A plea to newbies

[jeeb]

Hi all newbies,
It is great to have you join B-G Forums and like so many on here I am willing to give freely of my knowledge of genealogy to help try and get you started or help knock down those brick walls. What does annoy me though is when someone poses the same question on more than one forum. It is time consuming and a waste of precious time doing research if someone has already replied somewhere else which happened recently.

Jeremy

[MGJW]

Hi jeeb,
i take it from your last post i have made a boo boo, sorry for that i apologize for my mistake.
Having not posted before i was unsure of the procedure (should have investigated the sight further) before putting my enquirey in the wrong camp.
Sorry John

[jeeb]

Hi John,
No probs mate, I know you were slightly guilty but it wasn't you I was getting at really. I spent over an hour sorting a real problem for someone a little while ago but they have never replied and yet I have seen new threads by the same person more recently. Just having a little gripe, that's all.

Jeremy

[Mutley]

Since you have started with a good title Jeremy,
maybe Newbies will look here, so could I also ask them not to delete a thread that they start.|scold|

I spent several hours recently finding information regarding some one's family and because they were advised that the thread title was not a particularly good choice to get maximum replies, they deleted the whole thread and started again, but also deleted the answers I had given them.|doh|

We oldies realise the newbies need to find their way round, it takes time, must be a bit like the first day at school, really nervous......
but we are a patient and helpful lot on here, in time newbies become old hands.

We will bear with you if you will bear with us. GIVE and TAKE on all sides.

[v.wells]

I will continue being a Newbie til I'm much older and greyer!! I appreciate every one of you for all the help you have given me and to others, because I try to read all the threads and I always learn something. And yes "practice does make perfect" - I am slowly getting over my angst with TNA. Many hugs and thanks from a Brit born, bred and Canadian resident.
|hug||hug||hug||hug||hug||hug|

[Geoffers]

For those new to research and possibly computers and the internet - it must all be very confusing - you don't want to make a mistake or seem foolish; but you'd like to know the answers to several questions - possibly find others researching the same family?

Whatever the reasons, I reckon that one of the best bits of advice is to keep things simple but informative.

First have a look at the 'Introduce Yourself' forum and look at the titles of the threads - see which threads stand out from the others. To me, those which just have a title 'hello' seem to blend in together. Those which have 'Hello' and then a surname (especially when surnames are written in capitals) stand out more, better still on a general forum is if a place/county is included.

This isn't getting at anyone, it's trying to point out a way of making your message more individual and so hopefully get more relevant replies to help you.

There's a knack to getting the right length of messages - but do always try to include a name, place and date. If you refer to someone being born, married or dying - say where the information came from (e.g. birth certificate, census return, parish register) as this will help anyone looking to give advice.

If you are researching a family in a particular area, have a look at the relevant county forums and see what is there that may help you. Some larger counties are split into areas. If you don't know your way around the British Isles very well, try using an online map to help you locate places. If you post a message in the wrong forum - don't worry, everyone makes mistakes. Admin and Moderators can move threads and messages if needed.

Do check back to messages that you post and although effusive thanks are not needed, at least acknowledge any information you have been given. I mention this because for those of us who have been researching a while and have picked up the odd tip on how to do things; it's nice to pass on that information to others.

Someone who has learnt a 'trick' or two by this means may then like to try and answer a query, acknowledging the help they provide may give them the confidence to try helping one or two others. After all, the more people on these forums who gain confidence to help others, the greater the reputation of B-G as a friendly and helpful place and the more people who may take up research and that helps us all.

Good luck

[Davran]

Another tip:

If you are making a long post with lots of information, try and divide it up into paragraphs and put some fullstops in. It can be a bit confusing if you have to read through a whole long rigmarole of who married who and whose children belonged to whom, in one go - it's a bit like talking without pausing for breath! ;)

[Mutley]

Also, just a teeny weeny little point, just a minuscule one, not a dig, at all.... but
some place names and surnames are the same.

Think of the many towns and counties in England,
Bradford, Selby, Kent, London, Poole, Brompton, Wiltshire,

There are hundreds, please try to define, using capital letters or bold, or some way let us know if you are looking for a person's name or a place.

We want to help, we need to help, so try and make it easier for us. Capital letters, spaces, full stops all help and if you cannot type, cannot spell, don't know what fingers to use, just say.....

We will laugh with you not at you. This is meant to be fun. Enjoy.....

[canuck1]

JEEB: It is possible to post in several locations for newbies and for oldsters as you may have to ask in city, county and country then finding nothing; broaden the search.

There are many OLD disabled members "out there" not just young curious ones with credit cards.

There are several sections i have not entered yet but i may have too at a later time. there are different mods for each area and they look after ONLY that section.

Its a big forum and a bigger world. after posting in INTRODUCTION and the area i was researching, i received very little.

After the master building fiasco, I got recognition! Of the wrong type! Thanks to mary the mod - this is how to type. even if you miss a few caps. thanks Mary

OH YA! THANKS BO PEEP can the PM number be raised?

[jeeb]

JEEB:

Its a big forum and a bigger world. after posting in INTRODUCTION and the area i was researching, i received very little

Hi Canuck,
You are correct, it is a big forum and it isn't possible to reach all the people all the time.
However I responded to your 'Question' thread re Henry & Emma Daines and did some research for you as promised. I have asked you a couple of further questions in return. As you have not responded I wondered if you have read it?

Cheers Jeremy