Facebook is too risky to send link

Question

I sent a link to a family member that had died over 100 years ago on private Facebook site, named Garrett Family and Friends.

The message family member replied was...

"I think you have good intentions but it is not good to just put family names on public forums such as this. I don’t like to give out family info on anything that is not private and secure. Hope I haven’t hurt your feelings"

Need your thoughts?

Comments

I'm hoping everything on the WikiTree profile was public information and, besides, you were posting in a private group, so I don't see how you did anything wrong at all. I have a private family group like that and share genealogical info--that's precisely one of the reasons why I set up the group. Of course, I guess since I'm the admin of it, that may make a difference. But, we wish each other happy birthday and happy anniversary and just yesterday one of the cousins posted about the birth of a grandchild--info about living people. I'm sorry you were made to feel you did something wrong, but I personally feel you did not.

Answer 1

The person died over a hundred years ago. He or she will not have a child still living and even a grandchild may be a stretch. I think they are being over-cautious. There are family trees all over the internet with living people mentioned. Perhaps the Facebook group could come up with its own policy?

Answer 2

I agree with Fiona...

Not everyone will have the same opinion. Some people are more cautious than others. And so, while you can't please everybody, you should at least try to get along them (though, sometimes you just can't).

The admins of your particular Facebook group should have the final say of what's allowed in their group -- not us. And I suspect your Facebook group is already private, so no one else would be able to see your post, except members of that group. Even Facebook itself won't care what you post -- unless it violates a specific policy (and in this case, I'm certain it does not).

By that person's logic... we need to shut down WikiTree then, because we're posting family names on a public site here.

Answer 3

IMHO, you didn't do anything 'wrong', nor did the messaged family member.

That you can find a family member to contact with 100 year old data is something to be respected, as is the obligation to honour the privacy of the responding family member. You can both be right.

I would send them a no-offence-taken, thanks-for-the-reply, message and leave it at that.

Comments

this is true too