How to Contact Living Relatives

Through various online communities, the Internet has made it possible for family history researchers to connect with other family members in a way that might never have been possible otherwise. The collaborative effort has done much to advance genealogical research and forge new relationships. Even so, many of us have had the experience of being rebuffed in our attempts to make contact, and, given our own enthusiasm, it may be difficult to understand people who do not wish to be contacted or who may not be overly anxious to discuss or share their own research. In her article, "How to Contact Living Relatives," Gena Philibert-Ortega addresses this problem and suggests ways of tactfully and respectfully reaching out to other family members.

Sharing your genealogy through publishing

One of the most important aspects of genealogy is sharing your work with others, which is also one of the best ways of connecting with others and adding new information. In her article, "Is It Time To Publish My Family Tree," Teresa Hilburn offers some suggestions and encouragement for those considering taking that next step.

Genealogy Wikis

Pretty much anyone who uses the Internet is familiar with Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Wikipedia differs from all other other online encyclopedias in that its information can be added and edited by anyone. That is, of course, both and good and bad. The goal is to build on the collective knowledge of everyone interested in the topic with the aim of arriving at an accurate record. Genealogy wikis have the same aim. You can add to and edit an online family tree or add new information to help to build a more complete picture of your family, collectively with all your kin, near and far. Wiki is another type of social network. Even FamilySearch has jumped on the wiki bandwagon. In her article, "Genealogy Wikis," Gena Philibert-Ortega exlplores the benefits of wikis and directs you to current wiki sites.

Ancestry users create 1 million family trees in six months

In a press release today, Ancestry.com, announced that more than 1 million online family trees have been created since the site's new tree-building and sharing features launched in late July 2006. In building family trees, users have added an estimated 150 million names, uploaded 400,000 photos and attached 10 million family history documents directly from Ancestry.com's 23,000 historical records collections.

New service to connect families online

Announced in a press release today is another online service aimed at connecting families. The site, OurStory.com, "combines the best of blogging, photo sharing, digital storytelling, and family history." Features include an interactive visual timeline and a library of over 2,000 prompting interview questions. The site offers free and paid memberships, and offers to have family stories turned into "heirloom-quality books, CDs and DVDs."

Ancestry Announces Collaborative Features

In case you missed the announcement, Ancestry.com recently introduced new collaborative features. Researchers are given the option of keeping their information private or sharing globally on Ancestry.com. If you choose to go global, it becomes searchable "far and wide," which suggests you want to be careful what information you make available to the world.