Although several have mentioned the idea, I don't believe anyone has stated specifically that the definition of the word "professional" depends upon whether the word is used as a noun or an adjective.  According to my 1966 edition of Webster's, as a noun it requires money to change hands. As an adjective, it may not. Online dictionaries may be fuzzier on that distinction, but the first definitions of the noun always involve payment. I do not claim to be a professional genealogist. I do, however, strive to do professional quality work. As for how others might perceive it, my experience (based upon volunteering on a regular basis at a moderately-sized genealogical library) is that many people don't know "professional genealogists" exist. I don't remember anyone asking me to recommend a "professional genealogist," or ask how they might find one. What they ask is how to solve a problem and then comment "I'd be willing to pay someone to help me." While I always find these discussions fascinating, how to define the word "professional," or whether those who charge money for research should be licensed, distract from the real issues. I believe the more important issues include such questions as: *How do we educate the public as to what to expect when they hire someone? How often do unskilled or underskilled "professionals" lead clients to believe a problem has been solved when it has not, or that they've checked all records and the problem can't be solved? I've seen reports, for example, that do not include recommendations for further research and left the impression all resources were exhausted, when what was checked were census records, cemetery transcriptions, marriage records, the county history, and obituaries. How should the profession respond when such errors are made? *How do we educate all genealogists? I've seen great strides in this area over the last few years, but there is much to be done. Recently, a person came to the library seeking assistance understanding his DNA results. After a lengthy discussion, it became apparent that he was under the impression that because there had been a court house fire, he'd exhausted all records. I don't recall whether he'd actually hired someone, or had been relying on what he was told by librarians and court house staff. With a little research, I learned the fire had occurred less than 10 years after the county was created. He was amazed to learn that the answers to his problem might be hiding in newspapers, tax lists, the county of origin, more recent records, his ancestor's FAN club, etc. He thought DNA was his only hope. His was a complicated problem, but sometimes, I wonder whether the basics are being lost. A recent request for help that I received on Ancestry's messaging system is an example; I doubt the current crop of cyber-beginning genealogists even know what a query is. I've now asked twice "Please tell me when and where your John Doe lived; there were multiple men named John Doe. I'm happy to try to help you, but without knowing a little more..." *How do we create a market for independent professional genealogists in the age of Ancestry? Notice I said how do we create a market, not how do we market ourselves. If the public knew that "professional genealogists" exist to the extent they know plumbers, handymen, and yoga instructors exist, the only issue would be the latter. It seems to me the profession usually acts as though the issue is marketing oneself, not marketing the profession. Connie Sheets Phoenix, AZ

My email was hacked today. Please do not open anything with a link from me. I am very sorry. Not sure why as I take all precautions.  Tina SansoneTN Genealogical Society, Vice Presidenthttp://www.tngsblog.orgGenealogy@Bellaonline.com --- On Tue, 9/25/12, Connie Sheets <clsheets1@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Connie Sheets <clsheets1@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [TGF] Who is a Professional? To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 12:47 PM Although several have mentioned the idea, I don't believe anyone has stated specifically that the definition of the word "professional" depends upon whether the word is used as a noun or an adjective.  According to my 1966 edition of Webster's, as a noun it requires money to change hands. As an adjective, it may not. Online dictionaries may be fuzzier on that distinction, but the first definitions of the noun always involve payment. I do not claim to be a professional genealogist. I do, however, strive to do professional quality work. As for how others might perceive it, my experience (based upon volunteering on a regular basis at a moderately-sized genealogical library) is that many people don't know "professional genealogists" exist. I don't remember anyone asking me to recommend a "professional genealogist," or ask how they might find one. What they ask is how to solve a problem and then comment "I'd be willing to pay someone to help me." While I always find these discussions fascinating, how to define the word "professional," or whether those who charge money for research should be licensed, distract from the real issues. I believe the more important issues include such questions as: *How do we educate the public as to what to expect when they hire someone? How often do unskilled or underskilled "professionals" lead clients to believe a problem has been solved when it has not, or that they've checked all records and the problem can't be solved? I've seen reports, for example, that do not include recommendations for further research and left the impression all resources were exhausted, when what was checked were census records, cemetery transcriptions, marriage records, the county history, and obituaries. How should the profession respond when such errors are made? *How do we educate all genealogists?  I've seen great strides in this area over the last few years, but there is much to be done. Recently, a person came to the library seeking assistance understanding his DNA results. After a lengthy discussion, it became apparent that he was under the impression that because there had been a court house fire, he'd exhausted all records. I don't recall whether he'd actually hired someone, or had been relying on what he was told by librarians and court house staff. With a little research, I learned the fire had occurred less than 10 years after the county was created. He was amazed to learn that the answers to his problem might be hiding in newspapers, tax lists, the county of origin, more recent records, his ancestor's FAN club, etc. He thought DNA was his only hope. His was a complicated problem, but sometimes, I wonder whether the basics are being lost. A recent request for help that I received on Ancestry's messaging system is an example; I doubt the current crop of cyber-beginning genealogists even know what a query is. I've now asked twice "Please tell me when and where your John Doe lived; there were multiple men named John Doe. I'm happy to try to help you, but without knowing a little more..." *How do we create a market for independent professional genealogists in the age of Ancestry? Notice I said how do we create a market, not how do we market ourselves. If the public knew that "professional genealogists" exist to the extent they know plumbers, handymen, and yoga instructors exist, the only issue would be the latter. It seems to me the profession usually acts as though the issue is marketing oneself, not marketing the profession. Connie Sheets Phoenix, AZ 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