It is impossible to get a reply from Geni when Experiencing problems. They try to blackmail you into joining the Professional version of their software instead of solving issues. Please sort this out.
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Votes
23 comments
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Jeff, Geni Curator This is a area for community help from volunteer users. Do you have a question?
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
I hope you can help as I am unable to add or edit data on my tree. It started when I was asked by a total stranger (but another Geni user) to merge the profiles of some of my cousins; I asked the cousins and as they had no knowledge I declined the merger. Since then I notice that some of the frames where you add pictures have a green border and it tends to be these individuals that I have the problems with. Any advice greatly appreciated as I would prefer to devote my energy to the tree, than having a rant because I'm stuck.
Cheers
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Profiles that have a green box around them are public profiles. If you are not one of the managers on a public profile and you don't want to become a premium member, then you can try to form a collaboration with the profile manager, which should allow you to edit their public profiles. You can do this via the Actions menu on the manager's profile. Also note that free members are limited from adding profiles above the forth generation - plus or pro accounts are available if you wish to expand beyond that limit.
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
My god its so good to get a response! I thank you again for your time and can tell you that I am supposed to be the manager of this tree, which I started, and have had helpful data input from relatives around the globe (especially Canada and Australia). As I explained the problems began when I declined a merger request, and I have just received another; I don't want these mergers and as I think I'm the only accredited manager of this tree I don't see why I should. The issue of ID theft has been raised by other family members, and I certainly don't wish to go down that road. While I don't believe in the ownership of this data, even if it is nominally my tree, I also feel responsible for securing it; so how do I do this? I have a large chunk of data that I'm waiting to add but cannot gain access, which is very frustrating. Please put me out of my misery!
Thanks again
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Geni is a social tree and will be merged regardless of your accepting it or not, at least at public levels. So you're refusal will only create duplication on private profiles for people within your family group, which they could also approve. There is no "my tree" on Geni. As someone that works in computer security, ID theft from a Genealogy website is a pretty far stretch - it doesn't make much sense. Merging will not change the security around your profiles. As for adding data, I'm not sure what more to tell you. You should be able to edit all profiles you manage. If you're not the manager of a profile (note that a profile can have multiple managers after a merge), then you'll need to request a collaboration or family group invite to the other manager (depending on if the profile is private or public).
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
Thanks for your quick reply. Let me see if I have this straight, I set up this tree and coordinated the efforts of family members to get as much info up there as possible, but now that someone else has merged the profile I am no longer in charge of the resulting tree's authenticity and integrity? How does that work? I have been scrupulous in checking that the data is true, and yet someone has added erroneous facts to the information that is there. I don't know if you have accessed the tree, and I have no objection to you doing so, but it seems odd that the wrong facts should count more than the verified ones. I have notes from my grandfather which would take us back to the twelfth century, but I have no concrete link confirming that these Wilkinsons are the same lineage as mine; so if a merge led to this link being added (without verification) you're saying that this is OK? How can I regain some control over my profile, and expunge the green framing in the photo box? As to the security aspect the merge included an individual who was, until recently, a Lord Lieutenant of one of our counties, and as such would not be too happy to have all his details accessible to the www. If I cannot be sure that this info is secure, then I would feel obliged to delete him from the tree. What other steps can you recommend?
Thanks again for your time
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Authenticity and integrity is shared by those that contribute to that portion of the tree. If you have verifiable information, then you would update the profile and reference the material for future users. Profiles can even have discussions about the data. It's like the Wikipedia model - yes, sometimes people enter inaccurate data, but in the long run you end up with greater accuracy and more completeness. The proven success of a collaborate model.
Often time when similar profiles are merged, the data defaults to the one with the most data or the most managers, however, that information is not lost. In such situations, an option is available to resolve conflicting data allowing you to choose the correct information. If such information is sourced, then it makes it much easier. There is also revisions for each profile, so you can roll back changes, or see who changed what.
As for privacy, pretty much all living profiles, unless they are celebrities, should be private and their information should be inaccessible to the www.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Rereading your earlier post, the changes you experienced are not likely due to any merge, but a result of Geni policy and software changes introduced here.
http://www.geni.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/comparison.png
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
At the risk of seeming dumb or repetitive this still hasn't allowed me to add any data, or amend what is already there. How can I resolve this? I try to go through life without causing trouble and that is just what I appear to be doing; Can you have a look at the tree and see if you have the necessary tools to do this? I just logged on to the site but I'm still stuck in this conundrum and would desperately like it solved so I don't have to keep bothering you.
