[Possible Spam][05.87] RE: [or-roots] BEWARE: Carol Ann Hansen / Steals Family Infor. / no permission

Kith-n-Kin kith-n-kin at att.net
Mon Nov 22 20:15:02 PST 2004


Nancy
 
How is she claiming "it" is hers?  I know you are upset about this, but I really see no problem. I really
think there is a "failure to communicate" here.
 
I looked at the websites you mentioned, and found (when I downloaded a gedcom) that she had put your
message in "notes" as the source for her information. No foul there!  That is "good scholarship"!  On one
of the sites, referenced in the gedcom notes,
(http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET
<http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2670054&id=I4356>
&db=:2670054&id=I4356)  she has the family listed, to which you have added a "post-em" note. Hers
information was dated 2003, yours, 2004. It looks to me as though both of you came to at least some of the
information independently. 
 
I haven't got any of my "stuff" on world connect, or other sites, but I did <slap my face> send a disk
with my "tree", much of it not verified, including some living people, to FTM when they first started. It
wound up, of course, on cds. Now, some (non-relative) person has added it to the Salt Lake City
information base.  So, what to do? (a) nothing; (b) apologies to those relatives who wound up on the disk;
(c) raise hell.  Hmmm. I guess (b) would be my choice. And, of course, selectively post the correct
information (since "proved") to the appropriate websites, since this was a really early "take" on my
family.  Which reminds me. I have posted "queries", with "unproven" information many times. If some
relative/calabash-relative wants to use it, too bad for them, unless they use it to begin a research
journey themselves, which is what I do with most "queries" and "family trees" posted on the internet, or
in books, monographs, etc.
 
This just goes to show that we all make these mistakes. And no, you probably can't "take it back". But I
do have to say, in my (never) humble opinion, none of us *owns* the information. Think about it. Where did
you get it? Did you *steal* it? I doubt it. But someone, somewhere, could probably make a good case. Did
you ever copy an obituary from a newspaper? Copy dates from a relative's family Bible? Did you ask
permission to copy and post to the internet? Do you have the source for every piece of information
attached to it every time you share it with someone? Did the person that you got it from? Is some, or all
of this information available from census documents and other sources?
 
This hobby is about sharing, not about owning. 
 
Now, when someone steals my soon-to-be copyrighted "solution" to a Virginia family myth, I'll be yelling,
because it took quite a bit of research to figure it out. But, if the person who gave me the first *clue*
should decide to take ownership of my copyright, let me tell you, the National Basketball Association
ain't seen nothin' yet! <G>
 
I'm thinking that she may be a good person to collaborate with, so if you can possibly resolve this, you
may be ahead.
 
Pat 

 

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