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eLearning Series: Geneology
My Family Tree is Important to Me
( 50 articles in this series )
Networking
With Other Genealogists
Genealogy is fast becoming one of the best
and most popular hobbies. As a result, there are thousands
of people working on their own genealogies. Networking
with other amateur genealogists helps your search in a number
of
different ways. Remember that two heads are always better than
one, and when you find someone else who can help you, whether
in spirit or with actual information, it can be immensely valuable
on a number of levels to your research. There are a number
of different ways to network with other genealogists to improve
your search.
One good way to network with others is to join
a genealogy bulletin board on the internet. Bulletin boards are a way for
members of an online community to post and respond to each
other’s messages in a public forum. Instead of simply e-mailing
someone, it’s like e-mailing hundreds of people with the same
interests you have. You never know who might turn up with what
response to your problem or question. There are hundreds of
these genealogy bulletin boards across the internet. Providers
like America Online and CompuServe have their own genealogy
bulletin boards you can post to. Other sites, dedicated to
genealogy, have a bulletin board section that you might find
helpful. Becoming a member of several of these might be very
valuable to your research. Most charge no fee to be
a member. Once you become a member, you will need to both post and respond
to other’s posts to be a valuable member of this kind of online
community. When you get ready to make your post, the most important
thing you can do is look at the kinds of things others have
posted before you. You want to look at the style, language,
and subject matter of the previous posts. This will help you
decide on the rules of etiquette for the board you are working
with.
You
might also want to examine the board a little. Some
boards are divided by topic area. If this is true of the
one you are working with, be sure to post your message in
a topic
area that matches your post. If you ignore the topic areas,
the board moderator may have to remove your post, which can
result in several things. First, no one will be able to respond
to your post. More seriously, though, you may be kicked off
the board. When you do get ready to make your first post,
take a couple of minutes to plan your question out. Remember
that
most of the people on these boards have no idea about your
family background, so you want to be sure to include enough
information so that they can respond to your question. Names,
dates, and locations are both helpful and necessary for responders.
Also, don’t forget to include your own contact information
so a board member can get back to you. Posting your own questions,
though, isn’t the only important factor in being a member
of a board. You should also respond to the posts of fellow
board
members. Check the message board for instructions, but remember,
if no one responds to anyone else, a bulletin board would
not be possible, so do your part to help the boards stay
in business. Other than internet bulletin boards, you
could join a local genealogy society to help you network
with others. There are
several reasons you might want to do this. First, it can help
you feel as if you are no longer by yourself. At each meeting,
you will see lots of other people who are dealing with the
same difficulties and problems that you are. Second, you will
learn about new skills and products to help you with your research
process. Third, it may help you hone some of your skills, whether
they’re research related or techniques for deciphering handwriting.
Fourth, guest speakers may prove immensely valuable to your
own research. Finally, you may find someone with the same family
lines you happen to be researching. In that case, you’ve just
opened a whole new door to information sharing.
Networking with others can prove seriously valuable to your
genealogical research for a number of different reasons. Consider
your options, and find the best way for you to network with
others. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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