[or-roots] Posting from 1st time user

JNCRIDGE at aol.com JNCRIDGE at aol.com
Thu May 26 13:17:47 PDT 2005


While the reply from PoesGirl provided some useful information, it could have been much better.
   1 The negative remark about Walt Davies was not necessary.  It is a great discourtesy to the other list members to start a flame war.
Walt is an old curmudgeon - don't blush Walt! - and shows the characteristic impatience of people who know they have limited time left, when someone wastes their time.  Walt is also a tremendous source of information I have not seen provided by anybody else. Part of genealogical research does involve extracting information from people who have it, and life's pains are not tranformed into bliss merely because you have presented your email.  Deal with it.
  
   2 Each person was new to genealogy at one time.  What Kay Profitt needed was not answers; what was needed was instruction about how to find the information.  

   3 It would save a lot of time if we could, as a group, develop instructions for newbies, letting them know how to post and how to do research, and then have listmom make the information available as a distinct web page.  The tips might include.
    A. Typing in capital letters is called shouting.  It is considered rude, as it is more difficult to read. SO PLEASE DON'T DO IT ANY MORE.
    B. You will get better results if you provide appropriate levels of information.  If you ask for help finding Dave Jones in Oregon, you may not get any response.  If you ask for help finding David P. Jones, born in Benton Co. in 1917, lived in Salem in the 1960's, married to Agnes Phillips, you may hear from a cousin in short order.  Names of parents, siblings, spouse, children, and date of birth, marriage, death, places born and lived, are all important.  State if you are sure about some facts, and wish to verify others.
    C. If you get information over the internet, put the source of the information in your documents, and don't take credit for another person's work.  Don't assume that all information you receive is correct, especially if no sources are cited.  Not everybody came over on the Mayflower.
    D. Have fun with it.  There are a lot of really nice people working on their family histories, and it can be exciting when you solve some of the puzzles.



Jon Ridgeway, Seattle
    



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