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Data miners and vampires

One of the most common complaints I hear from researchers goes something like the following:

I spent years compiling my ancestry. One of my (friends, cousins, someone -- insert the name or description) asked for a copy of my file. I sent them a copy and later found the file on their Website (Blog etc.) without any acknowledgment and claiming that it was their file.

I call these people who steal others' information and present it as their own, data vampires. Personally, I am very liberal in sharing my data files with any interested family members. But I can certainly understand the feelings of someone who has spent a considerable time working on a family line only to have some one else claim the credit.
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Comment by Katie Heitert Wilkinson on January 10, 2010 at 4:25pm: James ... I've always believed that people in the genealogical community were some of the kindest and most generous I've encountered. When I've been given the opportunity to add information, photos, or documents, I always indicated the name of the person who shared and given their relationship to the family lines. On the other hand, I've also been the victim of someone appropriating a whole section of my family tree, along with documentation, photos and accompanying stories I had written. I contacted the unknown individual by e-mail and found that she had by her count "many thousands" of people in her tree which she was putting together for her grandchildren. She didn't even remember the material she had "borrowed" from me. Real sharing encourages team effort and often results in the location of distant family members; I encourage it. But I would at least like the opportunity to decide with whom I share.

Data miners and vampires

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