Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

[Julie Randle]

Hi
I originally started my research 11 years ago and did as much as a could using online resources back then. I'm now picking it up again as there is so much more data available on the various family history websites. Previously I had a windows computer and used different software, but now have a MAC so have decided to use Reunion, the main reason being that the data is stored on my computer, so hopefully will never get lost!

Having looked back I have uploaded my tree to Ancestry, Findmypast and My Heritage. I am interested to know if other people are uploading their GED files to more than one site and also if you update each tree on the web manually as you add to your tree in Reunion, or do you upload new GED files every so often? I'm not sure if there is any merit in me having my tree on all these sites. Am I getting different hints from each site depending on what records they hold?

Any advice and thoughts appreciated.

[edohmann]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

For what it's worth, I generate a gedcom & upload it to ancestry.com once or twice a year. I don't use any other on-line services.

I don't even try to keep my ancestry tree updated and I don't include any photos or documents - just a basic gedcom for sharing info with others and enticing other researchers to contact me. I keep my tree private for that specific reason.

When I upload a new tree, I delete my older ones & re-invite the people on my share list.

Edgar

[mrstucci]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

I upload a tree to Ancestry a bit more often and only because I ran into an issue where I deleted someone from my tree on Reunion in error and I was able to go back to a fairly recent tree on Ancestry and get the info. I heaved a heavy sigh and was very glad that I had a tree on Ancestry with what I needed.

My tree on Ancestry is the only tree I keep updated. I have updated gedcoms to other websites but I stick with Ancestry for now.

I put very few photos on my tree and no documents.

That's my opinion and it works for me!

[John M. Leggett]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

I upload a tree to Ancestry a bit more often and only because I ran into an issue where I deleted someone from my tree on Reunion in error and I was able to go back to a fairly recent tree on Ancestry and get the info. I heaved a heavy sigh and was very glad that I had a tree on Ancestry with what I needed.

My tree on Ancestry is the only tree I keep updated. I have updated gedcoms to other websites but I stick with Ancestry for now.

I put very few photos on my tree and no documents.

That's my opinion and it works for me!

It appears that you do not maintain a local backup--or two or more. I would be really nervous about my Reunion data if I had to depend upon Ancestry or anything else other than a recent backup on my own hard drive and another drive that is external.

[Julie Randle]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

Thanks all for your useful replies.

Julie

[Bob White]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

If Julie is properly using Dropbox with Reunion, she has one backup that is always up to date. e.g. The file is mirrored in the local Dropbox folder on her Mac.

[Katharine Ott]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

Hi
I originally started my research 11 years ago and did as much as a could using online resources back then. I'm now picking it up again as there is so much more data available on the various family history websites. Previously I had a windows computer and used different software, but now have a MAC so have decided to use Reunion, the main reason being that the data is stored on my computer, so hopefully will never get lost!

Having looked back I have uploaded my tree to Ancestry, Findmypast and My Heritage. I am interested to know if other people are uploading their GED files to more than one site and also if you update each tree on the web manually as you add to your tree in Reunion, or do you upload new GED files every so often? I'm not sure if there is any merit in me having my tree on all these sites. Am I getting different hints from each site depending on what records they hold?

Any advice and thoughts appreciated.

Hello - I produce what I call a "skeleton tree" GED file which only contains direct ancestors, no photos, no sources, just names and dates. I upload those to sites like Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, Gedmatch and now MyHeritage. I try to update them periodically, but should probably do that on a regular schedule. Since different people attach themselves to different testing groups, I feel it can only be a good thing to cast my net over many waters! My experience with MyHeritage is much more recent and intriguing although I'm not having good luck getting matches to write back. And I am not real keen on the fact that they consider a match to someone else's tree as a "Record Match." Good luck with your research!

[mrstucci]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

It appears that you do not maintain a local backup--or two or more. I would be really nervous about my Reunion data if I had to depend upon Ancestry or anything else other than a recent backup on my own hard drive and another drive that is external.

