A while back I asked the question if Genealogy was Dead? It caused a flurry of responses most saying that it wasn't. I am reviving this question and asking if it isn't dead, where has everyone gone? I have been working online since pre Internet days and ran a BBS Hub in Richmond, VA and included genealogy areas. I was a coordinator for several Rootsweb county sites also in the past so have seen activity come and go. Rootsweb is the oldest Internet bases genealogy mail list and the core is ROOTS-L. All one has to do is visit the Monthly Archives and see how interest and/or activity has dramatically dropped in the past few years. http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ROOTS For example... starting in 1996 there were an average of between 3,000-4,000 posts per month. In 1997 it dropped slightly but was still between 2,000-3,000 per month. But in 2000 things dropped below 1,000 and was on a steady decline until by 2009 there are only between 200-300 per month - nearly 1,500% drop in 10 years! So, if people aren't utilizing Rootsweb any longer and doubt with the economy that people are flocking to pay premium prices for places like Ancestry, where are people sharing information online? Is there a new clearinghouse? Eric

Eric, Ringgold County is with IAGenWeb. http://iagenweb.org/ringgold/index.html Here's a link to IAGenWeb's state map. Click on a county to access that county's link. http://iagenweb.org/state/map.php I can't speak for the other counties, but I'm buried with submissions to Ringgold County and struggle to keep up. So I'd say, no, genealogy isn't dead. It's very much alive. Ringgold County's site at IAGenWeb is just one such site for the county. There are several more that I'm aware of. Sharon R. Becker Ringgold County IAGenWeb Coordinator srbecker@iowatelecom.net ----- Original Message ----- From: <web-czar@rcn.com> To: <iowa@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 12:58 PM Subject: [IOWA] Genealogy - Lost Interest or Moved? > > A while back I asked the question if Genealogy was Dead? It caused a > flurry > of responses most saying that it wasn't. > > I am reviving this question and asking if it isn't dead, where has > everyone > gone? > > I have been working online since pre Internet days and ran a BBS Hub in > Richmond, VA and included genealogy areas. I was a coordinator for several > Rootsweb county sites also in the past so have seen activity come and go. > > Rootsweb is the oldest Internet bases genealogy mail list and the core is > ROOTS-L. All one has to do is visit the Monthly Archives and see how > interest and/or activity has dramatically dropped in the past few years. > > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/ROOTS > > For example... starting in 1996 there were an average of between > 3,000-4,000 > posts per month. In 1997 it dropped slightly but was still between > 2,000-3,000 per month. But in 2000 things dropped below 1,000 and was on a > steady decline until by 2009 there are only between 200-300 per month - > nearly 1,500% drop in 10 years! > > So, if people aren't utilizing Rootsweb any longer and doubt with the > economy that people are flocking to pay premium prices for places like > Ancestry, where are people sharing information online? Is there a new > clearinghouse? > > Eric