PRIMER: Overview Netiquette E-mail/Chat Mailing Lists Newsgroups FTP File Transfer Telnet Gopher Websites/Web Search Cite Sources Make A Bookmark Page Create A Home Page

Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc. The Genealogist's Internet Primer, by Sharon L. Brevoort E-mail and Chat Groups Electronic mail or e-mail is the most widely used type of Internet access. Over 80 million people now exchange more than 250 million messages each week, using this immense messaging system to communicate with one recipient at a time or to broadcast a message to a distribution list. E-mail is easier to use than correspondence by regular mail since it is almost free and much faster to write, send, and deliver. You can use e-mail to subscribe to electronic newsletters and to request some information in databases and file libraries. You can request e-mail delivery of the Treasure Maps Genealogy Newsletter and Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter (also available online from Ancestry: under READ UP, select "Columnists" or "Dick Eastman"), both free. Many family history newsletters are available by e-mail or by making an e-mail request for a newsletter sent by regular mail. E-mail requests can be made to the research services of some libraries and archives such as the Arizona State Archives, the Louisville Free Public Library, the Ohio Historical Society Library, and the Connecticut Historical Society Library. There is a German Town Locator service, automatic by e-mail request. You can search the Roots Surname List for surname matches by submitting an e-mail request. Some of these newsletters and services are free; others are not. To get the details on these and other offerings, check Genealogy Resources on the Internet: E-mail Sites listed below. To send and receive e-mail, you will need a software program such as Eudora or the one provided by your service provider. Or try RocketMail which works conveniently through web pages and requires only a browser. An e-mail address looks like this: userid@organization.type userid@organization.type.country Example: wwwgswc@hvcn.org Note: Capitalization is ignored in e-mail addresses; the de facto standard is to use lower case. When selecting your user id, avoid using the lower case letter "l" (as in tell) or the number "1" (as in 123) since these can be easily confused, unless it is obvious from the context which character is intended. See URL components for an explanation of the parts of an e-mail address. Free e-mail providers 1. RocketMail, http://www.rocketmail.com/ Sponsored by Four11 and Yahoo, this e-mail system is accessed through a web page from your browser. No e-mail software is required. This service is supported by advertising based on your user profile. 2. Juno, http://www.juno.com/ This company provides free e-mail software which can be used by anyone with a Windows PC and modem. Internet access is not required. This service is also supported by advertising. Corresponding by E-mail In general, e-mail messages tend to be brief and to the point, since this is regarded as common courtesy on the net. It is a good idea to understand and practice good netiquette, and don't be too surprised when you find others who don't! People seem to be bolder when they can be read but not seen or heard! Chat Groups A chat room is a virtual conference room or "channel" in which the participants meet at a specified date and time to communicate about a common interest. Chat tends to be more conversational in style, like attending a big party or conversing on a CB radio. There may be several conversations or "threads" happening simultaneously. If the chat is moderated, there may be some basic ground rules to keep the conversation on track and to avoid too many divergent and simultaneous topics. Abbreviations and emoticons are heavily used, in part to save typing time. Here again, it is best to practice good netiquette, and don't be too surprised when you encounter a few people who lack the social graces! The software you may need to participate in chat groups depends upon what the chat group uses. 1. A chat group sponsored by your commercial Internet provider uses their browser and does not require any extra software. 2. For many chat groups, you can install Internet Relay Chat (IRC) software such as mIRC for Windows or MacIRC for the Mac. 3. Some chat groups make use of a browser's Java capability. 4. A few chat groups work using a web page and the reload capability of your browser (see the Genealogy Online Chat Room). Genealogy Groups from Online Service Providers Some commercial Internet service providers have special services for genealogists, available only to their members. In addition to e-mail and chat, these may include message boards, file libraries, chat rooms, beginner's guides, a daily or weekly column, and a member directory. A schedule of events is posted in a chat center area. Although chat groups can be a useful starting place, it is easier to find others researching specific topics through newsgroups, mailing lists, and even on the web. Among genealogists who chose a commercial service, AOL and CompuServe are the most popular. AOL Prodigy GEnie Delphi CompuServe Genealogy Forum Genealogy Bulletin Board Genealogy RoundTable Custom Forum 68, Searching our roots Forums (Genealogy Techniques, North American, World Wide, and Vendor's Support) Keyword GENEALOGY select A-Z Index and type gene type GENEALOGY CUS 68 FORUM Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter is available by e-mail to anyone who requests it by e-mail. Send e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com giving a blank subject. (If your e-mail software requires a subject, type any character it is ignored.) Include your first and last name in a single-line message "subscribe rootscomputing yourfirstname yourlastname" without the quotes. This mail is processed automatically; no one reads it. You will receive confirmation and a welcome message by e-mail. Current and past issues of the newsletter are also available on the Ancestry website: under READ UP, select "Columnists" or "Dick Eastman". Lists of E-mail Resources You can get a list of family associations by sending e-mail to superstore@aol.com containing just two lines which incorporate your e-mail address: SEND TO youremailaddress GET FAMASSOC.TXT Genealogy Online's "Autoreply" service (select "Receive more information by email" from the home page) will return information to your e-mail address. Recent topics include: General info about Genealogy Online, Info about the 1% 1880 census, PAF Review and archives, Roots Surname List, GeoNames server, E-mail server instructions, Calendar of genealogy events, Fairfield County Chapter OGS, Dangar Associates, Hemingway Heritage Newsletter, Genealogy Bulletin Board Systems. Gen. Resources on the Internet John Fuller's E-mail Sites Cyndi's List: Chat & IRC NGS NetGuide (section I.7.) Genealogy Online: ...autoreply information ...Chat Room ...About the chat room http://members.aol.com/johnf14246/ http://www.CyndisList.com/chat.htm gen_email.html http://www.genealogy.org/~ngs/netguide/ http://www.genealogy.org/ (select "Receive more information by email") http://www.genealogy.org/~genchat/ http://www.genealogy.org/~genchat/about.html

The Genealogist's Internet Primer: Overview | Netiquette | E-mail/Chat | Mailing Lists | Newsgroups | FTP | Telnet Gopher | Websites | Cite Sources | Bookmark Page | Create Home Page Copyright © 1998-2007, Sharon L. Brevoort. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Permission to print a single copy for personal use is granted. http://www.hvcn.org/info/gswc/primer/email.htm Revised 15 October 2007. Send comments or changes to Sharon at wwwgswc@aol.com. Images © Corel Corporation.