Genealogy Lesson 10 - Social Networking on Facebook, MySpace & Twitter

By now you should be pretty well versed in using the Internet.  It can be a powerful tool for finding information about your ancestors.  You have to be careful what you take for fact as anyone can write anything online.  Use common sense and try to find primary sources for any "facts" you find stated on the web.

 

One of the great internet advances of the past few years has been social networking.  Sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter allow you to easily communicate with family and friends.  I can keep up with what my distant cousins are doing and it takes little effort on either of our parts.  These services are free and can do wonders for your research network.

 

Of the three, Facebook is the most dominant right now.  MySpace was really big a few years ago but it seems too commercial for me - full of ads.  Twitter is something totally different so I will address that last.

 

The basic premise of Facebook and MySpace is the same.  You create a homepage about yourself by writing a small bio and can even add a few pictures.  After setting up your page, you then go about finding other people that you know and become their "friend."  You can thereafter see when they update items on their page and they can also see your updates.  This notification system allows you to keep up with lots of people in an automated fashion.

 

Twitter is very basic.  You set up a homepage and all it requires is that you answer one question..."What are you doing right now?"  You can only type 140 characters per message and what you write is broadcast to all of your followers (sorta like your Facebook friends).  Facebook and MySpace have a similar feature but they are called "status updates."  Twitter messages are called "Tweets."

 

Now how does this related to genealogy?  Set up a page and invite all of your genealogy contacts to be friends.  It is great way to keep in touch and to share new discoveries.  You can offer as little or as much information about yourself as you like.  Some people feel the need to tell the world that they just brushed their teeth.  (I am serious...people tell you things like that).

 

Go ahead and try them out and it will not cost you anything as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are free.  They make money from sponsors so you do not have to pay anything.  Your genealogy network will start to grow before you know it.

Enter the Ancestry.com giveaway but hurry because it ends on January 31st!

You could win $500 worth of Ancestry.com products/services.  In order to be eligible, you must be a fan of Ancestry on Facebook.  You can find their Facebook page by clicking here!

After you have become a fan of their Facebook page, you must email your Facebook user name to this address:

sweeps@ancestry.com

All valid entries will be eligible to win a prize pack that includes a one-year World Deluxe subscription at Ancestry.com, Family Tree Maker 2010 and a MyCanvas Photo Book.

Full details and eligibility requirements can be found by clicking here!

New Facebook fan page for USA Family Tree/Virginia Family Tree

I wanted to let everyone know that I have a "fan page" at Facebook now.  It is titled "USA Family Tree" after my free, genealogy lessons by email.  If you want to become a fan/friend, you can follow the link below...

USA Family Tree at Facebook

Is taking photos of microfilm a good or bad practice, what do you think?

How do you feel about using digital cameras to copy documents at a library? I see people pulling their cameras out and snapping photos of microfilm documents at the Library of Virginia more and more frequently.  I never liked the practice and always felt that the library probably needed the money from copies to survive.  At $0.75 each, that could add up quickly.  Every photo snapped felt to me like someone was stealing from the library, three quarters at a time.

Well, I threw this topic out on Facebook and a few people responded.  Some felt that taking photos was disrespectful, both to the library and to fellow patrons, especailly if a flash was used.  Others felt that snapping photos was more efficent and produced better-quality images.  With this debate in mind, I went to the state archives this weekend and asked three reference librarians what they thought on both a personal and professional level; if the library had an official stance.  I was honestly surprised at their answers.

It turns out that the Library of Virginia has no problem with anyone taking photos of anything in the public section(s) of the facility.  You can photograph books, paintings, microfilm, etc. (as long as there is no sign posted that trumphs that policy for a particular item).  You can even photograph items from the closed stacks, if they can be called down and used in the public areas of the library.  What cannot be photographed are items in special collections, that have to be used in a secure portion of the facility.  These items generally have contractual copyright protection.

