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== Finding living relatives == | == Finding living relatives == | ||
One of the most unique benefits of Facebook for genealogy--because of the vast numbers of users--is the ability to connect with long-lost relatives. You can start with some descendancy research on your family tree. When you get to people who are still living, try typing their names into Facebook. It is easier to tell if you have the right person if the name is rare. You can also sometimes filter your search results by people from a specific city area. If you still are not sure, sometimes you are able to look in the friends list of other Facebook users (depending on their privacy settings) and search the list for other living relatives who you would expect to be connected with the person you are looking for. In this way, you can often find a distant cousin. Send them a message to offer what you know. Please be sensitive to their time and priorities--not everyone will be interested in talking about genealogy even if you can prove you are 2nd cousins. Now that you know you can, go find a cousin on Facebook. You never know what family stories you might uncover. | One of the most unique benefits of Facebook for genealogy--because of the vast numbers of users--is the ability to connect with long-lost relatives. You can start with some descendancy research on your family tree. When you get to people who are still living, try typing their names into Facebook. It is easier to tell if you have the right person if the name is rare. You can also sometimes filter your search results by people from a specific city area. If you still are not sure, sometimes you are able to look in the friends list of other Facebook users (depending on their privacy settings) and search the list for other living relatives who you would expect to be connected with the person you are looking for. In this way, you can often find a distant cousin. Send them a message to offer what you know. Please be sensitive to their time and priorities--not everyone will be interested in talking about genealogy even if you can prove you are 2nd cousins. Now that you know you can, go find a cousin on Facebook. You never know what family stories you might uncover. | ||
== Sharing your genealogy == | == Sharing your genealogy == | ||
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=== Using a Facebook group === | === Using a Facebook group === | ||
Once you become comfortable with posting "status updates" to your own Facebook wall, there is much more you can do to connect with relatives, or others who share an interest. A Facebook group is a great way to make these connections. Once you create or join a group you will have the ability to add any number of your own Facebook friends to the group. Here are some ideas of what kind of group to create: | Once you become comfortable with posting "status updates" to your own Facebook wall, there is much more you can do to connect with relatives, or others who share an interest. A Facebook group is a great way to make these connections. Once you create or join a group you will have the ability to add any number of your own Facebook friends to the group. Here are some ideas of what kind of group to create: | ||
*A genealogy interest group, for example: "Quaker Genealogy in Rhode Island" | *A genealogy interest group, for example: "Quaker Genealogy in Rhode Island" | ||
*A surname group, for example: "Curtis Genealogy" | *A surname group, for example: "Curtis Genealogy" | ||
*Descendants of John Doe group | *Descendants of John Doe group | ||
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All the ideas that were mentioned for a group could also work for a Facebook page. With a Facebook page you cannot simply add anyone from your friends list, but you may invite them to "like" the page. A page allows the page administrator(s) to use Facebook under the identity of the page. Any posts made to the page wall by the page administrators can show up in the Facebook news feeds of "fans" (people who liked the page). Pages can be more difficult to get people connected with at first, but allow more marketing and organizational interaction. | All the ideas that were mentioned for a group could also work for a Facebook page. With a Facebook page you cannot simply add anyone from your friends list, but you may invite them to "like" the page. A page allows the page administrator(s) to use Facebook under the identity of the page. Any posts made to the page wall by the page administrators can show up in the Facebook news feeds of "fans" (people who liked the page). Pages can be more difficult to get people connected with at first, but allow more marketing and organizational interaction. | ||
== Research Support == | |||
=== Getting research support === | |||
Several genealogical and historical societies have a presence on Facebook. The presence is most often manifest in the form of a Facebook page, but some societies use a group. Simply search for the name of your society. These pages and/or groups can be used for asking local research questions, but the response rate varies depending on the society page. Some society pages and/or groups are designed simply to keep members updated with news and not to offer support. <br><br>FamilySearch offers more general pages--called Genealogy Research Communities--for each US state, several countries, and a few ethnic groups. These pages are managed by the research help team at FamilySearch and are designed with the goal of answering your research questions--and pointing you in the right direction for a successful search. To see a list of available pages go to "[[Join_a_Facebook_Research_Community|Join a Facebook Research Community]]." | |||
=== Provide research support === | |||
Life is a two-way street. As you become skilled in a certain area or topic you can join groups or pages for the purpose of sharing your expertise. | |||
== Genealogical Society Webmasters == | == Genealogical Society Webmasters == | ||