* RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

The place to post news about genealogy products and services that might be of interest to other Family Historian users.
Post Reply
User avatar
tatewise
Megastar
Posts: 28333
Joined: 25 May 2010 11:00
Family Historian: V7
Location: Torbay, Devon, UK
Contact:

RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by tatewise »

According to Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter ~ RootsWeb Mailing Lists to be Discontinued many RootsWeb users have received messages saying from March 2nd, 2020 the Mailing Lists functionality will be discontinued.

Is that the end of the info:mailing_list|> [FHU] Mailing List facility run by Simon Orde ?
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
User avatar
Jane
Site Admin
Posts: 8507
Joined: 01 Nov 2002 15:00
Family Historian: V7
Location: Somerset, England
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by Jane »

As an admin on a Rootsweb list I only received that announcement yesterday, so I suspect Calico will need to think if it's worth creating a new list. The FHU list is not active these days with only an odd post other than the automated what's happening at FHUG one. So personally I doubt a replacement is needed.
Jane
My Family History : My Photography "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."
User avatar
gwilym'smum
Superstar
Posts: 302
Joined: 01 Feb 2016 16:28
Family Historian: V6.2
Location: South Cheshire
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by gwilym'smum »

Just received an email from the Staffordshire list and the gentleman who runs it is hoping to set up a new one. He says he will email subscribers in due time.
Ann
Researching Mayer, Parr/Parr, Simcock, Beech and all related families
User avatar
Valkrider
Megastar
Posts: 1563
Joined: 04 Jun 2012 19:03
Family Historian: V7
Location: Lincolnshire
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by Valkrider »

When Yahoo did a similar thing at the end of 2019 a lot of their groups moved to groups.io. But as Jane says is it really necessary with this forum now?
User avatar
jmurphy
Megastar
Posts: 715
Joined: 05 Jun 2007 23:33
Family Historian: V6.2
Location: California, USA
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by jmurphy »

In all the uproar about the Lists going away, it has been a comfort knowing that FH users at least won't have to scramble to find somewhere else to go -- we already have a wonderful robust forum.

What we will be losing is an avenue for outreach. The mailing list was good for answering simple questions, but for anything complicated, users were encouraged to come to the forum. (The same principle applies to the Facebook group, only more so.)

I have enjoyed getting the RootsWeb list, particularly to see the "This week's active discussions" posts, which prompt me to come over here and read the forum posts. It was convenient to sub to the RootsWeb mailing lists and have messages roll in, which I could skim or not, and save as needed. But knowing how much work can be involved being an admin or moderator or active forum/list participant, I don't feel it is right to volunteer anyone for more work.

It is sad watching all the chatter on the groups I sub to -- knowing that instead of having one centralized place to go (RootsWeb), the various communities will scatter to different new venues. Ancestry may think it is no big deal for people to move to their message boards, but they aren't a good substitute. Frankly, I'm surprised that Ancestry is shutting down the RootsWeb message lists and not the Ancestry message boards. Given the debacle they've made about overhauling the message system on Ancestry, I wonder why they would drive more users onto the Ancestry Message Boards in advance of overhauling those, too.

Anyway -- I would like to thank Jane again for all of her work on the forum. I'm grateful that I can keep in touch with everyone here.
avatar
victor
Superstar
Posts: 269
Joined: 08 Jan 2004 16:53
Family Historian: V7
Location: Thatcham, Berkshire, England

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by victor »

I too am an admin on rootsweb and recived the message about it ending. To be honest I had completely forgotten about my rootsweb group. That was simply because no messages were posted to it for years. I don't think anyone who was on it wouldn't miss it
User avatar
jmurphy
Megastar
Posts: 715
Joined: 05 Jun 2007 23:33
Family Historian: V6.2
Location: California, USA
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by jmurphy »

I don't envy any of the mailing list admins.

Admin: "Let's move to Facebook"
Some users: "Ew no I won't go there"

Admin: "Let's move to Google Groups"
Some users: "Ew no I hate Google"

Users: "Some of my groups are going to Groups.io"
Users: "Are you sure? It's pricey and who are those people?"

Etc. etc. etc.

I only have a handful of mailing lists I'm subscribed to, and it seems that they're likely to scatter all to a different service.

Thanks so much Ancestry (yes that's sarcasm) for complicating everything for everyone just because you can't be bothered to maintain simple mailing lists.
User avatar
davidf
Megastar
Posts: 951
Joined: 17 Jan 2009 19:14
Family Historian: V6.2
Location: UK

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by davidf »

jmurphy wrote: 10 Jan 2020 02:20 ....
Thanks so much Ancestry (yes that's sarcasm) for complicating everything for everyone just because you can't be bothered to maintain simple mailing lists.
Presumably Ancestry have concluded it is "not worth the candle" to maintain mailing lists and they would rather a few moved to Ancestry Message Boards (which might encourage more to get into or stay in the "Ancestry genealogical online database camp")

As we move into the next phase of internet development (more aware of privacy, more aware of the necessity to moderate user's comments, more aware of the need to take down copyright infringing material etc. etc.) we may have to review how we as users both use and fund the internet in all its glory.

We pay our ISPs for basic access, but we seem to expect what we access to be offered up "for free". We are reluctant to pay, partly from meanness and partly from concern that paying to access sites (either through a subscription or through some form of PAYG system) would be complicated and either run up significant bills for marginally used sites or would stifle our "free-wheeling" use of the internet where you browse "in the moment" following lines of interest without concern for cost.

And yet we do not like the Facebook / Google models where in effect we are the product enabling them to profile us in remarkably intrusive ways and then sell those profiles on to others (predominantly advertisers).

So do we see the internet falling into two areas:
  • Volunteer funded/run sites
  • Commercial sites that are essentially self-promoting and self-funding
Or is there another way?

How many of us wonder about the costs associated with running say this forum (and associated pages)?
Last edited by davidf on 10 Jan 2020 11:39, edited 1 time in total.
David
Running FH 6.2.7. Under Wine on Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS + LXDE 11)
User avatar
tatewise
Megastar
Posts: 28333
Joined: 25 May 2010 11:00
Family Historian: V7
Location: Torbay, Devon, UK
Contact:

Re: RootsWeb [FHU] Mailing List to end

Post by tatewise »

Regarding those comments by davidf, there are some related offshoots being promoted by Prof. Tim Berners-Lee as mentioned in his recent Dimbleby Lecture on the BBC. To discuss those further, please start a new thread.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
Post Reply