Coryell List: This is what I was sent in response to my rather terse inquiry about the changes: -----Original Message----- From: Kana [mailto:kana@myfamilyinc.com] Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 9:58 AM To: Nan Bradford-Reid Subject: Re: Form message from http://www.ancestry.com/help/contact/main.htm (KMM2668910C0KM) Dear Nan Bradford-reid, Thank you for your e-mail. Ancestry.com and RootsWeb.com are extremely happy to announce our new integrated message board system. The new system no longer requires users to post messages on multiple sites at once. In addition, the new message boards will be "indexable" by the major Internet search engines, and as a result queries, discussions, and helpful suggestions from the genealogical community will reach the widest possible audience. In addition to new messages posted, the collection will contain over fifteen million messages from researchers who have shared their experience and expertise over the last two decades. Other enhancements include: -Cleaner, intuitive user interface -Improved search functionality with hits ranked by relevance -New personalization features like a "My Favorites list" and auto-notification -New infrastructure allowing for faster access, and larger traffic loads -Users will be able to view the e-mail address of message authors and respond to them easily and privately. However, the message boards cannot be "crawled" by unscrupulous third parties to gather e-mail addresses for spam mailings. -The new message boards will be able to handle attachments to e-mail messages in the form of uploaded pictures (scanned documents, family photos, etc.) and GEDCOM files. -A "preview message" feature will help users see what a message will look like once posted (and make any appropriate changes). -The new message boards also feature centralized and simplified administration capability for the benefit of the thousands of volunteers who monitor and administer individual boards. Administrative improvements include: -Each message board has a special "administrator" page, where administrators can supply information about themselves and/or the topic. They may even add helpful text and links to appropriate resources elsewhere on the Internet -URLs in messages are automatically recognized and hyperlinked so that users can visit referred sites on the Internet with one simple click -Administrators can take advantage of a convenient "recycle bin" feature which allows them to delete inappropriate messages (spam, inappropriate content, etc.) or even restore such messages if deletion was inadvertent For more information, please visit the Message Board Frequently Asked Questions at http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=faq&r=an&p= To search the message boards on Ancestry.com please go to the following URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/ You can also access the message boards from the Ancestry.com home page (www.ancestry.com). Simply click on the Share tab at the top of the screen and then click on the Message Boards link. To search the message boards on Ancestry.com please go to the following URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/ You can also access the message boards from the Ancestry.com home page (www.ancestry.com). Simply click on the Share tab at the top of the screen and then click on the Message Boards link. From the main Message Boards screen you can search for an individual message or a message board. To find a message board, simply type a keyword (such as a surname or a locality) in the box entitled "Find a Message Board" and click on "GO!" You can also browse the message boards by Surname, Locality, or Topic by using the links below the "Browse our Message Boards!" heading. To find a message, type a keyword (such as the name of an ancestor or the name of the author of a message) in the box entitled "Search all Message Boards" and click on "GO!" There are also Advanced Search options available when searching for individual messages. To access these features click on the Advanced Search link on the search box on the main Message Boards page. For more information, please visit the Message Board Frequently Asked Questions at http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=faq&r=an&p= Best Regards, Jason Customer Solutions Ancestry.com e-mail: support@ancestry-inc.com "Connecting and Strengthening Families through the World Wide Web" Get Free Family History tips, news and updates! Sign up for the Ancestry Daily News at www.ancestry.com.