Elissa wrote: Cynthia, It is a common misperception that a published family tree will "mess up" an application for certification because of the rule that any portfolio requirement cannot be reviewed or critiqued by someone else. What is meant here is the actual portfolio requirement, not pieces of data that are used for the case study or kinship determination project. BCG recognizes that our research is collaborative but that what you submit to BCG must be your own analysis, conclusions, and writing. Hope that helps, Elissa Dear Elissa and fellow listers, I'm considering certification and have looked at the information on the BCG website, but I'm still uncertain about what might prevent me from using a particular family line for my portfolio. For example, I have a personal blog for sharing family stories, and I've stopped posting on it until I decide on what lines I would use for a certification portfolio for fear of compromising my ability to use a particular line. The comments from family members on my posts are 100% along the lines of "Oh, that's cool," and never anything that might be considered collaboratively helpful. To blog or not to blog? That is my question.... :-) Annette Annette Burke Lyttle HERITAGE DETECTIVE, LLC Westminster, Colorado 303-217-3452 [email protected] http://heritagedetective.com

Cynthia and All, The "common misperception that a published family tree will 'mess up' an application for certification because of the rule that any portfolio requirement cannot be reviewed or critiqued by someone else" is borne of a misconception about the nature of the material required in a portfolio. Each module of the portfolio involves a specific kind of work product. It has specific requirements to meet. The portfolio has no requirement called a "family tree." Elizabeth --------------------------------------------- Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG BCG trustee & past president www.HistoricPathways.com www.IsleofCanes.com www.EvidenceExplained.com & for everyday tips on records and record usage QuickTips: The Blog at Evidence Explained https://www.evidenceexplained.com/quicktips/ee