DNA Testing and Bullying
While genealogy DNA testing has been around for a few years now, DNA testing in Australia only became a big thing last year when AncestryDNA hit our shores.
I, along with numerous family members, and many others I know have done the “spit test” to see “where we came from”. So far all good and easy. Right?
For many this is enough. That’s all they wanted. Do the test, and see their ethnicity. But for the rest of the testers, they want more. They want to find the long lost cousins and branches of their family. They want to find matches, and this is where you can find issues arise.
I have heard it so many times “they don’t have a tree online” or if they do, “they haven’t replied to my message about a match”.
Personally I’m not a ‘tree online’ person. I am happy to work on my own tree, on my own computer, but due to public pressure, I did put a mini-tree online, and am now having people contact me saying that they match, and wanting more information.
Can you see the issue here?
Not everyone tests for the same reasons.
So my suggestion to those who have tested, and have sent queries to those who are possible matchers, don’t be a bully about it. If you find that someone doesn’t have a tree online, don’t pressure them. And if they don’t respond to your request for more info, don’t hassle them. The more you do, the less likely they’ll want to share their info with you.
Maybe in time they’ll look into the whole matching thing for themselves, but at present they’re happy with the ethnicity report, and seeing the match of a close relative or two who have tested as well.
4 Responses to “DNA Testing and Bullying”
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great comment – different strokes for different folks
however if the DNA test companies promote the idea that you can connect up with distant cousins once you’ve done the test then inevitably it will create expectations especially when people are spending over $100 for the test – btw my niece has had a test done and there were mainly no major surprises from what we had been expecting – predictably half Chinese and the other half mainly English Scots and Irish with a smattering of other Northern European ancestry
Thank you! This gives me an idea for changing the wording of the messages I send reaching out to my matches.
I remember Judy G Russell mentioning this at the recent Sydney Unlock the Past event. Until then I hadn’t considered other persons’reasons for doing DNA testing. Judy reminded me to respect others’intentions.
Agree with you 100 percent ! I love your posts here.
Wondered if you saw the follow-up to the same subject matter as yours ?
http://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/2016/08/05/ancestrydna-matches-arent-responding/#comment-9510