This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/wUI.2ACIB/146
Message Board Post:
Posting queries on a RootsWeb/Ancestry Message Boards is an excellent
way to find others who are researching the same or connecting families,
and who may have information you seek.
Today's online researchers are busy people, so make sure that your
messages are easy to locate and understood. To accomplish this make
proper use of the SUBJECT line, SURNAME box, and CLASSIFICATION menu
when you post.
SUBJECT LINE: Make the subject complete, concise, and specific in
describing the content of your message. Do not use vague subjects such
as "genealogy," "searching," or "looking for grandfather."
It is
assumed that anyone posting or reading these Message Boards is searching for
genealogy-related information.
Put yourself in the place of someone scanning through hundreds of posts
on the Message Boards. Does your SUBJECT LINE identify the content of
your query? "Seek parents of John Kelly, born 1842, Clay County,
Kentucky" is good. A SUBJECT LINE can contain up to 53 characters,
including spaces. If you are posting information (data as opposed to a
query), make the SUBJECT LINE: "Will of James Smith probated 1873, Bell
County, Texas" or "Obituary of Mary (Curran) Murphy, died May 1901,
Dublin, Ireland." Women's maiden names are commonly put in parentheses
to so identify them. Remember Message Boards are read and used by
researchers around the world, so identify your ancestors and data,
watch those abbreviations, and don't assume everyone knows where or what SF,
CA is. Let there be no doubt, spell it out.
SURNAME BOX ENTRIES: Enter only the surnames that you have included in
the message you have posted in this box. Do NOT include a bunch of
surnames just because you are researching them. List surnames one at a
time and separate them with a comma. Example: Smith, Cousins, James,
Kohlhammer, Van Allen, de la Croix, Wood, Woods. Whether you list the
names in upper, lower, or mixed case is not important. Surnames that
have common spelling variants such as Wood and Woods should be listed
separately and NOT as: Wood(s) or Wood/Woods. The search engine will
not pick them up correctly if they are shown in the latter two styles.
The purpose of the SURNAME BOX entries is to enable Message Board
searchers to use the ADVANCED SEARCH option and search ONLY on the
names you have listed in the box indicating that they are surnames. It
eliminates from searches words appearing elsewhere in a post (but not
listed in the SURNAME BOX) such as the poster's name (Sally Smith may
have posted numerous messages on the board and signed them with her
full name in the message body), a common word (such as Cousins above), or
given name (such as James above).
Do not enter anything other than surnames in the SURNAME BOX. Do not
enter any given (first) names or locations, and do not use descriptive
words such as "and," "many more," "Jr.," or "etc."
Avoid all
punctuation (except for commas, which are used to form the separation between each
surname entry) unless it is a part of a surname.
CLASSIFICATION: The purpose of proper classification of messages is to
enable Message Board users to view and/or search messages by data type.
If you are posting a query or replying to a query, use the default
classification of QUERY from the drop-down menu. If you are posting
actual data, select the type that most closely matches the type
of information you are posting: BIBLE, CEMETERY, WILL, DEED, PENSION,
MARRIAGE, BIOGRAPHY, etc. (These are all listed under MESSAGE TYPE).
If you post a question about a document, such as a deed or a marriage
record, or if you request a lookup, it is classified as a QUERY -- not
as a DEED, MARRIAGE, or LOOKUP. Only transcribed data are classified as
one of the data types.
To learn more about Message Boards, see also:
"Message Board Solutions," (RootsWeb Review 5:29, 17 July 2002)
"Meandering Through the Message Boards" (RWR 5:28, 10 July 2002)
"Discovering Display Options on the Message Boards" (RWR 5:27, 3 July 2002)
"Getting the Most Out of Message Boards" (RWR 5:26, 26 June 2002)
"Message Board Attach-ments" (RWR 5:23, 5 June 2002)
"Message Board Icons" (RWR 5:22, 29 May 2002)
-- all issues of RWR are searchable and downloadable here:
http://e-zine.rootsweb.com/
Previously published in RootsWeb Review: Vol. 5, No. 30, 24 July 2002.