Here are some tips on posting your messages to the list. ================================================================================ There have been several recent requests for information on individuals. It is very unlikely that anyone reading your message will have the exact information you need, but it is very likely that someone can suggest ways to help you find it. For people who are new to this list, here are some ways to get the most help on your search. 1. Give places as well as names and dates. 2. Tell what you have checked and what you need to know, e.g. "I found this family in the 1850 census for Medway, Mass., but I haven't been able to find out the wife's maiden name." Someone reading this may realize that you don't know about the family history libraries run by the Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and send you to the yellow pages of your phone book. 3. Tell where you are and what libraries, etc., you have been to. There may be a wonderful source near you that you don't know about. 4. Give your email address(es) so people can reply directly to you. Happy hunting! Carol Botteron (keeper of info on New England Hixons and Hixsons) ================================================================================ For those of you on Usenet, it is strongly recommended that you check out the periodic postings in news.announce.newusers (even if you are not a new user.) There are tips there on posting style, how to interact with the electronic community, etc. Very interesting reading, especially the one from Emily Postnews. Make sure your posting has a Subject line and make sure it describes the your posting. A subject line like "A Question" is not a very good one. Charles Dennett -- dennett@kodak.com ================================================================================ When you are tempted to reply to a particular posting, stop and thing a minute. Should your answer go back to the entire soc.gen*/Roots-L community or should it go only to the person who made the original posting? If it is of a wide and general interest, then by all means, post it. If, on the other hand, it is specific to the original poster, please email it directly to that poster. Charles Dennett -- dennett@kodak.com ================================================================================ When sending an answer to the soc.gen*/Roots-L community, please think twice about including all of the original article. It is considered to be in very good taste to trim unneeded text and only leave the particular points to which you are replying. Any signature material should always be deleted. Charles Dennett -- dennett@kodak.com ================================================================================ Instead of sending your Email to the LIST address: If you send a message to an address and your system can't send to that address then try the following. Using the address above you would need to convert it: from this: b.hund1@GENIE.GEIS.CO to this: b.hund1%GENIE.GEIS.CO@vm1.nodak.edu then send it again, letting the vm1 site forward on the that site. This can be done with any Internet address. Instead of send mail to: cmanis@csf.com you could use: cmanis%csf.com@vm1.nodak.edu It works for me ! and good luck .... Cliff Manis - cmanis@csf.com ================================================================================ >From: Kathy Schroeder Dear Rooters, Here are some examples of "good" and "bad" messages posted to the entire ROOTS-L/soc.gen* community. (When you send your message to the ROOTS-L address, everyone in the community gets it.) DO NOT send this kind of message to the ROOTS-L address: Dear Abigail, I have info on Gladys and Bert. Uncle Ed has pictures of their kids taken at Aunt Sukie's wedding. Everett Ask yourself this question: does my letter begin "Dear Somebody's Name"? If so, send the message to that person directly. You will find his or her address in the top part of his or her message after "Reply-To." If you don't know that person's address, ask someone (in person or on the phone) who knows all about computers to help you find the address. There are many ways of doing this. DO send this kind of message to the ROOTS-L address: Dear Rooters, I have a new book called "Everybody Who Ever Lived and Where He or She is Buried" by Expert Genealogist, Ph.D. If you suspect that your ancestor was buried, send me a message with his or her full name and the location where he or she died, and I will look up the information for you. Please reply directly to me. My e-mail address is below. Antwerp Eidleheim Ask yourself this question: does my message begin "Dear Everybody Who Might Want to Know What I'm Going to Tell You"? If so, then send your message to the ROOTS-L address. If you are asking a question about a surname, include the location and dates in the subject line. Do that only one time. Then send any messages about that surname directly to the people who respond to your first message. You will have to be the judge about what is or is not of interest to everyone on the list. However, messages beginning "Dear Somebody in Particular" are not usually of interest to everyone on the list. A disclaimer: Cliff asked me to post this message, but if you have any comments or flames, please send them directly to me (and not to Cliff or the ROOOTS-L address.) My e-mail address is below. Kathy Schroeder ================================================================================