Dear "Find A Grave" Staff,
The Name of your site makes it Very Clear.
However, For Me, your Format was misleading. Your Format seemed to have been developed to share Family Heritage. With places for Birth & Death Info, A Bio, Ability to Link family members, Up to a 5 Photo Download, the Cemetery Info. I was Thrilled - How Wonderful - I Thought.
>>> Here is My Constructive Criticism:
I have never complained about the Format in the Past. However, many cities and cemeteries are missing. There is No place for Marriage Info, Children, Religion, Occupation, Adoption Info, Immigration Info, Wills & Deeds, Cause of Death, ETC. (Many have told me that some of these bits of Info had an Impact on various Departed Loved Ones.)
After interacting with quite a few "Control Freaks" that have created Thousands of Empty Profiles - I now see, from my Actual Experiences, what your site is all about.
Profiles are created with the Cemetery Info - However, many times the Birth & Death Info is left blank, the Bios are left empty, No family Links have been made & ocassionally you might find a Gravestone Photo. So basically Thousands of Loved Ones profiles remain somewhat empty & unlinlinked to family members. (These profiles of Loves Ones are thought of more as "Brownie Points" I have seen Numerous Times where they are left Empty and Abandoned.)
When I have contacted these Power Hungry "Control Freaks" they throw out a lot of Questions to me -but Rarely Budge to be Cooperative in Any Manner. These "Control Freaks" are content to continue Hoarding their Thousands of Empty Profiles. Some of these "Control Freaks" take Great Pleasure in the Knowledge that "Find A Grave" has set-up Rules that Support their Hoarding.
>>> Here is My Suggestion:
For Clarity Purposes - "Find A Grave" really should completely remove BIO and Limit only 2 Photos (1 of Gravestone & 1 of Cemetery). The Family Links should also be Removed. To do so will bring all Profiles to Match-Up with the "Control Freaks" that Hoard Thousands of profiles.
I had it Wrong - I thought your site had something to do with the Departed Loved Ones and their Heritage. You Know...... One "Find A Grave" Member had the Nerve to Equate creating Profiles to an "Easter Egg Hunt". My Loved Ones are NOT "Easter Eggs". And if I run into One more Bragging (so-called) "Genealogist" - I'm going to Puke! (I have seen their Empty Profiles too.)
No ......... I put ALL the responsibilty on myself. I should have checked-out your site more thouroughly before I went forth and poured 13 months of Blood, Sweat & Tears posting Any / All Info I could find for my Loved Ones.
Initially - I was so Excited that I told my family members about your site and they were equally excited. That would turn to Dissappointment about 6 months down the road. Family members started becoming Alarmed - they would report Loved Ones profiles & Info being Deleted. This seemed to occur on a somewhat regular basis. Those deletions were done with No Prior Warning or Explaination. My hard work and the hard work of others that occassionally helped me. This is Heritage Lost. I did away with my notes because I knew it would be "Safe" on the your site. By Deleting Info you Not Only hurt hurt the hard work that has gone into these profiles - You have Hurt my family. I think the Staff has Totally Forgotten - these aren't Just Profiles - they are Departed Loved Ones.
What A Joke!
Yeah...... A Bad Joke played on Me & My Family.
However, this is My Problem. I need to find a New Home for ALL of my family's Profile Info & Heritage. I will also be Transferring some of my profile pages to some of the "Find A Grave" Members who have exprssed an interest. I'm not sure about all my Loved Ones Profiles at this time.
My Question:
Could you please Control / Restrain yourselves long enough for me to make these arrangements before you delete any more of my hard work? Remember - when you delete, you Hurt Many and some have found it to be Very Disrespectful to the Departed Loved Ones.
I am hoping to have arrangements completed by the First of October 2011. (For Me: the Sooner the Better.)
Then you can go back to deleting profiles again, the Hoarding "Control Freaks" can keep Hoarding their Empty Profiles and "Find A Grave" Members can go to "Never Never Land" to Frolic & Hunt for "Easter Eggs".
This has Definitely been an Experience for me and my family.
Thank You in Advance for your Cooperation.
(I hope I can count on it.)
Take Care & God Bless.
Barry N. Cain
[email protected] 
