Genealogy seems to be a way of life for those afflicted with the disease. Once you touch it, you can’t let it go. It’s Sherlock Time!
While searching the Internet for a name recently, one of the results looked promising. The cached snippet even showed the same leap year birth date that I’d found and had summarily defended for years. “Wow! Someone else out there had found the same source record as me.” “Gotta look at that page.”
A click on the link brought up the Wayback Machine. The source of the data was none other than myself on a site I’d written almost twenty years ago. My data was still being presented when using my search parameters.
Looking at the captured page, I wish I’d have used an email address that would have withstood the two passing decades. The email host I’d used back then has gone out of business. AOL was in business, but I didn’t think that they would last, so I didn’t use my AOL address on the site. Hopefully, the Google email address I use as a link on my current contact info will survive the coming two decades. Of course, now, I host my own email server and point incoming mail across a spectrum of accounts, both self-hosted and with others like Google. If I’m diligent, the retirement of an email address should never be a problem again.
I was disturbed seeing the old email address because of the potential loss of contacts from other researchers who may have attempted to contact me and only received failed message notes..
There is real value in the contacts I receive from other researchers. Contacts usually end with me giving them far more information than they have to give me, but that’s ok. I didn’t create my genealogy sites not to be read.
While the 100,000 plus records I’ve put on line represents years of research, it is only a small portion of my genealogical data. I posted it with the conscious thought that it is like a “Loss Leader” item in a grocery store advertisement.
The expense of hosting the data is worth it. The contacts from it are truly astounding at times.
Contacts, let’s call them “cousins”, frequently send me a key piece of data that I haven’t seen or been able to find. When I ask for sources for the data, I usually receive an image of the original source in response. Two minds are better than one. Two minds in different locations that actively access local resources are better than a dozen minds that don’t do any original research other than cruising the Internet.
My “cousins” are great. Together, we uncover information that neither of us would have found normally. We spur each other to think outside our normal field of vision. We find ‘stuff’. They are great.
If you haven’t posted at least some of your data online, look in to it. I personally won’t post data on sites that require a paid subscription. I don’t want folks to have to pay to see my data. That doesn’t fit my way of thinking. It isn’t conducive to “cousins” from anywhere finding my data.
There are a number of free sites that allow you to post at least some of your data on them. Before you post it, be sure to carefully read the agreement stipulations so you don’t accidentally agree to something egregious to your way of thinking.
You’ll also want to consider using a blog to post your data. Thousands of folks have blogs that focus on their genealogy research. A large percentage of them use free Blogger or WordPress hosted blogs. Again, read the agreement before you post.
If you opt to host your own genealogy site, I highly recommend The Next Generation (TNG) by Darrin Lythgoe. Depending on your computer and software skills, you may need a little help setting up your site, but it is the best online software available. Check on the TNG site for site hosting companies. Some are TNG friendly and will set up a basic site for you to customize or to enjoy right out the ‘box’. Good Stuff!
The bottom line is to try something and see how it works for you. Be sure to use key words in your post titles so the search engines index postings with the surname or full name in your posting.
Try it Mikey. You’ll like it.
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Thanks for this thoughtful post. There are benefits and challenges of using the internet to honor our ancestors and share info. The decline and fall of certain email service providers only adds to the intrigue and challenge of contacting the provider of the research information.
However, info on an old web page can be likened to a well-worn family history book in a library where the compiler/author has long since passed away.
The take-away lesson here is that we must take care to cite sources, so that anyone reading our research notes, web pages, blog posts (and whatever the future holds) will be able to find the documents we used to arrive at our lineage conclusions.
While we do our level best to adhere to the principles of the Genealogical Proof Standard, I expect future generations to scrutinize my work. With new records begin discovered in attics and basements of churches and archives the world over, it is entirely possible different conclusions may surface about my concept of kinship and community.
Excellent points in your comment Myrt. I hope we all listen and embrace them in our research and postings.
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about not using sites that require payment to see my data. My tree is on Rootsweb’s WorldConnect, which is free, and it is also on my own Web site. Both are indexed by Google, and that is how most ‘new relatives’ find me.
I also agree with your comment about using email addresses that will be valid long-term. I go one step further and quote my postal address (a Post Office Box, not a street address because of privacy and security concerns). Even after I’ve moved house and changed email addresses, a good old-fashioned letter on paper has often reached me.
I totally agree. Having my info out there has brought me some valuable connections. We have forged ongoing relationships with some cousins from the old country – have visited them there and hosted them in Australia.
Most people generously share documents and photos. I had a bad experience with a ‘free’ site that wanted me to pay once my tree grew to a reasonable size so I went down the TNG path. where I own and control my data.
I cannot recommend Darrin Lythgoe and his software too highly. I am a senior citizen and was able to set up my site with the help of one of the recommended hosting companies. When I got stuck with an upgrade Darrin himself helped me out.
My effort with TNG is at http://www.geniaus.net
An email address such as a free gmail or yahoo one is a necessity – how frustrating it is to find a connection on an old mailing list and have your email to the poster bounce back. We need to ensure against such lost opportunities.