Family Finder and DNA Matches

[rfarrell17084]

In an attempt to find common ancestors with my FTDNA matches, I try to use Family Finder but it is nearly worthless.
1. Most DNA matches do not have a published tree.
2. Posted trees are populated with private members so no matches are possible.
3. Posted trees are at most 4 generations, and I need to go 5 or 6 generations back.
4. Emailing a match yields no reply.
5. Most of my FTDNA matches are not on Ancestry or GEDmatch.

Grumbling and griping. I know these problems are not FT correctable. Nor is a code of conduct workable.
Just frustrated.

Rod

[Frank Kelch]

I've had some luck (I've managed to link about a dozen previously unknown people to my tree). I've found that many people without a tree actually do have one, just not on FTDNA. I've found that people answer my emails more than 50% of the time... Some of them have limited (or zero) useful information, others know how they are related to me (after I show them my tree), but they refuse to give me info on their living relatives (parents, grandparents). It can be very frustrating, but I try to be patient.

[John McCoy]

Testing a few known relatives (parents, cousins, aunts & uncles), if you can convince them to participate, is an enormous help in identifying matches, since you can more easily work out which matches are paternal and which are maternal. However, I have had much greater (though still limited) success by transferring my kits to GEDmatch, where the tools allow me to detect and verify triangulation groups.

[brownbagg]

I use to have my tree back to 1650 open to the public, but since people wont share, or keep it private, never answer request, I have lock mine down too. sorry cant help you, go find your own stuff