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H E L P ! ! !
The place for genealogists to panic before sharing their UK Birth,
Marriage and Death Certificate Information!
This page is updated regularly with new questions as I get asked them.
Questions are loosely grouped into 6 categories to make it easier. They are;
General Questions
Membership Questions
Registration Questions
Login / Logout Questions
Submitting Certificates Questions
Search Questions
Selling Certificates Questions
Helping The Site
General Questions
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How To Ask A Question!
Please read all the Questions and Answers on this page before asking a question as the answer may already be here.
Please use the Contact Us Link in the Main Menu
if you have any further questions. I will try to answer within 48 hours.
Glossary Of Terms Used
The following words and definitions only apply as they are used on this site. They are simplified for general
use and easy understanding, but may not be technically correct for those who have a much deeper understanding.
Database - The place where all the certificate information is stored.
Database Entry - Each certificate that is submitted is a single database entry, also known as a record.
Field - each "question" on the submission form eg, firstname, age etc is a database field.
Record - Each certificate that is submitted is a record, also known as a database entry.
bmdshare.com and bmdshare.co.uk
We have recently purchased the domain name bmdshare.co.uk as well as bmdshare.com. It doesnt matter which
address you use as they both end up on the same site.
Membership Questions
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Why Do I Need To Be A Member?
Being a member gives you unlimited full access to the whole record. The search pages that are accessible
from the left hand (visitor) menus are limited to approx 5 fields and are not the full record (ie there is more information
available to members). Also as a member you have access to the submitters email address (if they provided it).
You also need to be a member to submit a certificate. This is to protect the database from those who think it
is funny to enter joke people & foul language and the spammers.
How Much Does Membership Cost?
Membership is free until the date specified on the homepage, then it will be £1 a year. There will be no extra hidden costs
and the £1 will not be increased. Members will be invited to join the paid membership by email and accounts will remain free if this offer is not taken.
No-one will be charged unless they agree. The aim is to keep the fees as low as possible to make Family History
affordable for everyone and keep the site going. The membership fee will cover the set up, running and maintenance costs of the site.
The site will remain free for as long as I can afford to keep funding it.
How Do I Become A Member?
You need to complete a very short registration form. An email will be sent to you which contains your login details.
You may wish to keep this email for future reference. You will be able to use the site fully immediately.
Click the Join Free Here
link in the Main Menu to become a member.
Registration Questions
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How Do I Join/Register?
You need to complete a very short registration form. An email will be sent to you which contains your login details.
You may wish to keep this email for future reference. You will be able to use the site fully immediately.
Click the Join Free Here. link in the Main Menu to become a member.
Why Do I Get Error Messages When I Try To Register?
The most common reason for error messages when registering are that your username is already in use by another person
or you may have invalid characters within your username.
The following are things to AVOID.
Spaces
The following characters +-*/"='@[]{},.<>?
email address as your username
Another common reason for error Messages when registering is not checking the Terms and Conditions box at the
beginning of the form. The actual Terms and Conditions are set by the membership company - not bmdshare.com and
are generic to cover all sites. It is not worded in the way that I would have wished for. Please use the Contact Us
link if you wish to discuss these T&C's before registering.
Login / Logout Questions
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How Do I Login / Logout?
To login you can click the login/logout link in the Members Menu on the right hand side or go straight
to the page you require. Enter your details as requested to login. Closing your browser
(eg. Internet Explorer/Mozilla etc)will logout. There is also a link if you have
forgotten your password.
The login/logout link is not how to join/become a member.
What is my Account Control Panel for?
Your Control Panel is where you manage your account. You can login, change your password, check your payment history,
opt in for newsletters, check your membership expiry and more.
I Have Joined But Now My Details Are Not Being Accepted
Please be sure that you have completed the Registration process and not just the login page.
See the How Do I Join/Register Question above. If you have registered and your details are not accepted,
click the Lost Password link and the system will
generate and send you a new one by email. If you experience further problems please use the Contact Us Link in the
main menu to report the problem.
Why Do I have To Keep Signing In?
Unfortunatley some of us have to repeatedly sign in for almost every page change in the members area.
Not everyone experiences this and it seems to happen most with those using Internet Explorer. I am informed that this
is due to changes in the way that the internet works and the problem is under investigation.
I am worried about the insecure warning message when I login.
