The O'Neal Genealogy Association Newsletter

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TOGA NEWS Volume III, Issue 12, December, 2003

Recently I've come to learn that some unscrupulous persons have been downloading information from our website and adding it to their own websites. While I believe in sharing our information and making it public to everyone, I do not condone this act of just taking information and then reposting it as their own. Our website is constantly being updated and corrected as we learn more about our family's past. Those persons who are stealing our information do not get updates of new information and corrections and are doing an inservice to anyone accessing their sites. They are also not giving credit to the researchers providing the information to our site, as we do.

This is plagarism, it is morally wrong and I intend on doing something about it without sacrificing the content and quality of our website. I have contacted the folks I've found stealing information. Some have removed the materials from their sites while others have ignored me. To prevent these people from stealing information in the future, I have begun taking preventative measures.

I've already removed most of the photos from the web site. If you look at the Ancestors Photos Section of the site, you'll see that the pictures there can no longer be downloaded. Just a small thumbnail image can be copied. This will prevent people from taking our photos. If anybody wants a full sized image or an original copy, all they have to do is write to me and and I will send them the requested image. This will allow our membership access to the photos, but will prevent others from stealing our originals.

I've also removed the ability to download a gedcom from the site. Anyone wanting a gedcom will have to write and ask for one. I've also removed the volumes of text files that were residing on the site.

I apologize for any inconvenience these changes may have on our members. I'm sure everyone can understand the reasons for wanting to protect our information, while continuing to share it with the general public.

Also, I must make one more announcement to our members. Please don't forget to advise me if/when your email changes. Sometimes, email is our only link, and I hate to lose track of people over something as simple as an email change.

Thanks,
Cuz'n, John
John W. O'Neal, II
The O'Neal Genealogy Association