Hi folks, as announced in the RootsWeb Review, Vol. 2, No. 21 Rootsweb has announced a number of new services. >ROOTSWEB PUTS IT TOGETHER. Have you ever wished you could look up >*everything* at RootsWeb that relates to a particular surname? >Now you can! > >Click on the new option SURNAME RESOURCES at RootsWeb's main page ><http://www.rootsweb.com/> or go directly to: ><http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/>. Click on the letter of >the alphabet for the surname of interest, and then select it from >the list that appears. This will take you to a "surname resource >cluster," where you can search for your surname in numerous >databases. For example, using BANKSTON you would find: ><http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/b/a/BANKSTON/>, where you >could search "B" WEB SITES, the OBITUARY DAILY TIMES, or: > > o The ROOTSWEB SURNAME LIST (RSL). RSL search options are by > surname, Soundex, or Metaphone (the latter two are "sounds- > like" matches). You can search for updates from the past two > months, last month, last week, or for any mention. > > o TRANSCRIPTION PROJECTS. You might check to see if your > immigrant ancestors' names are listed at the Immigrant Ship > Transcribers Guild (ISTG). > > o PRIMARY RECORDS AT ROOTSWEB (from USGenWeb Archives and > RootsWeb Searchable Databases). > > o GENERAL LINKS AND SEARCH ENGINES. There are three options. > > o ROOTSLINK link registry. You can add a new link also. > > o SEEKER search engine, which returns surname matches from > Web pages -- there is much "hidden genealogy" that this > search will help you find. > > o SURNAME HELPER search engine finds queries and surname > registrations posted at various genealogically-related > sites on the Web, with participating sites including many > USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb sites. All GenConnect boards are > indexed in Surname Helper. > > o MAILING LISTS. Descriptions of lists that relate to this > surname, subscription instructions, and links to the > archives so you can search or browse past postings. > > o GENCONNECT. Click on GLOBAL SURNAME SEARCH to find queries > that mention the surname of interest that are posted in > connection with any county, state, or country in the world. > Or click an icon for one of the seven automated boards that > together make up a "suite" of boards available for surnames > and localities (Queries, Bible records, Biographies, Deeds, > Obituaries, Pensions, and Wills). > >RootsWeb hopes that putting these links under one SURNAME >RESOURCES roof will help everyone find all the buried treasure. > > * * * > >LATE-BREAKING NEWS. Late in the day on 26 May 1999, Pam Carey >Durstock announced: "All done! Complete list of cluster surnames >can be found at <http://resources.rootsweb.com/namelist.txt>" > >41,000+ GenConnect boards created. >3,000+ Mailing lists created. >6,692 Calendars created. >6,692 Guestbooks created. >6,692 Cluster pages created and (re)generated. > > * * * > >GLOBAL SEARCH ENGINE FOR GENCONNECT. Randy Winch just installed >the latest upgrade to the Global Search Engine for GenConnect. >New Features: expanded search capabilities, including ability to >restrict the search to a certain "type" (query, Bible record, >bio, deed, obit, pension, will). Sort by date, location, person >posting, or subject (and also by ascending or descending order); >Posted in the last: day, two days, week, two weeks, month, two >months, three months, six months, year, two years, or millennium; >Search all of GenConnect, just one country, or just one state. >All of these can be used in conjunction with each other in order >to fine-tune your search. But, if you want it all, the results >are now split into first 50, next 50, etc. Powerful! ><http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi?search> > Those of you who like to chat ....here is a chat service: > >INTERNET RELAY CHAT (IRC) (SERVER: irc.rootsweb.com; PORT: 6667) ><http://www.iigs.org/irc/index.htm.en/> For links to instructions >on using IRC, including special instructions for AOL users and >Unix users, go to <http://www.iigs.org/irc/irclinks.htm.en/>. > >At <http://www.iigs.org/cgi/ircthemes/ircthemes/> you will find >a SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS by day, time given as Greenwich Mean Time >(GMT), channel, and description. To convert the scheduled GMT to >your local time, at the top of the page select the relevant GMT >and change the next box, Selected Local Time. to your time zone. > >Among the meetings scheduled are HTML Discussion, German >Genealogy, Canadian Genealogy, UK and Ireland Information >Channel, IIGS University Chat, FreeBMD Information Channel, >Colorado Genealogy, New England Genealogy, Ontario Genealogy, >Canadian Genealogy, Australia, German-Russian Genealogy, French >Genealogy, and Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg. An addition to >the schedule now posted is DearMyrtle's Monday evening sessions >(Channel: dearmyrtle) starting at 2200 Eastern Daylight time, on >U.S. Federal Census Records (31 May) and Organization (7 June). > > * * * > >ROOTSWEB DEMOGRAPHICS. Recently one RootsWeb user mentioned she >is age 99 while another volunteered that she is age 87. The >Internet is a great leveler. Ages are irrelevant when we share an >interest and are able to communicate. Still, we're curious. If >you are willing to participate in this ANONYMOUS survey, please >visit <http://www.