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Question: ...I would like to understand your commitment to the USGenWeb Project, without any reservations. I note that you have chosen to affiliate with the USGENNET
server which, since its founding, appears to be at cross purposes
with the USGenWeb Project and has publicly stated that opposition.
Based on these facts, I am trying to determine why I should cast
my vote for you, as opposed to the individual who is running
for the same position. Should you choose to clarify your position
in this regard, I look forward to seeing it stated on your campaign
page at Respectfully, Derick S. Hartshorn Derick: You asked about my commitment to USGenWeb. Those who do know me have no question about that; however, I do understand your concern. Yes, I do have some USGenWeb county sites located on the USGenNet server. As noted in my campaign page, I have provided links to those sites that are on that server. I also have a Broward County site on a FL server (http://www.flgenweb.net/) located at http://www.floridagenealogyproject.com/counties/broward/browardindex.html. All of my county sites were moved off of Rootsweb servers in response to the recent upset and concern about some of Rootsweb's tactics. My move to their servers did not occur until this past spring when TGN began applying Ancestry banners to all Rootsweb sites and a huge exodus from Rootsweb's servers occurred. Many coordinators purchased other domains to move their sites to, others moved their USGenWeb county pages to new servers set up by the USGenWeb states that moved their sites off of Rootsweb servers. I manage numerous county sites and some of them are not in the SEMA region of USGenWeb. I also have two counties in Colorado. Many Colorado counties moved to the new Colorado server. I moved to USGenNet because it was easier for me to manage numerous sites at one location. I am truly not tech savy. However, I am tremendously committed to my USGenWeb counties and to all coordintors for USGenWeb. If there was some particular motive on the part of USGenNet, I was not aware of it when they offered space this past Spring to any USGenWeb county wishing to move off of Rootsweb's servers. I have been a USGenWeb county coordinator for numerous years now and do not feel that locating my counties on a different server affects that commitment one iota. Also, coordinators are not required to house their sites at any particular server. USGenWeb coordinators have their sites on many different available servers and it is my understanding that USGenWeb does not dictate to any coordinator as to where they may locate their sites. Actually, I'm not even sure how long I have worked with USGenWeb as I have never felt it necessary to count the months and years. I am committed to genealogy and helping others, first and foremost, and to USGenWeb. I have loved every minute of working with USGenWeb, or I wouldn't have done the many things I have done. I definitely feel that one does not have to have owe allegiance to only one project. The majority of my work is with USGenWeb. I also am a coordinator for WorldGenWeb and a Board Member of that project. That in no way affects my commitment to my work at USGenWeb. I am not the only coordinator to also have sites on the AHGP or ALHN project. I wanted to produce work for my home county of Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana. I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I no longer live in Indianapolis; however, my love of my home has not diminished because I now live in Florida. Marion County, Indiana was not available for adoption in the USGenWeb project. Had it been, or had it been offered to be my the coordinator (who I knew), I would have gladly adopted it. I also have a site for Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland). My Irish great grandfather and his family lived in Cleveland beginning about 1863. Because of that, my interest in the community is huge. My daughter's father also lives near Cleveland, which has increased my interest in that community. Cuyahoga County, Ohio has been managed by another coordinator for quite some time, so it was not available. Hence, I began creating a county site and asked to haver it included in AHGP / ALHN. Many coordinators manage many sites in numerous places. My allegiance is to genealogy and where I can make a difference. I do not hold grudges against projects or get caught up in all of the semantics that I see in many places. My life has no time for that. That causes stress and upset and my commitment is to free genealogy and assistance to those seeking their family ancestors. Even though I am not as technologically advanced in site design as are many of our excellent coordinators, it in no way affects my love of genealogy and commitment to USGenWeb. I am also a state coordinator for New Jersey, a SEMA state. I want to provide the best representation for all of my county coordinators in New Jersey, as well as all other counties in the SEMA region. If I didn't have a huge commitment to New Jersey and its coordinators, I'm sure they would not have allowed me to become their state coordinator. I also believe my service to the USGenWeb Newsletter shows my love and commitment to USGenWeb. I hope this answers your question about my commitment to USGenWeb.
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