No free merging=dead tree

to quote mike from another thread "however the frustration with free users not being able to add outside max family group has got us considering alternatives. In other words, "subject to change without notice"!"

you can still merge their profiles if you add them to family group though

regarding merges, there was a case in another thread where:

"I could not merge her two children with the duplicates created by her dad, as they were "private" and I'm not in HIS familygroup. But she is. So I told her to do it. And watched.

Guess what? She could not merge her own children."

There was a work-around found:
"I told my friend to make the duplicate-profiles of her children public. THEN I could merge them "
... but that is rather too cumbersome -- and goes against most privacy concerns (even if they are made private again after the merge).

I agree, I am no longer a paying member. I may rejoin OneGreatfamily.com.The World Family Tree there is mucn more productive. I got back to the Crusades (1000's) there and many branches out.

ALSO, ANITHER ISSUE FOR NON-PAYING MEMBERS. Someone sent me a message and I sent them a short note, but I cannot findthe message again in case I want to reconnect with that person. Unless they write me back, I won't have any way of verifying the spelling of their name, etc. Also, one people just want to give you information, but they don't want to join. It is too hard to build a tree this way. Can anyone suggest how I can find this message again?
I tried to start a new discussion; apparently I am blocked from that as well. I can’t really try this website out to see if I like it. So far it is frustrating. I didn’t have time enough to try it out on the trial a year or so ago. I am just getting back on.
thanks
@Jeanne Cramer

Jason wrote: "you can still merge their profiles if you add them to family group though". Most people are not going to want to be part of my family tree if they are not blood relatives.

Bottom line, the merging is stuck with duplicates all over the place and nothing can be done. The tree looks terrible.

Jeanne (Barrie) Cramer - To find your inbox, messages, etc. - click on the little box with a numeral in it - top of page, between the Search box and the little profile picture of yourself. Weird place to hide it, but access to it is there!!

Speaking of finding your inbox...

IF GENI WAS A CAR, IT WOULD HAVE NO OIL LAMP...

Instead of having that vital little red warning lamp that all car companies put in the instrument cluster, among the less vital amber lamps for windscreen washer fluid low level and such, there would be JUST ONE lamp. A red one. Meaning "something's up".

Throughout the last year, geni's visual alert for incoming mail has changed three times. That tells me that the good people of geni has found their mail-alert-system inadequate, two times.
Here's my ten cents of free advice: Make that three...

I'd very much like to see a separate alert for mail/request-inbox please.

Karl

I have 395 merge requests sent that have not been responded to. I could make a lot more, but what's the point if only pro accounts can merge?

Geni people, give the basic users the right to merge, or declare geni dead.

Charles Lebow Are those merge request for private profiles -- outside your "family group"? if so, then you may never get a response ... because the manager does not want to merge (even if they could).

I make one attempt to 'connect' with the manager of a private profile; if that is unsuccessful (after a reasonable period of days, whether or not acknowledged), I then just ignore the possible merge -- or cancel the merge, if already initiated -- and then (if possible or necessary) simply disconnect the private profiles from "my tree".

Yep, sometimes it looks like obvious matches are a mess; sometimes there may be good additional information which I can't therefore "see". Sigh.

Maybe what would help is to request a new "view/print" tree feature where one can set their account preference to NOT show 'inaccessible' profiles (that is, private profiles not in your family group). Then these private profiles won't mess-up the viewing of the tree -- but they could (eventually) be "connected with" once they either "age enough" or get a different manager.

"Like" this feature request: http://help.geni.com/entries/20725343-preference-to-hide-show-inacc... if you think it would be helpful.

That has been my problem. I wanted to respond to quite a few merge requests, but I am not a Geni Pro member. It spoils the whole point of this effort.

Hi, Chaya (Helaine-Lainey) Golda Ovadia!

There is another discussion to help with the problem of merging for Basic (free) members (see link below).

Once you find a Pro user you trust, you can (temporarily) invite them to be a part of your family group; then, they can complete the merges for you. When all is cleaned up, you can (if you choose) then just remove them from the family group.

That's for dealing with private profiles.

For public profiles, you invite someone (Pro) to "collaborate" with you. Then they can complete merges for public profiles which you manage.

Here is the link to that discussion for "submitting merges":
(Just go to the last page to add your requests with the merge link)
http://www.geni.com/discussions/99133

Thanks, Dan. I'll give your suggestions a try when I have a chance.

I will plan to try this also, Dan

Last I heard, Basic were no longer prevented from merging. So you may be able to do some of the merges yourself.

That's great!