I've been a member of the "Find A Grave" website for over 2 years now. (In a month and a half it will be 3 Years!)
I joined once I started getting into genealogy seriously as a hobby.
But I have a love/hate relationship with the F.A.G. site.
I have tired for years now to get a few of my family member's memorials on there transferred to me for upkeep.
Specifically my maternal grandparents and that grandmother's siblings and parents.
Their memorials were created by a guy who lives in that county of Virginia where they lived whom I don't know personally nor is he related to my peoples. He's just an avid genealogy freak.
Or WAS an avid genealogy freak.
This person NEVER responds to requests for transfers, nor does he respond to emails AT ALL.
And it's just not me as I've contacted others who have tried to correspond with him and he doesn't answer them either.
I find this very strange because on his member bio page he states, "If a family member contacts me I will gladly transfer their memorial over to them."
This is a down right LIE!
And this guy manages over 4 THOUSAND memorials! Or rather "has ownership" of that many....he doesn't manage anything.
Clearly he is a memorial Hoarder. He is standing in the way of correct memorials and loving family members who want them updated and accurate.
And I know he has not passed away himself because as late as last June 2014, he was still taking photos of headstones for other people's memorials!
Now it's not like I HAVE TO have all my dead relatives memorials.
I have written to him with information on these ancestors that needs to be updated and/or corrected on their memorials.
And he sees fit to not respond and/or fix any of the information either!
I have even written to the Powers That Be at F.A.G. to let them know about the problems this guy is causing numerous members.
And their response is to NOT RESPOND to my inquiries.
I tell ya, I am about at the point of making duplicate memorials for these relatives so I can get the correct/proper information out there......even though making duplicate memorials is a no-no.
At least if I did make dups and this guy objected, he's have to actually email me, right? ;-)
I at least went ahead and got some information put onto my family's memorials that he "maintains"(ha!) last week.
There is a feature on F.A.G. where you can submit family links to the person's other relatives' memorials directly to F.A.G. and they will check them out and edit the memorial held by the non-responsive member themselves. But they won't correct specific information(name, dates, places)just the links to their other family members.
I am just so frustrated I could chew steel!!
Sluggy