Subject: Query Writing Guidelines From: Steven J. Coker Date: June 13, 1998 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 ==== SCROOTS Mailing List ==== Go To: #, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Main |