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/age-survey> to record in >which age group you find yourself: less than 20, 20-29, 30-39, >40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, 90-99, 100-109, 110-119, or >120 and counting. > > * * * > >ROOTSWEB REPORT ON TALKSPOT. On Saturdays (1600 to 1800 >Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) or 2300 to 0100 Greenwich Mean Time >(GMT)) participate in "Generations -- Find Your Roots" ><http://www.talkspot.com/shows/Generations/>. The RootsWeb Report >by Myra Vanderpool Gormley is given between 1630 and 1700 PDT. >You also can join TalkSpot.com shows in progress from: ><http://www.talkspot.com/chan_lifeExpo.html>. > >To join TALKSPOT and the Generations -- Find Your Roots program >you need: (1) a computer with a sound board and speakers; (2) a >web browser (Explorer, Netscape, AOL, etc.); and (3) Real Audio >software for listening to audio files. > >If you don't have Real Audio, download a free copy at: ><http://www.real.com/products/player/index.html> > >Then visit this Web site a day or two ahead of the schedule >program and register a user name with TalkSpot (it's free). ><http://www.talkspot.com/register.html>. > > * * * * * > > QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS > >Q. What is a "board"? >A. A board is a Web-based query and data system, where > information is automatically input with a form, instantly > displayed, and fully indexed and searchable. Which means that > users can input a query or piece of data on a GenConnect > board, and not only can they see it instantly, but so can > anyone else searching our system for that surname. > >Q. What are the advantages of using these boards instead of other > things on the Web? >A. Both your data and your questions will receive an extremely > wide amount of coverage on the Web, greatly increasing your > chances of making connections. It's instant and fully > automated, and will even send you an e-mail to let you know > that someone has either answered your question, or has added > additional data to yours. > >Q. When you refer to a "cluster" -- what is meant? >A. Cluster is the name given to a grouping of individual > resources for a single surname or a single location, including > include a mailing list (and its archives), a GenConnect suite > (one suite equals seven boards), a home page -- USGenWeb > (USGW), WorldGenWeb (WGW), or personal pages, possibly a USGW > archives directory, RootsWeb Surname List (RSL) submissions, > etc. All of these resources are searchable. Each surname and > each location has some sort of resources (information) > available on them. Cluster pages bring together all those > resources and provide both links and search boxes so that > RootsWeb users don't get lost. If a user wants to know what > is available at RootsWeb for his/her particular genealogical > interest -- it is all there in one spot. > >Q. How do I find the surname boards? >A. Visit the index located at: > <http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/indx/FamAssoc.html> > >Q. Why were these particular surnames selected? >A. We used the most common surnames in the RootsWeb Surname List > >Q. How many boards does RootsWeb have? >A. There are 45,557 right now -- 14,985 pre-existing boards and > 30,572 just added. The goal is to have about 90,000 to 100,000 > boards within a month. > >Q. Are all of the boards and lists new? >A. No. Many of the lists and boards already existed. No change in > the administration of those lists and boards is being made. > RootsWeb staff is only administering the new boards and lists. > >Q. Who administers the new lists and GenConnect boards? >A. RootsWeb staff members, but eventually they will be available > for adoption by volunteer administrators. > >Q. How can users best utilize these new boards? >A. The original concept comes from the KyGenWeb (Kentucky > GenWeb), which made the databases on the county level > cross-linked so you can find John Doe wherever he is. > GenConnect provides the database and the means of linking, > between counties, states, countries, and now with the surname > boards, linking the names to any place they are found in one > central place. > >Q. What are calendars and how can I use them? >A. The calendars, which resemble a typical wall calendar, are > there for you to log important events such as family reunions, > speaking schedules, conferences, or conventions. As we develop > the county and country clusters, I expect there'll be more > entries along the lines of local genealogical society > meetings, founders' day, major dates in history and other > items. > >Q. What purpose do guestbooks serve? >A. They allow feedback that can be used to improve services > and resources, and you may make a genealogy connection or two > from them. > >Q. What is "Doc's RootsLink?" Where do I find it? How do I use > it? >A. RootsLink is yet another automated, powerful searchable > resource. It collects, stores, organizes and displays user- > input URLs -- ones for home pages that the users either > maintain themselves, or have found to be worth mentioning to > others. The links are searchable by either topic or by > keyword. > >ROOTSWEB GENEALOGICAL DATA COOPERATIVE >P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798 ><http://www.rootsweb.com/> >