Again my gratitude
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator I'd be happy to have a look, but you'll need to direct me to the part of the tree you're talking about. We have over 50 billion profiles on Geni. :) As for why you can not edit or add data, I can only guess that you've reached the limit of 4th generation and don't have a collaboration with those members that manage the higher public profiles, which are limits on a free account.
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
I have gone back 7 generations so far and the bottle neck is in the top L/H corner of my tree. The offspring of Dr John W should read as 3 sons and 2 daughters, and the second son Robert is the father of George; to complicate things further George marries his 1st cousin Mary whose father is also called George (I don't think they had the originality gene). Due to the confusing way my G-Grandfather (CJJW) made his notes I then put in Anna Maria as the child of George and Mary; when in fact she is Mary's older sister. The confused merger was an attempt to join the profiles of Henry and Carolyn Elwes who are the same generation as me; there is a sort of double box against George Elwes (who according to the other tree manager was the only child- he died very young and I know it was upsetting his mother that the tree was incorrect). If under the basic membership I am only supposed to go back 4 generations how come I got to 7? If you can restore my management privileges that would be brilliant, and you have my email address; if you send me a private email I will furnish you with my password if that proves I'm entitled to these. Does this mean I would have to then become a member of the Professional version? There was nothing in the initial sign-up that said this, so I hope you understand my confusion.
Cheers
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator You probably created the 7 generations prior to Geni changing the policy on free accounts on 11 August 2011.
I see some of the pending merges around George Elwes.
http://www.geni.com/family-tree/index/6000000013123356092
Are the parents and siblings incorrect here, as it looks like all three of you have the same profiles?
You'll have to provide a link to the other area of the tree that you're talking about as I can't find it with a search, too many results come back. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make you a manager. I think only another manager can do that.
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
Yes I input them before 11-08, but did not receive any notification of any changes. The details about John, Freddy and George may be correct but I could not get into them to look. What does the double box on George signify? As for the other data, my tree opens at me, and if you go left as far as it goes, then up to the top, you will find the complex of Wilkinsons I mentioned earlier. I will take a look at the link you sent me, but the new data I want to add comes down from Dr John's daughter Anne, and also from Robert. They both married into the Woods family and through other info I'm in touch with a distant cousin in Australia who has more on this branch of the tree. If I cannot add the data I don't see how I can invite him to join. So when I created this tree did I not automatically become its manager? I thought that this was the methodology and the main reason I chose Geni ahead of other genealogy sites. So many of them wanted money for what (to me) is family data, and therefore would appear to belong to the folk trying to piece together their history. If I were to join the Professional version would all this change? I can't stress enough how glad i am to be making some progress; your efforts are reducing my blood pressure! I have been verifying my data with the British Library who have all there is to know about the East India Co, plus other military records from the Indian sub-continent; and the local Heritage Society where my forefathers lived in Ireland. Is there any sort of arbiter one can go to if the records seem to clash?
Cheers
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Andrew, I have no access to your tree to follow it up, so I'm going to send you a family group invite. I can only see George as his profile is public, but all the profiles around him and you are private. The profiles around George need to be merged - it's sort of in a half-state right now. I'm not sure what you mean about the double box on George. The exclamation is due to a parent conflict, since the parents haven't been merged yet - only George has.
The tree has no manager. You manage the profiles you create - if there is a duplicate profile that someone else creates, the profiles are merged and you both become a manager of that profile. If you were to join (Plus or Pro), you would still only manage the profiles you create but you would be able to build your tree to any size and edit public profiles.
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
Took me all of a millisecond to decide to join your family group! Ok the view I have of George's box, and that of his parents, makes it appear as if there is another box behind the first. The large Plus sign is obviously an indicator of the merge issue, but when I try to agree I immediately get the pop-up page asking me to join the Professional version; it states clearly that this is necessary to resolve Merge Issues (that is why I felt it was a form of software blackmail). I would be happy to join for a two year period, and my only problem in this regard is I don't have credit cards or a Paypal account; I have got into trouble with these mechanisms in the past and refuse to have the temptation any longer. I can send a postal order or do a wire transfer, but to whom and where? If I do this do I automatically become the manager of my profile? And in the meantime could I nominate you as the manager until I get accredited?