Rest assured I do have backups. I do not rely on Ancestry. It's just another avenue I can use.

I have Time Machine, a clone back up, I back up to a NAS and also Back Blaze. Plus there is the Reunion file being synced to Dropbox.

[John M. Leggett]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

Rest assured I do have backups. I do not rely on Ancestry. It's just another avenue I can use.

I have Time Machine, a clone back up, I back up to a NAS and also Back Blaze. Plus there is the Reunion file being synced to Dropbox.

I'm glad to hear that! Your previous post made it sound like you were totally dependent on Ancestry.

[mrstucci]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

I'm glad to hear that! Your previous post made it sound like you were totally dependent on Ancestry.

In reading online about the people who do depend ONLY on Ancestry and when disaster strikes (and it will) it's just something I don't want to have happen to me.

[Kingsbridger]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

Hello - I produce what I call a "skeleton tree" GED file which only contains direct ancestors, no photos, no sources, just names and dates. I upload those to sites like Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, Gedmatch and now MyHeritage. I try to update them periodically, but should probably do that on a regular schedule. Since different people attach themselves to different testing groups, I feel it can only be a good thing to cast my net over many waters! My experience with MyHeritage is much more recent and intriguing although I'm not having good luck getting matches to write back. And I am not real keen on the fact that they consider a match to someone else's tree as a "Record Match." Good luck with your research!

Katherine, I have a question that you may have some advice about. I'm exporting a gedcom file to FamilyTreeDNA that has living people simply shown as "living", for privacy concerns. However, that includes ME. FTDNA asks to identify myself as a person in the tree and only the deceased "Murray" people show up when I type in my surname. So I cannot upload a gedcom to the site. What am I missing to do?
Thanks.

[Kingsbridger]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

Katherine, I have a question that you may have some advice about. I'm exporting a gedcom file to FamilyTreeDNA that has living people simply shown as "living", for privacy concerns. However, that includes ME. FTDNA asks to identify myself as a person in the tree and only the deceased "Murray" people show up when I type in my surname. So I cannot upload a gedcom to the site. What am I missing to do?
Thanks.

OYE. Never mind. I guess FTDNA will aide with hiding the identities of the living. I assumed I had to do this. Sorry.

[Katharine Ott]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

OYE. Never mind. I guess FTDNA will aide with hiding the identities of the living. I assumed I had to do this. Sorry.

Hey Kingsbridger - You're right, I think most of the DNA sites have wised up to privacy concerns now. Good luck with your research!

[Kurt Cowling]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)



OYE. Never mind. I guess FTDNA will aide with hiding the identities of the living. I assumed I had to do this. Sorry.

I have turned privacy filtering off when exporting my GEDCOM for FTDNA and still cannot get it to find me (or anyone). Any help regarding settings in the GEDCOM export to get FTDNA to read the file? Thanks!

[thomprod]

Re: Uploading GED file to other websites (or not!)

For what it's worth, I generate a gedcom & upload it to ancestry.com once or twice a year. I don't use any other on-line services.

I don't even try to keep my ancestry tree updated and I don't include any photos or documents - just a basic gedcom for sharing info with others and enticing other researchers to contact me. I keep my tree private for that specific reason.

When I upload a new tree, I delete my older ones & re-invite the people on my share list.

Edgar

Edgar, I uploaded my first GEDCOM to Ancestry many years ago and used their "hints" feature to discover more information and saved that new info both to my Ancestry tree and Reunion. After several years of updating Reunion, but not Ancestry, I realized that I should upload a new updated GEDCOM to Ancestry, which I did. Unfortunately, the "hints" feature then presented me with hundreds of the same hints that I either accepted or ignored before on the original tree. I spent a lot of time wading through hints that I just had to "ignore" again. IMHO, this is a drawback to Ancestry trees. A user can't simply upload an update to an existing tree.