Using Collaborative E-Mail Links For Family History Research

Getting into genealogy and family history research in general is an awful lot like assuming the role of a detective on a hot case. It's a matter of finding leads and chasing them down. Some will pay off; others just won't.

One fantastic way to sniff out new leads and even information on how to look, where to look and what to look for can be found in the online world. Using collaborative e-mail links or discussion groups can be one of the most powerful tools family history detectives have at their disposal.

Collaborative e-mail links and discussion groups are nothing more than public, or private, discussion forums that are piped directly to participants' e-mail boxes on their home computers. These links tend to follow along with special interests. For example, players of a particular online game might create their own collaborate e-mail links and discussion groups for that topic. Business organizations often use a similar resource to share resources. Many genealogists, as well, have created their own collaborative e-mail links for the discussion of leads, tips and tricks.

Finding or creating collaborative e-mail links and discussion groups isn't very difficult. Many online sites offer access to these discussion groups and some Internet Service Providers even have them set up already for their users to peruse and sign on to. A basic Internet search for genealogy discussion groups will often net a number of different e-mail links individual researchers might be interested in joining. It is also possible for family historians to create their own groups. Free services like Yahoo provide access for users to sign up and create their own collaborative e-mail link discussion groups.

The benefits of joining or creating one of these groups can be rather amazing. If other professional and amateur researchers are involved in the group, participants will likely find these benefits common:

Access to knowledge. When these groups have many members, it is very easy for an individual to pose questions about research and potential outlets for finding information. The answers returned will often come from people who know what they're talking about.
Camaraderie. There is something refreshing (especially when a roadblock in research has been hit) about being able to discuss concerns with others who have been in the exact same spot before.
New leads. Depending on how detailed information shared becomes, it's possible other researchers might bump into information members of their collaborative e-mail links discussion groups will find useful. Sometimes members share enough information that when one takes a big trip to an archives center, that person will take the time to research information for other members of the group, as well.

To many, a computer might seem like a cold and impersonal box on a desk, but to a genealogist it can provide instant access to a warehouse of knowledge. One way to glean the best it has to offer is to create or join collaborative e-mail links discussion groups. Whether these are created as a general "open" community or they are designed by a few select researchers, the ability to share information, ask questions and even provide collaborative assistance is hard to beat.