Listmembers, old and new, The holidays are here, and we are seeing (or will soon see) new members to our list. I'm going to quote Cyndi Howells, of Cyndislist fame, on the subject: Each January we see a huge influx of newbies joining us online because Santa was generous and left a sparkling new computer under the tree. There are also many after-holidays sales which offer people the opportunity to purchase a snazzy new computer or modem. Many people get online for the first time and enthusiastically don their cyber-bikinis, hitting the surf with gusto. They are excited to be here and they are (much as we "oldbies" were) rightfully overwhelmed by all that there is to see and do. The language here is foreign to them. The technology is newer, fancier and zippier than they may have used in the past. And the way that we all participate in our giant, online genealogical society, while being very similar to offline groups, is still a bit different than they may be prepared for. In other words, it is a brave new world to them. I would like to put out a call to each of you to show these newbies that we are a friendly, welcoming and helpful group of online genealogists. To do so we all need to pitch in and show patience, understanding and kindness. We also need to put on our teaching caps and be prepared to show them the ropes. 1. Don't make assumptions. 2. Explain things in detail, include URLs and complete instructions. 3. Verify details and addresses before you send them to people. {check out those URLs! Cut and paste the address *from the site.*} 4. Offer to help people privately via e-mail, off of the mailing lists. 5. Be prepared to explain things more than once, in more than one way. 6. Keep in mind that we were all new at one time. 7. Keep in mind that we all learn something new every day. There are several places online to which you can point newbies in order to help them learn about this new research venue. I have tried to make these easy to locate by setting up links on my site: Internet Stuff You Need To Know <http://www.CyndisList.com/internet.htm> Also be sure to point them to these basic starting places online: Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet <http://www.CyndisList.com> Your genealogical research portal onto the Internet RootsWeb <http://www.RootsWeb.com> See the RootsWeb Help Desk: <http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com> Genealogy Resources on the Internet - Mailing Lists <http://users.aol.com/johnf14246/gen_mail.html> USGenWeb <http://www.USGenWeb.org> Depending on the number of new subscribers to our list, I will be posting this message every few weeks, until the rapid growth slows down. Have a great Holiday season, everyone! Valorie Zimmerman, Listowner Black Diamond, Washington USA Proud sponsor of Rootsweb