating. I was so thrilled when I came accross the GW! My grandson was down at his Mom's and I sat up til 3AM! I am not sorry I have joined a number of groups, but, like you, I am really frustrated about lack of response to correspondence. I am Deaf. And I was doubly thrill to be able to join a system that required no lipreading and NO invisibility!!! but I ask your same question--where are they all?

Permalink Reply by S. J. Cruse on January 20, 2010 at 3:24pm

Sorry.I forgot. If you want it, this is my own email deafmtnbear@gmail.com Suz

Permalink Reply by Liz Loveland on February 9, 2010 at 12:15pm

I agree, too. Another thing that frustrates me about the way GW is set up is that there is no way to see what the notification consists of unless you go to the site to read it. I know this is something that people complained about way back when GW was set up. I know that for me, without knowing if a notification is a response to my own participation in a thread, if I am busy I often will just not go to GW right away to check, and then by the time I've got free time I'll often just forget to check. It would be nice if GW gave the option of seeing what the content is without going to the site and it would also be nice if there was a dialog box that let you see recent activity - both in threads you're following and in groups you're a member of (whether or not you are following them per se). So far, with the way groups are monitored, recent activity also includes a new member joining, even if they don't post anything - and it would also be nice if we had the option to drop that, since that's not really relevant activity to me (but may be to others, hence being an option would be best I think).

Permalink Reply by jennifer suzanne dawson on March 11, 2010 at 11:40pm

Hello All Jennifer here. I havent been on for months but nothing has changed. I joined up with two groups for the same surname. On seeing they had differant research I suggested we join forces and information. I had one answer from one group for the others to join but it ended there. As they have'nt done anything since I cancelled.
A lot of groups have no activity which is very disapointing.At the moment I need some help desperatly with my brickwall .Where do I post this??

Permalink Reply by Gena Philibert Ortega on March 11, 2010 at 11:53pm

Sue-

There is no policy about inactive groups. I don't remove groups, unless the administrator tells me to. Some groups are going to go dormant if the members or the administrator isn't posting to it. That is a shame and a loss to the community. Maybe other members would be willing to start posting onto the group. You could send a message to all of that groups members and try to get some response.

Gena Philibert Ortega, Community Manager
GenealogyWise

Permalink Reply by Sue McCormick on March 12, 2010 at 5:44pm

In the group which discouraged me (i.e., the group that prompted my original post) the originator of the group was offering techniques on preservation. I posted a question and there has been NO answer to that question from the founder. This is the problem that I believe Genealogy Wise needs to set up a procedure for. I don't believe that you should remove groups on an arbitrary basis. But I would like a place where we could post such a problem to the attention of the administrative group of Genealogy Wise. If the question seems valid, the administrators could get in touch with founders like this one; ascertain continuing interest, and take steps. Whether removal, or merely that the administrator has indicated lack of interest and the rest of the members can be advised that they are carrying on on their on, or whatever.

Thank you for your help.
Sue

Permalink Reply by James P. LaLone on February 14, 2011 at 5:34pm

Sue, I agree that it is sad that people do not post. There are several reasons I think-

1) Don't know how to ask a question.

2) Ask a question in such a way it is hard to answer.

3) Simply want to learn but don't want to contribute for any number of reasons.

4) Here to "steal".

5) Feel they already know it all and just aren't "sharers".

6) Don't know how to navigate this site.

7) Depressed because they start a site with the idea of sharing but nobody joins or if they do, don't contribute, so why bother to maintain the site.

 

I don't doubt there are other reasons, like being busy. I'm retired so have a little extra time, but even then, sometimes I just want to hang it all up. I have one site where I have asked the members about 3 times to let us know how they are descended from the ancestor and no one has responded yet! Needless to say I have slowed down on what I am posting for that group. Jim.