NCGenWeb Part 2/5

Intrigued with Diane's first message, we asked for more details ...

and the beat goes on ...

"I joined NCGenWeb back in 2005. At first I was left alone to work the Duplin site. Then I began to adopt more sites and Denise and Nola began to take notice on how much information I was adding to them and began to be friendly with me, especially Nola. I then asked about adding Military sites and a cemetery site. Denise didn't really want me to but she reluctantly agreed to it. Once I got those up and running and they began to take off Nola really became my friend and started chatting me up more and more. She then started confiding things in me and we started working on a set of bylaws with Denise's help, basically the 3 of us were running NCGenWeb.

"Then Nola said Denise wasn't going to run for another term for SC and asked me to run. She said we needed someone strong and trustworthy to be the SC and that I would be perfect and there was no way I would lose. I didn't want to at first because she had just talked me into running for the GC and I was accepted. Then Dorman had quit and I was elected GC Chair and didn't know my head from my elbow about being the chair because we didn't have anything to go by as far as what the chair was supposed to do, rules to go by or anything so I had to wing everything. Hell, I didn't even know I was supposed to turn in Quarterly Reviews until I was hounded to turn one in and then I was berated by Tina on the AB's mailing list for stating the facts in it!

"Needless to say, Nola kept riding and hounding me until I finally agreed to run for SC. When June rolled around and it was time for nominations Ron Dailey was also nominated which was a shock and surprise to us all. I was honestly hoping he would win so I could just remain a CC and work on my sites and be left alone, but luck would have it I won by 2 votes.

"Once I won I was told in no uncertain terms by Nola and Derick Hartshorn that I had to take Ron Dailey as my ASC. Well, I had already planned on asking someone else and had sent them an email asking them. So, I had to send an email to Ron thanking him for a tight race and ask him to be my ASC. He hemmed and hawed around for almost 2 weeks before finally accepting the position.

"Needless to say, Ron resigned I think it was a month or 2 later. I was also informed by Nola and Derick that I needed to pick a second ASC. Again I wanted to have one of my choice, but oh no, once again they told me who to choose, so again I was told to get Katherine Benbow. Then I was told to choose Taneya Koonce as webmaster, as she had applied for the ASC job, Nola and Derick didn't know her that well but knew her web site skills were excellent and told me to put her as webmaster, so I did. During this time I fired Sandy Bolick for causing so many problems between herself and other CCs. Then Elizabeth Harris resigned and I was told in no uncertain terms to get her back by Nola. Well, I tried and it didn't work and Nola was upset with me to put it mildly.

"So we went along, Ron resigned. Warren Bagley called me some names on the mailing list for all the rules and threatened me, and quit. Little did he know that everything that was set out to the mailing list was dictated by either Nola and/or Derick. I was even sent an email from Derick that I had to send to the CC's to catch them up on what all had gone on when I had been in office for 6 months. I believe you wrote about it in one of your blogs. Stating some of the CC's thought it was a resignation letter. Well, guess what? Derick Hartshorn wrote that letter and I have the email to prove it! So we continued to carry on, I was told what to say and when, the CC's continued to blame me for everything, even though I had no say in any of it because I was vetoed on all of it.

"Katherine started stressing and wanting more help so again Nola and Derick told me we needed more help so we decided on Regional Coordinators. I sent out an email to the Business list. Dee Gibson-Roles, Sue Ashby, Katy Hestead Susan Jones all applied. Again Derick and Nola told me to choose Dee and Sue. They told me Katy was nothing but trouble, Susan is an alias and that she (Susan) is Daryl Lytton and so again I followed what Derick and Nola said and chose Dee and Sue.

"Then one day Nola up and informed me she wanted Jo Branch to join NCGenWeb and told me to let her adopt Sampson County. I really didn't want to give up Sampson County as that was one of the counties some of my ancestors had lived in, but Nola wouldn't hear of it because HER ancestors had lived there and she wanted Jo in NCGenWeb. So, I had to give up Sampson County so Jo Branch could join NCGenWeb. Well, it wasn't long before Jo was a Regional Coordinator. Next thing I knew Jo was redoing the County Site Procedures that I had already redone, that were tweaked from the same ones we had since the inception of the NCGenWeb. She was then rewriting the bylaws that Nola, Denise and I had worked almost 2 years on and that I had worked even more on and had gotten approved by a lawyer.

