Hi Everyone, The online world is in a constant state of flux. In genealogy, fellow genealogists have enjoyed strength in numbers. Now, the largest numbers of those who are researching their family histories are working online in chat rooms, with e-mail and Web sites on the Internet worldwide. With the Internet, we have so many people interested in genealogy. That is a good thing. There are people all over the place who are researching their ancestry. Coordinate your attack: get help from other researchers. The online world has definite communities, and *none* is friendlier and more helpful than the genealogical ones. Nevertheless, as with any community, there are customs and etiquette you are expected to follow. Part of becoming a member of the online genealogy community is learning to communicate effectively and politely on the Internet. Online communication is often hampered by the fact that you can not see the people with whom you are corresponding...and you can not hear the intonation of their voices to determine what emotions they are expressing. To avoid misunderstandings, follow some simple guidelines called netiquette...when authoring e-mail messages. One good idea is to "lurk" first, which is to say, read a maillist without posting messages yourself. It is sort of like sitting in the corner at a party without introducing yourself, except it is not considered rude online; in some places you are expected to lurk until you get the feel of the place. Read the messages for a while, and find out who is interested in what. RootsWeb sends a Welcome information message, read it well, understand what is allowed with this particular group, and then introduce yourself with your first message. The more you interact with a group of individuals, the more like a member of a community you will feel. But community is just what you make of it. You never know which one of those fellow researchers may turn out to be a cousin. This is truly an exciting time to be a genealogist. Each day brings new discoveries and new technology. For genealogists, making contacts by e-mail can be much more rapid than the traditional waiting that we have always done with snail mail, also known as postal mail. Hundreds of institutions such as libraries, universities and genealogical or historical societies now have e-mail addresses. This allows you to request information, directions or other types of help and advice from them in a quick and efficient manner, without the wait time or long distance charges involved in traditional methods. It is very easy to copy bits and pieces of your family information from your genealogy software program and then paste it into an e-mail message to share with someone else. E-mail is a simple way to share information and stay up-to-date with other researchers who are working on similar lines of research. If you have never subscribed to an e-mail list before, there are a few things you should be aware of. Some maillists will only have small amounts of sporadic traffic while others will generate enough e-mail to fill your mailbox daily. Subscribing to several lists will increase the volume of e-mail you receive, so be sure you do not "bite off more than you can chew." Give a Mailing List a fair chance to prove useful. Some maillists are very low traffic and many people get discouraged by this and unsubscribe soon after they first join. Many times there are lulls in conversation on a Mailing List and then suddenly the conversation will take-off like a rocket! Hang around on a maillist for a while before you decide to quit. You never know what might pop up! Before posting to the list, be sure you have read and understand the Welcome information message, and even then just read the list e-mail for a while until you become familiar with accepted forms of communication. Lurking refers to reading Mailing List messages and learning the ins and outs of that group for a little while before you actually join in and begin posting messages yourself. By lurking, you can learn a lot about how Mailing Lists work, about netiquette and about what types of researchers are out in cyberspace with you. But you will have to spend more than several nights just quietly reading messages without getting involved. You need to get involved, just as you do with your local society or your own neighborhood. We have a community; changing and growing much like a small town adapts and grows into a city. So venture forth and discover this Mailing List! It may take you a little time but you never know which one of those fellow researchers may turn out to be a cousin! You may feel a bit overwhelmed by all the information available online, but you will soon learn to gain control and make the Internet work for you. I wish you generous helpings of serendipity as you begin...or continue...your adventure. If something you learn here helps you find an ancestor or if you just want to say hello, feel free to send me an e-mail. Happy rooting! :-) Thanks, Mike ************************* Michael G. McManness, a Jayhawk through and through, eating, sleeping, breathing, and bleeding Crimson and Blue near the University of Kansas. Family genealogist and research historian. "Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones." --- Phillip Brooks *************************