Again this warning mesage mainly happens to people using Internet explorer. If you cancel you will be redirected
to a failed login page (and again the wording is quite harsh - my apologies). The site does not use secure encryption
to log you in as there is no sensitive information eg credit cards etc. The only personal information we hold is
your name and email address. Your password is encrypted within the software.
Submitting Certificates Questions
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How Do I Submit A Certificate?
To submit a certificate you need to be a full member and be logged in.
The Submit Pages are in the Members UK Menu on the right.
Submitting a certificate consists of filling in an on-line form and clicking the submit button.
The information is then displayed for you to check and click the comfirm button if all is OK.
Your entry is immediately added to the database. Please read
Submission Rules Page
before submitting. The site cannot accept images due to law.
Do I Need To Send My Certificate Away Somewhere?
No, the certificate never leaves your possession. You simply fill in the form on your computer, transcribing the information.
Do I Need Special Equipment?
No, if you are reading this page right now you have all the equipment you need. An internet connected computer and keyboard!
And a Certificate to enter!
Submission Rules
Please read and abide by the Submisssion Rules before submitting a certificate.
Certificates For Other Countries
Please do not enter certificates for non-uk countries as I have not yet obtained permission for them. In time I will add other countries.
If there is a country you would like me to add, please use the
Contact Us link to tell me about it.
Correcting / Deleting My Entries
There may be occasions when you wish to correct and entry. You may have spotted a mistake or mistranscribed a word.
This can be done via the Correct / Edit pages at the bottom of the Members UK Menu on the right. Select username
from the drop down menu and type in your username in the text box. All your entries will be displayed.
Next to each entry is an edit link. You can only edit your own entries. There may be occassions when you wish to delete an entry,
Please change the firstname and surname to ERROR using the edit process. These entries will be regularly checked for and removed without question.
There is no other way to delete an entry.
Correcting / Deleting Other Peoples Entries
Only the submitter can edit / delete their own entry. Please do not contact BMDshare over the content of an entry.
Please be polite if contacting a submitter and remember that the record should say what the certificate says even if the certificate is wrong.
A note may be added to the notes section by the submitter if you both agree.
The submitter has control of their own entry and is not obligated to make any changes.
How Do I Remove A Duplicate Certificate?
Duplicate certificates are allowed, in fact they are actively encouraged by different submitters.
If you have entered a certificate twice by mistake you may wish to delete one of them.
Please see Editing / Deleting Question above.
Search Questions
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How Do I Use The Search Pages?
There is a link to a tutorial on every search page. If you still have problems please use the Contact Us link to ask.
Why Cant I See The Full Record?
The full record is only available to full members. the search pages accessible from the members home page have a view
link next to every record. Clicking this link will display the full record.
Selling Certificates Questions
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Can I Give Away / Sell A Certificate Here?
There is a section in the Extras Menu on the left that offers this service. This is not really what the site is about
but we do recognise that certificates are sometimes bought in error and have therefore provided a way for buyers and sellers to make contact.
Please do not contact BMDshare over any transactions that occur as a result of this page.
Helping The Site
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Any help promoting the site is very welcome and much appreciated. Please dont feel that you have to help with this, you don't!
Add All Your Certificates To The Database
The best way to help the site be a success is to add all your (eligable) certificates to the site, even those you wish to sell.
The site has more chance of success the more certificates that are added.
Tell Your Genealogy Friends About The Site
This may seem obvious and could also help you! People researching the same names as you may add certificates that are relevant to you.
Add The Sites Web-address To Your Email Signature
You could add a short phrase on your email signature so that every email you send spreads the word.
Please be careful with this if you are subscribed to strict mailing lists as not all will appreciate an advert.
I have added this to all my emails, but then it's my site!
Researching your Family Tree?
Visit http://bmdshare.com
Add A Link To Us From Your Website
I have recently added a Link To Us page in the Extras menu to make it easy to add a link to the site.
Visit Sites On Our Links Pages
Sites on our links pages are actively supporting the site so please support them by visiting too.
Posters Available For Download
I have 2x A4 posters as a word document that can be sent as an email attachment or through the post if you have
a place to display them. I also have smaller (A5 & A6) flyers and business cards all in word documents.
The files are small and do not take long to download, even on dialup. Please use the
Contact Us form to request the files.
I can also draft other promotional material to order.
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