Format: Download Slides with Synchronized Audio - MP4 Video File $9

Presenter: Renee Steinig

For thousands of Jewish genealogists, the first places they turn when they need to identify a town, find a long-lost family member or understand a search result are the discussion groups of JewishGen and regional Special interest Groups. Longtime discussion group moderators, Judy Baston and Renee Steinig will discuss what makes messages to the various Jewish genealogical discussion groups most, and occasionally, least effective. How much information is needed to help someone provide a useful answer? And how much might be too much? What facts might attract the attention of someone familiar with the towns and families you are seeking and what facts might be confusing? Many of these guidelines can also be helpful for researchers sending queries through the JewishGen Family Finder, for example. The presentation will also include a brief overview of the guidelines under which discussion groups run and hosted by JewishGen operate.