Cheers
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Wasn't sure if you got my private message, since I sent it through Geni and not the Forum, but here it is again just in case.
Andrew,
Ok, I've merged what I can on George. There are three profiles left that are duplicates that I would suggest we just delete. Carolyn already claimed a profile so there is no reason to merge it, and she already has her two kids listed, which you should have access to. I would have deleted the three profiles, but it's going to send you a notification and I didn't want you to get scared thinking I was deleting stuff from your tree. So if you're ok with that, we'll just delete those duplicates and all should be strait.For Dr. John W., I've fixed the relationship between his son Robert's son George and his wife and first cousin Mary, son of George. So now the two profiles are linked in both parts of the tree, indicated by a 2x next to the profile that allows you to flip back and forth. This removed all duplication of the parents and siblings. I also moved Anna Marie to be Mary's sister instead of her daughter as you described.
Ok, as for Dr. John's daughter Anne Woods.. I've reviewed the management of all those profiles and you appear as a manager. So I expect you have the ability to edit those profiles, but you do not have the ability to add on to them (grow the tree). This is a new limit with the free account, which many of us are not that happy about. Geni has a 15 day free trial, but as you stated you're limited in the purchase methods. I don't know what address to send money orders - I can ask in the curator forum. If you want to send me the details of her connection, I can add it in if it's not a lot of data. It's very possible that we could find duplicates of the Woods family and hook into existing data.
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
I tried to reply to the message, but it did not seem to recognize when I put your name in the title box; kept deleting it and asking for the correct name! In answer to your questions-- Yes to paragaraph 1, thanks for what you did in para 2, and yes please ask the forum how people like me without plastic, can pay for the upgrade. When you "grow" a tree, does this mean in any direction? In order to connect to this distant Australian cousin I have to come down about 5 generations from Dr John's daughter Anne. If the restriction is only going back in time surely Geni cannot complain if we are coming down from what has already been included prior to 11-08-11. If it was necessary for me to send you copies of my data (4 scanned pages) I will happily do so, but be warned that the handwriting is a challenge, and the chronology is all over the place! As you have probably found with other UK residents we often had relatives who were involved with the Indian sub-continent, and especially the East India Co; well most of these records are accessible through the British Library and I have been well treated by their staff in answering many requests. Several of the folk in my document have EIC connections and I can send further details if required.
Cheers
Andrew.
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Jeff, Geni Curator I'm not sure how the restriction works, but I assume that it limits 4 generational "hops" from you in whatever direction, which is consistent with the Family Group. So going up and then back down would still be a distant relationship, even if the person is living.
I posted to the curator forum on the payment and a Geni employee stated that they're still looking for a billing partner that supports more options for International users.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Just thinking... Maybe Geni Public Access is an option.
http://www.geni.com/blog/announcing-geni-public-access-369917.html
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Andrew Wilkinson Hello Jeff
I have been able to add data to Anna Maria and come down a few generations, but the system has confusingly added a child to someone's first husband, and not the father. I cannot delete the individual so I wonder if you can fix it? The child in question is the offspring of one of the Coffeys and a woman called Minna Lane; when I added the child it was attributed to her 1st husband, Richard Manders. I spoke with Carolyn Elwes this morning and she is very glad we have a curator on our team; she also says she might pay for my membership to the Pro version. Do I take it you didn't want the old family documents? I think I can get the necessary links between the daughter of Dr John W and the Watsons in Australia, but should I post it here or to another email address?
Cheers
Andrew
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Jeff, Geni Curator Sure, I'll have to send you another family request. I removed myself from your family group after I had finished.
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Jeff, Geni Curator Andrew, did you get this fixed. The only child I see for Minna is assigned to William, not Richard. Also looks like you have a match with another tree there. :)
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Andrew Wilkinson Sorry Jeff
Yes I did but forgot to inform you. I'm presently getting my broadband via a dongle and even basic stuff takes ages. I remembered I had seen a tab to correct this problem and corrected the entry.
Cheers
Andrew.
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