How to write a Successful Query
by Maura Petzolt
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~irlwat/instruct.htm

The 3 basic things a good query should cover are: 

(1) Tell us what you know -- that includes what you have searched, where you got
your information from, dates, locations. This way people won't tell you to
search a certain census or other resource  if you have already done so. 

(2) Tell us what you don't know -- I don't know his parents names, I don't know
when he came to the US, I don't know if he was naturalized. 

(3) Tell us what you WANT to know -- otherwise its a stab in the dark. Probably
the worst thing you can say is "looking for information on ...." WHAT
information? Be specific, do you want to know how to get naturalization papers
for them, how to find them on a ship list, how to find their parents? 

Here are some other hints ... 

** Use your subject line wisely. Put surnames and locations in subject lines.
Especially on large lists, and in digest form, many people only scan the subject
line. Putting something like "Help" in a subject line probably won't get you
much of it. 

** Put surnames in all caps in subject lines and the first time you write them
in the body of a query. 

** DON'T WRITE IN ALL CAPS. Besides being bad netiquette, its hard to read. 

** Seperate information into paragraphs. Don't send one big blob of information
and expect people to sift through it. The neater it is the more likely someone
will read it. 

** Sending too much information is as bad as sending too little. Don't send your
entire gedcom file in an email. Don't write the entire history of your family in
an email. Just pick one aspect and deal with one thing at a time. 

** Don't get "cutesy" with adding smiley faces and exclaimation marks. Think of
writing a query as a letter to someone you don't know. 

A Note about Surnames in your signature line - 

Many lists won't allow surnames below your signature line on postings. That is
for technical reasons. But surname lines can be a blessing and a curse. The good
part is you may get a lot of interest in your surnames, which is also the bad
part. When I had my surnames on my signature line I got more emails on McCarthys
and Ryans that were not even geographically near mine than I could handle. 

If you do put surnames on your signature line, pick your main ones (I have seen
some signature lines go on for twenty lines, way too much), and clarify where
they are located, especially if it is a common surname. 

For additional information - 
6 Steps to Writing a Successful Genealogy Query 
http://www.firstct.com/fv/query.html

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~irlwat/instruct.htm

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