Chasing GeneaTrees: October 2013

Good Morning - I wanted to discuss a topic today that has been on my mind lately. Collaboration. When you think about it - it is one of the most important tools in genealogy. And I believe it isn't as widley - or as smartly- used as it could be. There are so many websites out there that are based around collaboration. WikiTree is a good example - but it isn't very user friendly. The upside to it is that you can find some serious people that are into collaborating their family tree. I'm not going to lie - I have started a hobby all gung-ho- signed up to websites and bought things etc. Then the hobby isn't really for me. As it turns out- genealogy isn't one of those. I truly have a passion for it- in fact it's turned into more than a hobby for me. In the United States most of our ancestors started on the east coast and moved south and west. That poses a problem for researchers. Unless you have the funds and time at your disposal to do a lot of traveling - the internet is your biggest tool. For example, the family branch I am researching right now is out of Tennessee. While I am halfway accross the country! One thing I've realized about the genealogy community - is that we are incredibly friendly! I have never been part of a group of people that was more willing to help strangers when they have hit a brick wall or just have general questions. I want this blog to be a place for those people. We can help eachother SO MUCH. There are certain people that I have connected with that have been more than helpful. We keep eachother in mind when researching. You may be having a hard time finding facts on your family - but think about how all those names and dates and stories that you skim is someone's family history. Somebody somewhere is skimming past those facts you are looking so hard to find. That is a treasure trove for all genealogists. I would like to hear some thoughts..ideas..comments from you all on collaboration. What are your favorite sites? Do you have ideas to bring people closer together based on common areas or surnames? How can we use the immense tool that is the internet to help us connect with eachother? It's an interesting thing to think about :)