To my surprise, the librarians actually encourage the use of digital cameras.  They said that the cost of maintaining the copy machines is much higher than the $0.75 they charge per copy.  It is actually in the library's best interest for you not to make copies.  As long as you do not use a flash, you are free to take all the pictures that you want.  I still don't feel right about it but I am going to have to give it a try.  I will be curious to see how well they turn out.

Maybe you can ask around at your local library or state archives and see how they feel?  I would be intereted to know if all facilities are as open to cameras as the one in Virginia.

Share your Ancestry.com finds with your social network

It might be old news to some people, but I just figured out how you can share documents that you find on Ancestry.com with your friends.  When you find a record that you want to share, there is a small box on the left of the record screen that reads "Share This Record."  You then have the option to share the document on Facebook, Twitter or via email.  It's a pretty neat service but here is the catch...it's basically just an advertisement for the web site.

I emailed a document to myself and quickly discovered that I could look at the docuement, even zoom in and out, but I could not print or save the image.  If you try to save or print, it directs you to a page where you can join Ancestry or at least signup for a free trial.  Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Ancestry promoting itself.  It's nice that they even let you look at the document.

(Here is a little secret, but don't tell anyone...you could actually save your own "copy" if you hit the screen print button on your computer.  That will copy your screen to your computer's clipboard and you can then paste it into a photo editor or a text document.  You could then crop and save the image into your files)

Working on USA Family Tree free lessons and Facebook fan page

I have been working on my free genealogy lesson site, USA Family Tree, for the past week or two.  I have spent several hours every night trying to refine the lessons and draw in more subscribers.  I am hit the 1,500 subscriber mark the other night.  I am not exactly setting the genealogy world on fire but that is not too shabby!  I am also thinking about writing a paper for the 2011 National Genealogical Society conference in North Charleston, South Carolina.  Maybe I will get selected to speak down there...we will have to wait and see.  Have any of you do that before, submit a genealogy paper for a conference?  If so, any suggestions?

For the past few weeks, with the holidays and the snow that we had, I have been unable to get down to the state archives.  I am hoping to go there this Saturday since I have not been in such a long time.  (A long time for me is more than a month or two).  I am fortuate to live pretty close to the archives, a luxury I know that many of you do not have.

I also created a Facebook fan page for my genealogy lesson site.  You can check it out here:  USA Family Tree's Facebook Fan Page.  I currently have 184 fans...not too bad for only a few days.

It bother me a little...I cannot help but feel that I am neglecting this blog!  I honestly have not had anything good to add concerning Virginia genealogy so I don't want to waste your time, just for the sake of creating blog posts.  I did also start a new blog associated with my free genealogy lessons, you can see it here.  I have written some good posts there recently, about general genealogical topics.  I really do not like having two blogs but the readers of that one are not so Virginia-oriented.

Well, maybe I will come across something good to share when I go to the archives on Saturday.  If I do, I will let you all know.

Ancestry.com - New! Ancient Ancestry Finder™ is now free

This is kinda silly but per an email to me from Ancestry.com..."Ancestry.com DNA members and visitors can now take a quick and fun quiz to learn our best prediction for their maternal or paternal ancient ancestors - and post the results on Facebook or Twitter.

Users receive 2-3 options for their results, including descriptions of each of the predicted possibilities. Finder users are encouraged to take an Ancestry.com DNA test to narrow down options to the most likely real result.

Ancestry.com DNA test takers already receive a buttoned-up and far more accurate version of their ancient ancestral results when they purchase a test, but even those members can enjoy Finder. They can now share their results on facebook and use Finder to discover our best guess for the results of tests they haven't taken.

As part of our effort to introduce ancestry and genealogy to a wider audience, facebook descriptions of ancient ancestral groups are lighter and more humorous than our mainstream content. Ancient Ancestry Finder takes just a few minutes and brings a fun twist to something we know and love. Try Ancient Ancestry Finder™ for yourself."

