Newsgroup rules by Richard Pence as posted on "The Master
Genealogist" List
PREFACE: Over the past couple of years it has become increasingly apparent that many
participants in the genealogy newsgroups are failing to fully utilize the potential of
these media. Therefore, the following guidelines are presented for the benefit of both
veterans
and newcomers in the hope they will result in more effective participation by all.
Effective Use of Genealogy Newsgroups
1. USE "HOT WORDS": Be sure to include one or more of the following words or
phrases in either the subject or body of your messages: geneology, cemetary,
calender, sirname, illigitimate, ancester, Morman, land warrent, proginy or desendant.
Similar displays of
originality are encouraged, as these help attract attention to your posts and demonstrate
you are eager to learn. Note also that it isn't necessary to use normal punctuation or
grammar in newsgroups because everyone knows what you intended.
2. POST EARLY AND OFTEN: No matter what you are writing about, you should post your
messages in as many different newsgroups as possible. After all, the people who originally
defined the content of each newsgroup couldn't possibly have anticipated that your
messages would all transcend normal categorization. Bonus tip: Always vote "yes"
when a new genealogy newsgroup is proposed, as this will give you another place to repeat
your posts. It can always be assumed that if the newsgroup title includes the word
genealogy, it's OK for you to post there.
3. QUOTE THE QUOTE: When replying to another article, by all means quote it in its
entirety, including previously quoted material, the mail routing information and,
especially, the total signature of the original poster. Otherwise, someone might not know
what message you
are replying to and where it came from. Alternatively: Don't quote any of the previous
message; readers will enjoy the challenge of guessing what you might be referring to.
One-line responses like: "I don't believe this is always true" are real
attention-getters.
4. SIGN OFF WITH STYLE: Be sure to make the signature at the end of your messages as long
as possible and include it with every one of your posts. The signature should always
include your full name, address, phone numbers (including fax and modem), website address
or addresses, and so on, for both your residence and office. Don't forget to include any
titles, degrees or offices held (now or in the past), or the names of genealogical or
other organizations to which you belong or belonged. Signatures should always have a large
design made up of ASCII characters (simple + and - signs aligned across the page
are hardly adequate because they don't lengthen your signature enough. If your imagination
is faltering, a design showing a little man with a long nose, bulging eyes and his hair on
end clutching at and peering over a fence is always a good choice. Your signature should
_never_ be without one or more quotations, slogans (political slogans or those disparaging
"the government" are always hits!) or "wise sayings," correctly or
incorrectly attributed to famous people. If you don't have any good quotes from famous
people, it is OK to swipe a cutesy
one from someone else. Or you can use your state motto. Do NOT forget the disclaimer
telling readers that what you write is your own opinion and does not represent the views
of your company, your spouse, your children or neighbors. Your signature reflects YOU and
YOUR
personality, so you shouldn't spare the horses! [NOTE: The "non-signature
signature" is an appropriate alternative. Under this method, you should never
disclose your identity or where you are. Initials, "handles" or other
esoteric identifiers are all acceptable. After all, it is never wise to tell people who
you are in a public forum, especially one devoted to genealogy.]
5. CHOICE SUBJECTS: The best subject lines are quite general. If you include such phrases
as "Help Needed," "Tracing My Geneology" (note the example of
"hot word" usage), "What Do I Do Now?" or "Software
Problem," readers must actually look at your article to find out what you are writing
about. This gambit will solidify your reputation as a marketing whiz!
6. SURNAME QUERIES: When posting a surname query, it is not necessary to include such
trivia as where the family lived or when. After all, anyone searching that name will know
whether his or her line is related to yours. A query with the subject of "SMITH,
JONES and
JOHNSON" with the message asking "Anyone searching these families?"will
garner many responses from others searching these lines.
7. BOOK-SHY: Questions that can be answered by looking in a dictionary or other common
home reference, such as a roadmap or atlas, or by checking any one of a half-dozen
websites are excellent choices for your postings. These always garner many responses and,
at the same time, assure that no dust collects on the books owned by others. If you
handle this with finesse, you can even get others to look up local phone numbers for you!
Remember: The purpose of newsgroups and, indeed, the Internet itself, is to enable
you to avoid visits to
libraries, court houses or archives or having to look at musty old books.
8. BE AMONG THE FAITHFUL: True and faithful newsgroup participants respond to as many
messages as possible, even if they are unfamiliar with the topic. Readers are always
interested in the opinions of others, especially yours. Messages that begin with "I
have heard
that...," "Someone told me...," or "I always thought..." are
among those which get high readership and help demonstrate the knowledge of and experience
in genealogy of the posters. It is never necessary to cite an authority when making such
responses; including such
extraneous information draws attention from the answer.
9. KEEPING THE CROWD INFORMED: Always post your responses within the group itself rather
than replying via private e-mail. Not only will this allow everyone to benefit from what
you say, it gives them a sense of security to know they haven't missed anything. Requests
that responses be made via e-mail are obviously not intended for you. And, if you get a
message from someone warning about a virus that has invaded newsgroup messages or one
warning about another dumb thing "the government" is doing, by all means post it
in as many groups as possible.
10. MAKING SURE: If you do not see your article in the group within the hour, be sure to
re- post it as soon as possible. Duplicate postings help assure that others will not miss
your important messages. If, after several tries, no one responds, you should post several
test messages asking everyone who sees the message to respond in the group so you can be
sure your connection is working correctly. If is never sufficient to test your local
connections. The only tests that get results are those which cover the entire Net.
11. CRAFTING CRAFTY REPLIES: Here are some tips that can help you with your newsgroup
responses:
(a) When someone asks for recommendations on "the best
genealogy software," it is not necessary to know what equipment the person has or
what his or her experience is in genealogy and computers or his or her genealogical goals.
Simply respond saying, "I use ---- and LOVE it!" program YOU use. The same
response is appropriate is some else says they like a different program.
(c) The proper format for replies to surname queries is: "Were any
of your SMITHs ever in [insert state here]?" Disregard any references to specific
places.
(d) The answer to the "cousin question is _always_ "second
cousin, once removed." There are no exceptions.
(e) If someone asks a question you may not know anything about, the
proper response is a message giving the details of a family story your Great Aunt Betsey
once told you. Special hint: When someone asks about an unusual given name or surname, be
sure to respond with a message saying you are not familiar with that name, "but here
are some of the unusual names I have encountered in my research...."
(f) Even if a question has already been answered, you should also
respond. Quote the entire question and the response and add: "I agree."
(g) Above all, do not refer someone to a FAQ, website or other
authority on the topic. This prevents thousands of others from benefiting from your
knowledge and experience. Besides, most FAQs were written specifically for the purpose of
heading off certain on-line
discussions and, consequently, are obviously an effort to stifle free speech, and every
knows you have the right to say whatever you please on the Internet.
(h) If your response is especially important, WRITE IT IN ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS. That way it will be sure to be read by everyone.
12. I KNOW IT'S TRUE: Finally, it is always safe to rely on the responses you see in the
various newsgroups because no genealogist would post unless he or she was quite sure of
the accuracy of what is being written. This is especially true if the question is:
"What given
name does the abbreviation 'Jno.' stand for?" (No fair looking in your dictionary!)