"Jo said that everyone was outraged by them and in an uproar. Once this all started even more CC's started to quit because of all the rules and blaming me. I had not a single say so in any of the County Site Procedures nor the new bylaws yet I was being blamed for the changes and all of the rules being implemented by everyone. I was being called a Nazi. A dictator, and some not so nice things as well. To top that off there was not a damn thing I could do to defend myself against them!

"Then in November I had knee surgery. I was out with the exception of 30 minutes to an hour here and there until around the end of January. During that time the board decided to vote to change my term as SC from 2 years to 1 year with discussing it with me or the CC's who voted me into office. I would send them emails asking what was going on, what had been discussed, etc and would receive no replies. I was totally ignored. When Jo sent the set of bylaws to the board that had the change of my term in there I called her out on it. She simply stated that is what the board told me. I told her no, I was voted in for 2 years like every other SC in every other state and sent her the email that had the final results from the election as well as the dates of my term as SC. Jo stated she would get that changed ASAP.

"Then Katherine piped up and sent an email stating that the board had discussed it and decided and voted to change my term to 1 year. I told her they couldn't do that because the CC's had voted me into office and only the CC's could change my term. Again I was ignored. Discussion was opened for the bylaws and a few CC's had excellent questions. A couple of them were ignored and I had to resend them through the list and say something to get them noticed. Then discussion was closed before their questions were fully answered. That made the CC's VERY upset.

"So, when it was time to vote on that set of bylaws I voted no and added: Due to the fact that the SC term has been changed from 2 years to 1 year in the middle of my term without discussing it with me or the CC's who voted me into office. I did send the original email to the bylaws committee who said they would change the wording and the wording was not changed. Therefore I vote NO.

"A couple others voted no as well, one even stated the bylaws were against the USGenWeb bylaws and procedures, which the ignored. Then a few CC's spoke up and stated that my term as SC should be grand fathered in and they were also ignored.

"Then I received an email from Jo Branch telling me how horrible my sites were, that they were cookie cutter, broken links, a disgrace, etc. She also told me that I needed to walk away now if I knew what was good for me. I also received another email stating that she was going to be the next SC that the board had already decided it and that I needed to walk away as CC and SC if I knew what was best for me before the June election and I got hurt.

"I continued to try and get the board to tell me what was going on but not one single one of them would talk to me. A grievance was filed against me. I opted to settle and let the person return. Boy did they get pissed off with me! I was called sick, stupid, you name it! However, when this person failed to stick with the rules, I again removed them and got the board to vote on the removal after I removed them and I was called down by Katherine Benbow for doing that! I was damned either way I turned with those people. I could do nothing right. They called me names and berated me for bringing the person back and then berated me for removing them again. I just couldn't win for losing and basically I had had enough.

"So, I talked at length with my husband, spoke with my researchers and told them all what was going on and they all told me to pack up my sites and leave and take all their contributions with me. Yes, they told me to take their contributions! They didn't want NCGenWeb to have them!

"So, I spoke with Rootsweb, got the server space, downloaded all of my sites to my computer, and on Friday March 5, 2010 I started deleting my sites from the NCGenWeb servers and wrote my resignation and sent it to the NCGenWeb Business list and walked away from the NCGenWeb forever. When I hit send to send that email I swear it felt like a 20 ton weight had been lifted from my shoulders and that I was finally free!

"I am now with Trails to the Past and I have never been happier! I have time to spend with my family, my husband and I are getting to spend some much needed quality time together, and did I mention I am finally FREE and happy?

"Now, since leaving the NCGenWeb I have learned that they were plotting and planning to remove me as SC. Now I have also found out that they have been copying files from my Duplin County site as well as my Pender County site. I wrote letters to the AB and the GC about it, but it seems that Tina Vickery has a vendetta to only try and find fault with me instead of looking at the real problem with is NCGenWeb copying files from my sites without permission.

"I have an email from one researcher that Nola Duffy sent asking if they could copy her contributions. She told them no and if they did there would be trouble. Well, guess what? They did it anyway! Another ladies files were also copied and I have an email from her stating they never contacted and asked her and she wants them removed as well. Also, the copied files from my transcribers and their emails are not on the site anywhere to even ask their permission. That is in the USGenWeb bylaws as well as NCGenWeb rules as well as the US Copyright Laws. You have to have written confirmation before you can copy someone else's work.

"Guess the NCGenWeb thinks they are above the law and it looks like the AB isn't going to do a damn thing about it. You can see the emails I sent to the AB here:"
[coming soon. -mw]
"I will let you know if they copy anything else.

"Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need clarification.

"Diane"