GEDCOM to Family Search

RootsMagic
1

Here is another one. I am really not a happy camper with FamilySearch, and I hesitate posting my tree to their website. Simply because some people are prone to making changes without researching properly before making additions or changes to another persons tree. My question is simple. If I use RM to upload my tree. Can I do a (compare) search to see what changes were made by other people and reverse those changes made. Just say I am a little paranoid and I have had past experiences at FS.

2

There is not such thing as “another persons tree”, once on FS it is part of the world family tree. It belongs to everyone even though they maybe related to you. Yes, you can change things back, but there is some change that another person is also tracking changes and they then decide to re-reverse your information.

1 Like
3

If I post my tree and another person makes a change to it. Will Rm compare my tree in my computer to the tree on family search and tell me about the changes and allow me to put it back as I posted? The other problem is ordinances by church members. Will it show me the ordinances performed?

4

For an individual on FamilySearch where I have an intense research interest, I post as much information as I can about why some information that is regularly posted about the individual is probably correct and why some information that is regularly posted about the same individual is probably incorrect. I also ask that if any of the incorrect information is reposted will the user posting the information please provide the evidence that is in support of the post.

I also use FamilySearch’s “Follow” mechanism so that I am notified right away of any changes by other users. My experience is that it may take a while but that other users eventually give up on reposting incorrect information rather than providing the evidence for the incorrect information.

I honestly don’t find RM’s interface with FamilySearch very helpful in identifying problems on FamilySearch. I generally find it easier just to choose a few people on FamilySearch to look at and I look at them directly in one web browser window and look at the same person in my RM database in another browser window. I may be missing something obvious, but I don’t see a good way to tell RM to find errors in FamilySearch for me. I do use RM’s Webhints for FamilySearch extensively, but I don’t transfer any data automatically in either direction between RM and FamilySearch.

I am finding that the amount of erroneous information on FamilySearch is gradually becoming less and that the amount of valid evidence attached to people on FamilySearch is gradually becoming more. I think that overall, the accuracy of the information and the quality of the supporting evidence in FamilySearch is getting better and better. But that overall positive trend sometimes doesn’t keep some users from posting incorrect and disproven information over and over again.

These questions are more FamilySearch questions than RM questions. I think the real issue whether RM can do bulk compares between RM and FamilySearch to identify possible problems in FamilySearch. I could be wrong, but I think the answer is basically no.

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5

As long as your RM person is matched to someone on FSFT the What’s New list should report when anything has been changed. Go to Publish, FamilySearch Central and login. Then do nothing else in RM including clicking on anything off of FamilySearch Central, just let it update. You will see the numbers increase. Then you can click on What’s New and see any changes. After you look at a someone using the FamilySearch Person Tools they will drop off that list.

6

Thanks. I had totally forgotten about the What’s New option, and it’s right there on FamilySearch the screen.

7

I would agree with Jerry. When I started trying to align my RM data with that on FS quite some time ago now, there was a then a tendency for others to, in my opinion, incorrectly adjust what I had tidied up, usually with sources backing up my ‘data’. As ‘the’ tree has matured - and in relation to mine it has really filled in and been tidied up - this has become less and less the case and most activity has moved to the attachment of sources which back up and augment ‘the’ evolving tree. My original belief that something valuable could emerge from the attempt to crowd-source a single tree does seem to have been validated, certainly for what in my case, is a mainly UK oriented one.

8

I have found the exact opposite. To such an extent that members of the church have stopped posting and not bothering to correct errors. It would be nice if a tree and information in the tree cannot be changed without permission from the person that posted the original. Alas we know that is not going to happen. Such is life. Maybe with my last breath of life I will reach over to my computer and hit the enter button and not have to worry anymore what will transpire to my tree.

9

That is one advantage of Ancestry.com, or even buying a domain and the software to put yor own tree up. No one can change it.

10

I use Geneanet. I cancelled Ancestry. With Geneanet I found relatives in France that migrated out of Italy. With Ancestry I had to pay extra in addition to my regular subscription and I know it wouldn’t be worth the effort or money.

11

The if Geneanet allows you to put up a tree, then use it. You can put a tree on Ancestry even without a paid account. You can buy an appropriate domain name and use software such as TNG to put up your tree, under your full control. The point being, FamilySearch is always going to allow people to edit/change information as posted…and if this doesn’t suit you, then you have options to use other resources, even RM webpages, to put your information out there.

12

I can’t find “Publish, FamilySearch Central” - is this something I would find in FS or in RM? I’ve checked both places without luck. In FS the main choices at the first screen for me are “Family Tree”, “Search”, “Memories”, “Get Involved”, and “Activities”. I’ve tried all of them looking for “Publish” but no luck. Any pointers? Thanks!

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In RM8 it is under the “Publish” tab or under the icon at the bottom left.

14

Ah, RM8. That’s the key…

Thanks!