-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [GENCONNECT-HELP-L] Helping others find your query through proper use of the Surnames Box Date: Mon, 7 Jun 1999 02:07:03 EDT From: JYoung6180@aol.com I spent some time today going over my query boards and fixing some errors I came across. One problem I encountered frequently was improper use of the surname box. We have dicussed before on this list which surnames should be included in the surname box but we haven't discussed the proper method of typing in the surnames as I recall. First of all a surname is just that--a surname. John Schultz is NOT a surname. Schultz of Roanoke is NOT a surname. A surname is Schultz and nothing more. The entries you show in the surnames box, and whether or not you show them properly, are the most important aspects of helping others find your query through a search. Surnames that are improperly shown in the surnames box (or surnames that are omitted all together) will not allow the search engines (Global Search and Surname Helper) to properly list your surnames so that others will find them in a search. In some cases the poster is not showing surnames in the surnames box at all. In others he is omitting any surnames he included in the subject line (i.e. the main surname). Only the surnames shown in the surname box will be indexed by the search engines. Therefore, including a surname in the subject line, while helping current board users to find you, will not accomplish the same thing in the future from a search. Also, the instructions on the page say to list ONE surname per line--type the surname and then hit the enter key and type the next surname. Repeat that process for each surname you are recording. Hitting the enter key is what triggers the comma to be automatically added that separates the surname from the next one to be listed. You don't type in the comma or punctuation since hitting the enter key after typing each surname accomplishes this although you don't see if until the query is displayed on the board. Joan ==== GENCONNECT-HELP Mailing List ==== GenConnect HINTS can be found at: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/HINTS/index.html ------- Valorie's note: GenConnect-Help-L@rootsweb.com can be subscribed to, just like any other Rootsweb list. Email GenConnect-Help-L-request@rootsweb.com with only the single word "subscribe" with no quotes or sig files, in the message body. It is a rather low-traffic list.