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• Facebook Promoting Private Groups for Families to Keep Older Users Engaged (insidefacebook.com)

Genealogy Wise - new genealogy social networking site

There is a new site on the Internet called Genealogy Wise. It is supposed to be like Facebook or MySpace but geared toward genealogists. I joined yesterday but have not done a lot with it yet. From what I have seen, I am pretty impressed. There are a lot of add-on applications that are present and working. I used one to add my Twitter updates to my page...and it worked perfectly the first try!

It is hard to say if the site is just a passing trend or something that will be around for awhile. Hundreds of people have joined but we will have to see how many stay active. If you want to try it out, you can check out my page here: Kevin's Genealogy Wise Page. I have not done much to spruce it up but you can become my friend on there if you like. I am not sure but I think World Vital Records might have something to do with the project.

2009 FGS Conference in Little Rock, thinking about going...or not!

I have been giving a lot of thought about going to the FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. The event is being held at the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center, September 2-5, 2009. I am on the fence about going for several reasons.

From what I can tell, it would be almost the same price for me to go as an observer as it would for me to rent a booth at the trade show. I could set up a 10' x 10' booth and promote my free, genealogy lesson site, USA Family Tree. There are however a few downsides to doing that...

1. There are a lot of "hidden" charges, such as paying for electricity and Internet service in the booth. If I were going to go, I would want a computer set up in the booth for people to sign up on the spot. That would cost me another $200 or so.
2. If I get a booth, I would not have time to hear any of the speeches or mingle with anyone. (I would hate to miss one of the Elizabeth Shown Mills presentations!) My wife would probably go if I asked (to work the booth) but she would make the trip more expensive by going and she would not want to leave our children for that long.
   
3. I would have to get some booth props made, signage, fliers, etc. That would set me back another $500 or more.

Another big expense for the trip would be travel and lodging. To drive would cost me about $300. To take the train would be about $400. Those are my only two options because a plane would not accommodate my booth props, nor do I like to fly anyway.

As for driving or riding the rails, it is about a two-day trip to Arkansas from Virginia...as best as I can tell. It is something like 16 hours by car. With that in mind, I would have to take off at least a week from work, giving up a future trip to Disney World!!! Also, the hotel will run about $160 per night, including parking.

When taken all together, the trip would cost me about $1,200-$1,500...not including meals or items that I purchase along the way. It would also suck down a week of vacation and put a couple thousand miles on my car! I would really like to go but that is a lot of money!

Let's break it down in the business sense. Exposure is priceless...I get that. My free, genealogy lessons are obviously designed to make money someday so the exposure would be great! I am mostly using these lessons to get my name out there, to become better known in the genealogy world. Who knows, I might come out with something down the road to sell and can use that site to gain credibility in the industry.

I am going to let you in on a secret...some of the back-workings of my genealogy "business"...

I currently run ads at Facebook, the social networking site, to drive traffic to my free lessons site. The last time I checked, it cost me about $0.18 for each person they sent to my site. Of those people, about 33% would sign-up for my lessons. It therefore costs me $0.54 for each person that actually signs up for my lessons. I have almost 800 people signed-up as of tonight...so it theoretically cost me $432.00 to get them signed-up. If I took the $1,200 from the convention, I could essentially buy 2,222 new subscribers through advertising with Facebook. (That would be 2,778 if it cost me $1,500 for the trip!)

The big question is...is my money better served to buy advertising and get 2,222 new subscribers or...is my money better served to go to Arkansas and mingle? There are a lot of people I would love to meet at the convention but I do not know if I can do that while tied to a booth. However, to not rent the booth would only save me, maybe $200. That is too small of a difference to pass the booth up...I would have to get a booth. However, I can almost promise your that I will not get 2,222 subscribers from the booth.

What would you do? I have until July 1st to make my mind up. I am leaning on not going but I can be swayed! There will be other conferences in the future so not going now does not count me out later.

Crazy week, lots going on...

It has been a crazy week for me. My free, genealogy lesson site has been taking off - USA Family Tree. I just passed the 600 subscriber mark. My Facebook and Twitter followers are growing as well. I have been swamped at work on top of all this.

