Good morning, Friends & Cousins: The fact that you are involved enough in genealogy to subscribe to a mail list, suggests that you already write clear, effective queries and use mail lists to your best advantage. But, if you have been receiving letters or e-mail messages, as I have, from novice family historians, and think you might need a crystal ball just to figure out what your correspondent wants to know, you might want to visit www.Ancestry.com today. Their most recent newsletter has a helpful article which you can print out to share with people who are looking for a little guidance. I hope the nice people at Ancestry Publishing won't object, but I have copied the article for you here: ======================================================= MAILING LISTS: TIPS FOR POSTING AN EFFECTIVE QUERY <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> ======================================================= Mailing Lists are a great way to connect with researchers with similar interests or long lost cousins. But getting results requires more than just a little luck. It takes a well though out query to get results. Below are some tips for writing an effective query that will increase your chances for success. ~ Make sure you are addressing your query to the appropriate list. Familiarize yourself with the lists that are available and then decide which list is most likely to be able to provide the answers that you seek. You can choose from Surname Lists, Regional or Ethnic Lists, or Special Interest Lists (such as Immigrants, Ships, or Research How-To). There are several sites where you can find what lists are available: John Fuller's Genealogy Resources on the Internet http://users.aol.com/johnf14246/gen_mail.html Rootsweb Mailing Lists http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist/ Cyndi's List: Mailing Lists & Newsgroups http://www.CyndisList.com/mailnews.htm Larry Stephens' Mail Lists http://php.indiana.edu/~stephenl/genealog.htm ~ Make sure that the subject line is concise and reflects the information you are seeking. Many people are on several mailing lists and due the amount of mail they receive, they only have time to scan subject lines. "Need genealogy help" is not as likely to get results as a specific subject heading. If the inquiry is about an individual or family, be sure to include the surname (in caps). Other helpful info that can be included might be a date or time frame, location, or other identifying information. A commonly accepted format might be something like: PUBLIC, John Q. 1887-1934 IRL>NYC>OHIO Be creative and make your query stand out to the people that have the information you need. ~ Get to the point. Most people don't want to take the time to read a long drawn out query. The first paragraph should contain the "Who, What, Where, and When" of your request. Details can be filled in after you have gotten the attention of your targeted audience. ~ Include only one request in your post. Too many requests may decrease your chances for a response. Other inquiries can be posted separately. ~ Include places you have already checked for the information. Otherwise you may be wasting other listmembers' time, as well as your own, as you will have half a dozen replies telling you to search the obvious places that you have already checked. Let people know that these are the avenues that you have tried, and you are looking for an alternate route. ~ Capitalize SURNAMES so that they are easy to pick out of the post and subject lines. (You shouldn't capitalize an entire message as it makes it more difficult to read and some people consider it the online equivalent of shouting.) ~ Be careful with abbreviations in your query. Remember that many mailing lists have members from all parts of the world and others may not be familiar with the same abbreviations that we use. So spell it out whenever possible. This will eliminate the possibility for misinterpretation. ~ Familiarize yourself with online resources so that you don't post unnecessary requests. If you are looking for a geographic location, try some of the online maps that are available to locate an ancestor's town. Some popular map sites are: MapQuest http://www.mapquest.com/ USGS County/Location Finder http://www-nmd.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html Pam Rietsch's 1895 U.S. Atlas http://www.livgenmi.com/1895.htm Online directories can help find addresses: Switchboard http://www.switchboard.com/ InfoSpace http://www.infospace.com/ Juliana's Links at: http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/testurllinks/search.asp has links to libraries, genealogical societies, historical societies and other research facilities and services. Visit an organization or facility's Web page to find hours, addresses, etc. ~ Check your email settings. Make sure you are only sending plain text to mailing lists. Others may not have the capability to read HTML coded messages and you want your message to be received and readable by as many listmembers as possible. ~ Do not send your query as an attachment. Many viruses are transmitted as attachments and as a result, most people wisely refrain from opening attachments on email from people they don't know. ~ Sign your post with your name and email address. Some Email readers don't show the address that an email is received from and a recipient with the information you are looking for can't respond to you if they don't have your email address. ~ Reread your post carefully before you send it. Check for typos. Did you include all the necessary information? (Remember the 4 W's: Who, What, Where, When) Are all of your facts correct? Have you signed it properly? ~ Make sure your post is neat, and polite. Manners count online too. ~ Be careful of what information you post online, particularly when referring to living persons. Be sure to respect peoples privacy and keep yourself and your family safe from those who might use information found online for fraudulent purposes. ~ If you find information worth sharing, post it to the appropriate list and share the source of the information so that others may benefit from your "finds." As you help others, they will be more eager to help you in return. ~ Always be polite on the lists and refrain from flaming. No one wants to help someone who is constantly complaining or mean to others. ~ Keep a log of your email messages so you know what requests you have already put out and when. For more information, read "Citing the Messages" by Drew Smith at: http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/citing.htm (Genealogical Computing, Spring 1998, Vol. 17, No. 4) By using common sense and following simple guidelines, you can benefit greatly from mailing lists. They are a great place to make friends, find relatives, and information. Some other helpful mailing list related articles: "Managing the Flood of Email" by Mark Howells (Genealogical Computing, Winter 1998, Vol. 17, No. 3) http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/email.htm "Surnames Via the Internet" by Drew Smith (Genealogical Computing, Spring 1997, Vol. 17, No. 1) http://www.ancestry.com/home/bestofgc/surnames.htm More information about mailing lists in print form: "Netting Your Ancestors" by Cyndi Howells http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/netyouran.html "Searching for Cyber-Roots" by Laurie and Steve Bonner http://shop.ancestry.com/ancestry/searforcybro.html NOTE: I won't make it a practice to copy articles from other sources for you. But, this one is so good that I am sure you will want to share it with your friends, local genealogy societies, libraries, etc. If you want to subscribe to Ancestry's free on-line newsletter, visit the Ancestry Publishing Company webpage at www.Ancestry.com. I receive it every morning and nearly always find good ideas to pass on to my students in the genealogy class I teach. It really helps keep me up-to-date with what is new and interesting in the field of family research. Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187 Suzid@tripod.net