Networking is important to successful genealogy. Take these simple steps to maximize the chances of networking
One of the most exciting moments in a genealogist’s life is when he finds another genealogist who is researching the same family line. That person has different information, and both can benefit by sharing. But you have to find each other. How to do that with the least effort? Certain steps can help.
Reasons Why Genealogists Network Online
Genealogists network, either in real life or online, mainly to share information, to learn genealogical research methods, and to fellowship. The sharing of information is most important. No matter how early you are in your research, you have family history to share, information that no one else has. And there may be someone who has already done research you are trying to do.
Online Locations to Find Other Genealogy Researchers
Many subscription websites exist where you can find researchers with similar interests. However, this article will concentrate on two free sites: Rootsweb.com, and GenForum.com.
Rootsweb is now owned by Ancestry.com, but is a free site. Three parts of this site are places to find other genealogists to network with.
- Mailing Lists. Rootsweb e-mail mailing lists go back at least to 1997. Many genealogists sent messages to the lists, and these messages are archived. They are organized by surname and location.
- Message Boards. The Rootsweb message boards are newer than the mailing lists. They are also organized by surname and location, and are an alternate source of posts of genealogical interests. The mailing lists and message boards are gatewayed to each other. However, checking both is advisable.
- Rootsweb World Connect. This is a project where people can post their family trees (pedigrees) online for anyone to see.
Each of these services has a powerful search engine you can use to find posts of interest.
GenForum is a message board system that is an alternative to Rootsweb. It includes message boards organized for surname and location. It has an excellent search engine. There is much overlap between the Rootsweb mail lists, Rootsweb message boards, and GenForum message boards, since the some people post to all three. However, each could have different information and have different researchers using them.
Steps to Find Other Genealogy Researchers
Both Rootsweb and GenForum include means of contacting those who post data or messages online. Sometimes a poster prefers to withhold contact information, but most posters will include it. Use these e-mail addresses to contact those researchers. Here are some steps to follow.
- Use the search engines to find posts that include your lines. These databases are large, and often you will have to use some of the selective features of the search engines to provide meaningful but not overwhelming search results.
- Go through the search engine results, noting the name and e-mail address of those whose post or data seems to be most like what you are looking for, and most recent.
- Contact some or all of the researchers, beginning with the ones that seem most promising. You will find that some of the e-mail addresses are no longer valid, but should get some good contacts from this.
- To increase the number of potential networking contacts, go back one more generation than you think you need to. This will greatly increase the pool of potential networkers.
- Share your information on these forums. Use good descriptions in your titles and lots of information in the body. Make it possible for someone to find you.
Do these in each of the services provided by Rootsweb and GenForum. Build a list of names of those who are researching in your lines, and maintain contact with them. Even those who don’t connect with you right now, so long as both are working in what appears to be the same family, a connection may eventually be found, and research efforts shared.
David A. Todd - David Todd is a civil engineer, a genealogist, a citizen concerned with the environment, and a writer by passion.
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