I went out and bought an iPod Touch, deciding if I should break down and eventually get an iPhone. I am really leaning towards it now! I have not played around with the Touch for genealogy purposes yet but I have used it for Internet and email, with great results. If you have been on the fence about getting one, I would go for it!

I've got several things in the works at the moment. I am thinking about adding some special pages to my genealogy lesson site, for members only - but still free. I am also thinking about moving this blog from Blogger to Wordpress...any thoughts on that? Wordpress has a lot more features and I have a lot more control over the look and feel of the site.

There are so many thoughts swimming around in my head that I can barely function. On top of that, we are getting ready to move into our new house! The next month will be crazy for me!

Footnote + Facebook = I Remember

Footnote.com has started a new, free service called "I Remember." To put it bluntly, it is Facebook for dead people. Using this application, you can create Facebook pages for people that have passed away. I have not tried it yet but you can check out the service here:

I Remember

Sample I Remember pages:

• Edmund Lambert Macneil, III
• Jason Malone
• Craig L Christiansen
  

Footnote Pages Press Release

This is a follow-up to a posting I did yesterday, Footnote Pages. This is the actual press release from Footnote.com that will explain all of the specifics that perhaps I did not.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Footnote.com Takes Social
Networking into the Past

Footnote.com launches
Footnote Pages at TechCrunch50

San Francisco -- September 10, 2008 Losing a loved one can result in a range of emotions, from the grief and sorrow to comfort, which often comes from reminiscing stories and memories with family and friends. The challenge arises when there is no single place where all of these stories can easily come together to be shared, enriched and preserved.

Now at Footnote.com, anyone can find or create Footnote Pages where users connect and share stories, photos, and information about the people important to them.

To kick-off the new Footnote Pages, Footnote.com today released over 80 million of these pages created from data from the Social Security Death Index. Most visitors will find existing pages about several deceased friends and family members already on the site.

Footnote.com was selected from over 1,000 applicants to launch Footnote Pages at this year’s TechCrunch50 held in San Francisco. Russ Wilding, CEO of Footnote, demonstrated Footnote Pages to an audience of over 1,500 investors, bloggers, and major media outlets.

“We encourage people to upload their personal shoeboxes of photos and documents to Footnote.com,” explains Wilding. “Now with Footnote Pages, friends and family can come together to share stories and memories about the people they care about.”

Described as Facebook for the Deceased, [emphasis added] these pages feature a photo gallery, an interactive timeline and map, and other tools that bring people together to create a more colorful and rich picture of the past. “Social networking is not only for the younger generations any more,” explains Wilding. “We are seeing Baby Boomers contribute and connect online in increasing numbers. Footnote Pages are an easy way for this audience to interact with each other and learn things they would not otherwise know about deceased friends and family.”

Beyond profiling people, Footnote pages can also be used to document and discuss historical events or places including: the Vietnam War, the Assassination of JFK and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates.

-more-

Unlike other social networking sites, Footnote.com provides content that enables users to tell and share stories from the past. Through its partnership with the National Archives, Footnote.com has digitized over 43 million documents including historical newspapers, military records, photos and more.

Footnote.com adds about 2 million new records to the site every month.

Visit Footnote.com to learn more about Footnote Pages and get a new perspective on the lives of your own friends and family who have passed away.

About Footnote.com
Footnote.com is a history website where real history might just surprise you. Footnote.com features millions of searchable original documents, providing users with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com, all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit www.footnote.com.

About TechCrunch50
Founded in 2007 by leading technology blog TechCrunch and entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, the TechCrunch50 conference provides a platform for early-stage, and frequently unfunded, companies to launch for the first time to the technology industry’s most influential venture capitalists, corporations, angel investors, fellow entrepreneurs, and the international media. Companies are selected to participate exclusively on merit. TechCrunch50 is supported by corporate sponsors Google, Microsoft, MySpace, and Yahoo!, as well as venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital http://www.sequoiacap.com, Mayfield Fund http://www.mayfield.com, Clearstone Venture Partners http://www.clearstone.com, Charles River Ventures http://www.crv.com, Founders Fund and Fenwick & West http://www.fenwick.com."

