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This a awful news. For a while Google brought up a lot of GenForum messages. Then we could rely on GenCircles for searches which werent quite up to date. Now we have almost nothing except Genealogy.coms wretched, frustrating search engines to search all of GenForum.

If anyone knows of or finds a way to search all of GenForums messages (other than Genealogy.com's current search engines), please let us know.

Where did GenCircles state that it was Ancestry.coms wording that caused them to cease their Message Searcher service?

GenCircles Genealogy Message Searcher page

Ancestry.coms Terms and Conditions page

Genealogy.coms (GenForum) Terms of Service page

Crystal,

You are still not being clear. Which online service barred GenCircles from indexing their messages and how do you know which one it is?

Donna

Your original subject is: Ancestry Stops GenCircles Searcher. This certainly indicates that you think that Ancestry is the bad guy here but you don't, in fact, know that. So, why say it was Ancestry?

Donnna

Crystal, you stated
"After all.. he WAS the one that had the 1st major free genealogical forums online. Yes, the one we gleen so much info from today was his idea, design, and without him? Stuck with the 2 big corporations that are eating up free genealogical sites online."

RootsWeb was the first and most ambitious online forums but it was swallowed up by Ancestry and was no longer free -- in spite of many volunteers.

Are you a PR person hired by Cliff?

Did you see that someone else posted a message in the General Ranting forum with the subject "Gen.com cuts own throat with legal beagles"? That one is in direct contradiction to this thread which was started with in the No Excuse! Nomination board here which is titled "Ancestry Stops GenCircles Searcher".

Unfortunately, it appears that GenCircles has brought on this confusion by:
A) Not using the name of the Web site referred to
B) Not pointing to the clause referred to
C) Not explaining whether the decision to shut down the GenSearcher feature was based on the interpretation by GenCircles of the clause they referred to or whether they were contacted by the company they referred to

I sent an email this morning to GenCircles asking for clarification on those three issues. That clarification should help to shed light on GenCircles' announcement.

Sincerely,
Paul Burchfield, Genealogy.com Technical Support
Online Help Center - help.genealogy.com

Please see the Genforum Maintenance Forum for the answer from GenCircles.

It was Genealogy.com's Terms of Service that led to the demise of the Gencircle's search.

I think Cliff's letter explains it well.

genforum.genealogy.com/ge...17237.html

I am a genealogist, and have NO ties to any group or organization, including GenCircles.

I have been doing genealogy since the 1960's and active in helping various organizations/companies offer free genealogical info online.

My main concern is getting actual information online to share with researchers free of charge, and helping keep the resources going that can help do this. GenCircles Searcher was one tool needed and the best one available. I'd like to see researchers have a compiled search so they can gleen info easier/faster.

I transcribed/added much free onfo, on RootsWeb etc. over the years and am still active in adding info to be used free at many sites.

I do take a firm stand for those I know that feel the same way. GenCircles owner is one of those.

Before internet I "matched" researchers info on the Baker Family USA Groups, so they could share info or work together on their family line. Set up vertical files and have "matched" over 1500 family groups, based on my research over the years. This was done free of charge.

So yes, I am trained in PR, from the "School of Hard Knocks". I saw much of the work many of us have done turn into pay per view sites. I will fight for those that are trying to make online genealogy better! I believe you take a stand for what you believe in and I am doing just that.

Enough of the soap box already... you get the idea. I love geneaolgy and preserving it for future generations.

Crystal Jensen

P.S. The answer below was posted by GenCircles:
---
SNIP*
Paul at Genealogy.com said:
"Unfortunately, it appears that GenCircles has brought on this confusion by:
A) Not using the name of the Web site referred to
B) Not pointing to the clause referred to
C) Not explaining whether the decision to shut down the GenSearcher feature was based on the interpretation by GenCircles of the clause they referred to or whether they were contacted by the company they referred to"
----
The company was Genealogy.com. We were trying to be on the more ethical side in not "naming names".

I'll be more than happy to point to the clause. The Terms of Service say that no one is permitted to:
"Create a database by systematically downloading and storing all or any of the content on the Sites."

This is the most glaring of the clauses, but there are others. The Genealogy Message Searcher cannot build its index to search on without being able to download and store the messages. As a whole, the new Terms of Service does not leave much up to interpretation as to what is permitted (it is very explicit).

There is enough legal ambiguity about the Genealogy Message Searcher (GMS), Genealogy.com's new Terms of Service, and the recent rulings on search engines of this kind to make the feature impossible for GenCircles to keep. Users of the GMS tell me that they used the feature to search GenForum.

Ancestry already has a updated global search engine. The technology of the GMS would be better served if it operated on GenForum.

It's inconvenient for users to have to go to GenCircles to search the GenForum messages (and not all GenForum users even know about the GMS). So to this end, I have written Paul to open discussions on how we might make this possible.

Best,
Cliff
GenCircles
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