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loribragg

Ancestry.com 'My Trees'

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I am interested in sharing my work with extended family and am considering using Ancestry.com's My Trees feature for this. Has anyone else here tried this? I cannot seem to upload any gedcom I have made from TMG7. I created a subset of my database using the focus group and then exported it to gedcom.

 

I have tried several changes in the configuration but Ancestry's upload simply says "Error: There was a problem uploading your family tree file, please try again." If there is a quirk - like they can't accept anything but short address format - please let me know.

 

I would also be interested in other thoughts on using this tool. I'm planning to keep it private - for extended family on invitation - so that we can freely share anecdotes and pictures. I think the documentation online and the interactive charting will make this option more interesting for non-genealogists than the other options available.

 

Thanks for any insights you can provide. Lori Bragg

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Hi Lori

 

I have had my tree on Ancestry for a few months now and whilst I find the concept is very good I feel it needs fine tuning.

 

A few days after creating my tree name and forwarding a gedcom from TMG 7 I found that I had added a few names on v7 and went to update Ancestry. And this is where the problems lie. I could find nowhere to show me how to update by gedcom. After looking for several frustrating hours I asked the question on rootsweb. The replies came in "thick and fast" that it could not be done. Apparently you have to create a new tree everytime with a new name and delete the old one. From what they were saying, people have two names for their trees and alternate their usage.

 

I didn't update my tree and am still debating whether to remove my tree entirely from there.

 

Regards

 

Half Pint

 

 

I am interested in sharing my work with extended family and am considering using Ancestry.com's My Trees feature for this. Has anyone else here tried this? I cannot seem to upload any gedcom I have made from TMG7. I created a subset of my database using the focus group and then exported it to gedcom.

 

I have tried several changes in the configuration but Ancestry's upload simply says "Error: There was a problem uploading your family tree file, please try again." If there is a quirk - like they can't accept anything but short address format - please let me know.

 

I would also be interested in other thoughts on using this tool. I'm planning to keep it private - for extended family on invitation - so that we can freely share anecdotes and pictures. I think the documentation online and the interactive charting will make this option more interesting for non-genealogists than the other options available.

 

Thanks for any insights you can provide. Lori Bragg

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I am interested in sharing my work with extended family and am considering using Ancestry.com's My Trees feature for this. Has anyone else here tried this? I cannot seem to upload any gedcom I have made from TMG7. I created a subset of my database using the focus group and then exported it to gedcom.

 

I have tried several changes in the configuration but Ancestry's upload simply says "Error: There was a problem uploading your family tree file, please try again." If there is a quirk - like they can't accept anything but short address format - please let me know.

 

I would also be interested in other thoughts on using this tool. I'm planning to keep it private - for extended family on invitation - so that we can freely share anecdotes and pictures. I think the documentation online and the interactive charting will make this option more interesting for non-genealogists than the other options available.

 

Thanks for any insights you can provide. Lori Bragg

 

 

Lori,

 

This is a weird workaround but...

Get a free copy of Legacy, PAF, or whatever and import the TMG GEDCOM into that program. If it takes it then EXPORT a GEDCOM from that program and use it to import into Ancestry.

 

The worst that can happen is that it won't work either! *GRIN*

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Hi Lori,

 

When you did your export to GEDCOM, what options did you choose in Step 5 "Destination and Miscellaneous Options" of the TMG Export Wizard? Be sure that you chose Version: GEDCOM 5.5 and Character Set: ANSI, which are the settings that Ancestry.com recommends here.

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We figured it out! One of the ancestry.com employees successfully loaded it on his side so it wasn't ancestry either.... it turned out to be that I was using Google Chrome as my browser during upload! When I used IE it worked first time!

 

Man, it's always somethin'....

 

Thanks for everyone's help.

Lori

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This is a quick general follow-up...

 

I always post my GEDCOMs at three sites. When I upload them to GeneaNet and RootsWeb, my updated data appears immediately.

 

With Ancestry, however, I usually suffer a delay. My last upload in January took three full days to appear(!)

 

The first time Ancestry started delaying GEDCOM uploads (early last year), I thought the problem was somehow on my end. Now, I realize it is just the way they run their ship, so I don't worry about it. A colleague tells me she has the same experience with her GEDCOM uploads there, too.

 

Regards,

Earl

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As much as I love Ancestry.com the new re-write of their Family Trees (My Trees) has lost much from the original which used to mirror the Rootsweb Family Trees and was simple and worked well for sharing.

 

- As mentioned above, it is impossible to update a database, you can only create a new one. In consequence any photos etc that you link are lost, any invitations to your tree have to be re-invited. It seems to be geared up for people who use it as their primary input location, and if you do that, it works OK. Being cynical it seems to be a way to lock you into Ancestry.com and their "added value" products.

Fortunately the Rootsweb Trees, ironically from then same "stable" are still there and do not have this problem, although I haven't noticed any development here.

 

- Also, I spotted a glaring Privacy loophole that they seem in no rush to fix. Briefly: A living person has no birth date or an invalid birth date, no death date or an invalid death date. With Privacy on, they cannot be found by the normal search, but if their ancestor/spouse is deceased and found, the living person's details are fully viewable. This often affects distant spouses for whom you don't know the details. Or more ironically those people you leave birth details off, to keep their details more private.

Fortunately the Rootsweb Trees do not have this problem. Their "Algorithms" spot these obvious situations.

 

I find the best online tree is Rootsweb. I also use Genes Reunited (UK) as this is a good site for the less computer literate to use (although I find the site slow and "pedantic"). Despite my comments, I also use Ancestry trees as another "window" but ensure my GEDCOM does not include any living or sensitive people (i.e. those with sensitive descendants!) and upload a new tree every now and then. While Rootsweb trees seem to take TMG output without any trouble (except witnesses), the other 2 have problems with memos/notes. I have written to them both pointing out that as TMG is a leading product, I was surprised they did not support their notes. "They were looking into it".

 

Jim Orrell

Edited by jim.orrell

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