Footnote Pages

Footnote.com, a rival to Ancestry of sorts, has launched a new feature - Footnote Pages. I have not played with it too much but it seems interesting. They basically took the Social Security Death Index and made individual pages for every person contained within that index. Each page contains some basic information on the person, whatever was included in the SSDI, plus a historical time line and map. It also allows contributors to add photos, stories, facts and links. Think of this as a MySpace for dead people.

It is a pretty neat idea in general, giving a social aspect to genealogy. You can leave notes on their page telling others to contact you for more info. It is a way to both share what you know about a deceased person plus meet others interested in that individual. I would not expect a lot of connections to be found as these people have not been dead very long. You probably know their descendants to begin with. If Footnote Pages took all of the names from like the 1850 census instead, maybe it would help make more connections, some older sources of names.

I am pretty sure you have to be a member of Footnote to use all of the features. I am a member so I was able to play around with it a little bit. I added a few things to the page for my grandmother, Pearl Malissa Lawson Lett. It took me about one minute to add a photo and a link to a blog post I did on her family. The program flows very smoothly.

Overall, I think this is a neat idea but I doubt it will catch on with established researchers. They are less interested with modern history and this pertains to life, pretty much after 1950. Some of the people in the SSDI were born in the late 1800s but not a large population. I think people might find updating a few pages fun but will get bored with it in short order. If Footnote Pages could import data from your GEDCOM, that might make it more interesting and allow for importing more data.

Younger people just getting interested in genealogy will like this, especially to start the ball rolling. It is a social format that they can relate to and it will probably spike their interest. In all honesty, it would probably serve Footnote better to give this part of their site away for free. They can sell ads to help bring in revenue. Younger people are probably not going to subscribe to such a service when things like MySpace and Facebook are free. This advertising model brings in millions of dollars for them.

If any of you are members of Footnote, try out the Pages section and let me know what you think. If not, you should be able to get a free trial by clicking on one of the links in this posting. I think it is only for like three days but that is long enough to try it out. If you have a membership or get a trial, you can check out the page for my grandmother, the one I was playing with. Just click here...

Privacy Laws, Public Records & Identity Protection

Privacy laws limit the amount of information you can find on a given individual, especially those who are living. Most states censor birth, marriage, death and divorce records for at least fifty to one hundred years. It is important to protect your information and keep you identity as private as possible. In the age of credit card fraud and cybercrime, you can never be too careful.

Social Security numbers and mother’s maiden names are the most covenanted information for criminals so few local governments or credit card companies use them anymore. People are typically assigned a driver’s license number, instead of using their Social Security on that critical piece of identification. They also advise us not to carry your Social Security card on your person. If you wallet or purse is stolen, little damage can be done with your driver’s license number alone.

As strange as it sounds, genealogist and family history buffs need to be careful how they share research. Giving out your date of birth and you mother’s maiden name to a fellow researcher may seem harmless but it can come back to haunt you. In the wrong hands, someone could possibly use that information to access private accounts, such as credit cards or store charge accounts. With this in mind, also be careful what you list in a loved one’s obituary by limiting the use of maiden names and specific dates.

We need to be especially careful with the information of our children. If a criminal were to get hold of a toddler’s vital information, they could do irreparable damage to that child’s credit. If a baby’s Social Security number were stole at birth, a criminal would have upwards of twenty years to destroy that child’s credit – without notice. Until the child was old enough to apply for credit, no one would realize what damage had been done.

Social networks like My Space and Facebook are great. They are places to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Just remember that whatever you put on the Internet stays on the Internet. Giving out too much personal information can be more harmful than your parents seeing you risque pictures from Spring Break in your online photo album. Avoid posting your full name, address, phone number, current school and similar information. The last thing you want is some weird-o showing up after your chemistry class who knows everything about you. Have fun online but be careful.