Amen. d ----- Original Message ----- From: "Genealogy Guide" <genealogyguide@ymail.com> To: "Transitional Genealogists forum" <transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2013 12:27:17 PM Subject: Re: [TGF] Thoughts for 2013 Dee, thank you for providing these reminders as we update for 2013. I will add these items to Dee's list of what causes me to shy away from another researcher:  1) Lack of responsiveness tarnishes your reputation.  2) Current information. I'd rather see only the basics on a website (or listing) than to see a page with outdated information or broken links. Charlene M. Pipkin, A.G.® Orem, Utah Today is a good day to add 2013 copyright notices on my websites.  This started recirculating some observations from the last couple of months.  > >The most prevalent way we "see" up-and-coming professionals these days is electronically through their social media posts and their websites.  > >Our website should make us transparent, not create ambiguity. We all need to be careful with how we word the content. We all need another set of eyes to proofread.  Here are a few things that convince me a person would not be on my go-to list. > >A couple of pages of terrible spelling, worse grammar and punctuation, and misuse of words or terms stops me from looking any further. > >It's better to clearly list memberships than to say "numerous memberships" without being specific. It makes me suspicious to see that kind of broad statement accompanied by references to organizations to which, upon further checking, the person does not belong. Is this just a lapse in good content, or an attempt to create the perception that the website owner is actually a member of an organization when they are not?  > >I REALLY question motive when the person has copied and pasted to their website whole blocks of text from other organizations in what is apparently an attempt to make it appear the person is a member of, is endorsed by, or that the person adheres to the philosophy of that organization.  > >Oblique references to credentials are especially irksome. The genealogist has "certifications and accreditations." However, none are listed and the content includes references to ICAPGen or BCG. The name doesn't show up in member rosters and no credentials follow the name. Lapse or intent? > >Affiliates and affiliations. Several websites I've looked at recently used affiliates when the owner meant affiliations.  We're affiliated with or affiliates of APG, Ancestry.com, Family Tree DNA, etc.  These are not our affiliates. > >Some websites really overstate qualifications and experience. "Our experience and education makes us uniquely qualified" for this particular specialty. No education or experience is defined on the website.  I keep a running list of folks I'd never ask to help on a project because queries about education and experience showed the folks had not been honest in their self-promotion.  Red flags go up when the site obviously has hype written about the genealogist, BY the genealogist. > >Taking credit for someone else's work or position. A couple of months ago some friends and I found a website in which a person made it appear they were a lead genealogist "working with another genealogist" to solve a military repatriation case. The "other" genealogist was actually the credentialed sub-contracting genealogist who asked this person to do ONE vital record retrieval.... The person also published private info shared by the sub-contractor genealogist to make it easier for the person to retrieve the record. > >These are things that can really hamstring a potential career. And tarnish a reputation among colleagues. Most folks on this list are probably snickering, "Someone would REALLY do these things?" Yep, real examples from real websites. > >best regards and a prosperous New Year, > >Dee > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message