Hello all, As a long time user of the net, I have noticed that there are many new folks joining this group who are new to e-mail and listserves. So this isn't meant to point fingers at anybody or to scold anyone, this is just a friendly overview of Net-etiquette (netiquette) and procedures. By the way this message is going to ALL of the listserv members in our group. So getting this message only means that you are a member. Some of you have apologized profusely when anyone points out the norms for the net. Please don't. We were all new at this once, and we don't expect apologies. We want you to have a good time and to be successful in your search. I teach writing at a local college. As part of my class, I teach netiquette. What follows are some of my class notes combined with the things I've learned while doing genealogy research on-line. If any of you old pros see something I haven't explained correctly or I've forgotten, please let me know, so that I can add it. New folks, if something needs clarification or if you have a question, I'll be happy to try to answer it. If you feel unsure about joining in on the discussion in a chatroom or on a listserv, try lurking for a while. (Lurking in cyberspace is the accepted practice of reading the conversations without responding for a few days or weeks until you feel you have a sense of the tone and personality of the group and you feel comfortable chatting). Don't lurk too long--we're all waiting to hear about your research. Netiquette: 1. Be sure that you know where your message is going. When you select "reply," will that send the message to the entire group or to the person whose mail you are reading. Some groups and some services vary on this. Look at the "TO:" section and see where it is going. This can be very embarrassing, if you think you're writing a message for a particular person and it ends up out there on the net for everyone to read. 2. Determine if your response should go to the whole group or just a few people. The rule of thumb is that if it can benefit the whole group, send it to the group, but make it clear in your salutation that you mean for a particular person to take note of it. (see 3). 3. E-mail isn't that different from letter writing. It is a little less formal. Still use salutations, but you may be informal in a group such as ours. If the note you are writing is for the whole group, you might start it like, "hey all you Reeves Researchers, or something fitting your own personality. If you want a particular person in the group to notice the note, but you think the whole group will benefit from it then address that person in your salutation: "Greg, thanks for the info." or "Greg and all." 4. Reading: Anything that is sent to the group, in theory, is fair to read. If the note starts with somebody else's name, and you received it, that means that the sender thought everyone might want to read this post as well. It's like sitting with a group of freinds at a coffee shop. Joe says something to Mike and though he addresses Mike, because he addressed him at a table of freinds, any of the freinds might also respond. 5. If the message doesn't have a name in the salutation, you should assume that it is addressed to the entire group. (This is where our group is getting confusing). 6. Taking it off the listserv: Some of you have made some great connections and are working on your research by phone or private e-mail. While this is often appropriate, don't forget that new members and those with new research may benefit either from the info you and your new found Cousin have discovered or from the actual process of your search. Don't forget we're all learning from each other. :) 7. Replies: Some of you will see the original message on your screen when you select reply. (Some of us aren't so lucky.) This is great because you can read the original while you are writing. However, if you send your reply like that, it makes a very long, tedious message. So when you finish writing and before you send, delete what isn't needed from the original post, just keeping the lines from the original message which are relevant. This helps new readers understand your response (What was the question?) and it helps the original writer remember what he/she said or exactly what part you are referring to. 8. Some of you have worried that your message is not going out. If you mailed it to the group and not to Greg or one of the other members, you should get a copy mailed to yourself. (somebody please correct me if this varies with various internet services). 9. Closing the letter and signatures: It is frustrating to read a note and not know who sent it without having to go back to the beginning. This long note I'm writing for example :) End your note with the name you prefer to be known as, and below that write out your e-mail address. Some services allow you to create what's called a signature. This allows you to create this once, and it will either automatically or with the touch of a button appear at the end of your messages. 10. Research questions: Be very specific. Example: "I am trying to find the maiden name of my great-great grandmother Anna who married my great-great grandfather John Spurlock b. 1857. They lived in Ava, MO Their oldest child was named Pleasant b. 1861, so I suspect they were married shortly before that. Does anyone have info about their marriage, her maiden name or this family?" I will get and by the way did get MUCH more response from a specific question like this than I will if I ask, "What information do you have on Spurlocks?" That question sounds like I haven't done any work and would like somebody else to do it. :) The first time you post to the group, you should introduce yourself, the specific group of people you are researching, names, dates, and places, and what you hope to learn from the folks on the listserv. If you have become stuck, let the group know what you've already tried (be specific) and maybe somebody will have a new suggestion. 11. Networking: I had researched the Spurlock side of the family back to my great-great grandfather, but couldn't locate the maiden name of his first wife my great-great grandmother. I posted a question about this grandmother known at the time only as Anna (see # 10). I received an answer from somebody who was researching another group of Spurlocks who knew somebody else who was researching a group closer to my own. I contacted him and he gave me the names of John Spurlock's cousin's descendants. These descendants had traced their family back and hit a dead end after several generations. They decided to trace the descendants rather than the ancestors at this point, hoping that something new might come up. When they got to my great-great grandfather, they could find no trace of him and determined he had died without children. We were all thrilled when I connected my family to theirs. I got three more generations on my tree, found the family homestead and private cemetery, and have a whole bunch of new cousins to met at the annual family reunion at the homestead next summer. Granted this story is unusual, but never assume that somebody can't use the information you've found just because it doesn't relate to your direct line. The following items haven't been a problem with our group, but while I'm at it, I'll explain them for you: 12. Tone of voice: In print it is very easy to unintentionally use a sharp tone of voice. Think about your audience and how they might perceive your tone. Also don't say anything on-line that you wouldn't in person. 13. Flaming: Exchanging unkind remarks. This is a fascinating phenomenon of the electronic environment. Because we don't see each other, we feel braver. I've done lots of research on this and have found that folks who are normally quiet or shy become more outspoken on the net. This results from a combination of not being seen and the speed of the net. You write a message, and you sent it, and if you said something that you have second thoughts about saying, it's too late--it's out there. Pause before hitting the "send" button. 14. SHOUTING: When you write in all caps that means HEY LISTEN TO ME I'M RAISING MY VOICE. So if you wrote your entire message in caps , folks might wonder why you're mad or yelling. 15. Spelling and grammar: Because of the speed of this and because many of us don't have spell check through our internet service, e-mail readers have come to overlook spelling errors. So we normally don't critique each other's spelling. HOWEVER, as we are all researching our family names, we should be careful about dates and the spelling of names and places. I just found a web page the other day where the owner had lots of typing errors including the spelling of her own name. :( 16. E-smiles :) If you see this :) Turn your head sideways--it is a grin. It is used to help with tone and to show lightheartedness or humour. Some folks prefer <g> which also means the writer is grinning. 17. Frowns :( Sometimes we want our reader to know that what we are saying makes us sad or disappointed, so we frown. :( (see # 15) 18. And other expressions ;-{)8 There are sites where you can download hundreds of examples of these. This one is a smiling guy with a mustache, winking and wearing a bow tie. They are not as common as #'s 16 and 17, but they are fun ;<) 19. Acronyms: These drive me nuts personally, but the world of computers is full of these darn things. Unfortunately people who are unfamiliar with them feel very left out of the conversation. In conventional writing, it is expected that if you use an acronym in a document that you will explain its meaning one time inside a set of parenthesis. Example: I just finished writing my page for the WWW (World Wide Web). I am a member of GSA (Girl Scouts of America). This custom has not moved into the cyber world. However, most users are more than happy to explain. So IMHO if you don't know what people are saying, just ask. IMHO (in my humble opinion). You may forward this or post this anywhere, but please make sure that you include my name so that I can get the credit or blame for its content. :) Barbara Tracy Langdon blangdon@aol.com bslangdo@sccm.cc.ne.us ------------------------------