Society Saturday - The Next Gen Genealogy Network

The first general meeting of Next Gen took part in Tuesday evening, well it was the early hours of Wednesday morning here in the UK.

I had planned to try and watch live via the Google+ Community whilst sitting in my pyjamas. Are you not relieved that I not join live?

So on Wednesday morning I sat and over a cup of tea I watched the recorded and archived version of the meeting. It is wonderful that like +Society for One-Place Studies that +The NextGen Genealogy Network is embracing social media and taking genealogy to the next level in terms of engagement.



After the introductions, +Jen Baldwin, co-chair of Next Gen raised a series of questions and then encouraged conversation with the panel and those watching live. Here are the questions then I am going to chip in with a few answers

1. What can we, as a virtual organisation do to make an impact right now in the genealogical community?
2. What can we physically do to support the mission of the Society? ......."empower genealogists world wide"
3. How can we assist more traditional societies?
4. Where should we be focusing our energy right now?
5. How do we connect at national events?
6. What special interest groups are required within NextGen?
7. How do you genealogically "geek out"?

Some really great and thought provoking questions. I will share some thoughts with you.

Next Gen exists as a virtual group. The society embraces social media and by doing so is setting the scene for the next generation of genealogists to join those already involved. The biggest issue is, we as an arena of genealogists need to over the ageist aspect of genealogy. Whether you are 10, 40, 60 or 102 you can all be genealogists. Young does not equal new. We need to stop labelling as young and new. We need to be inclusive of race, gender, age, geography. We need to open our arms wide and welcome anyone who is interested in genealogy or history in this way. We need to stop the elitist view.

Next Gen goes some way to stop that and does bring people, location and genealogy together. There is quite a journey ahead as Next Gen bridges the gap from the traditional ages of genealogists to the actual varying ages of genealogists.  Next Gen provides an arena for enabling that conversation to take place between say parents, grandparents and extended family with the youngsters of the family. We need to build on the interests of those youngsters, by getting them engaged with what is around them. 

The children of today, are it seems, (as I don't have any children), children for less time now. Or is that a sign that I am getting old? The kids have mobile phones and often not parted from them. Then there are Playstations, x-boxes and hosts of other games. All pretty much technologically driven. What happened to Monopoly or is that old fashioned?

Engagement needs to happen in the arena where the kids are. Get genealogist Grandma on Facebook and share those photographs. Perhaps pointing out the resembles to current, live family members, especially the youths.

Next Gen, by simply being "out there" is providing an arena to encourage dialogue Firstly  with the youth that are interested in genealogy and secondly, for the want of a better term, the genealogical adults to try and engage the family next generation.

Think about it. Great grandma would have potentially milked a cow or walked five miles to the farm to purchase milk in a jug.  Junior these days opens the fridge and it is in a plastic container. The concept and dimensions of something familiar to everyone is completely different.

In the hangout the example was given of engaging youths in the Pension Rolls for 1812. Sounds a great idea. About three years ago I visited The Underground Hospital on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands.As you enter the museum visitors are presented with a card bearing someone's name. There was limited information, but the genealogist in me asked why? Having been round the museum, the cafe had a series of pictures of people on the wall.You took the card you received when you arrived and searched the wall to establish the fate of the named individual. It interested me and pretty much every adult and child there.

The fate of some people was unknown, some had survived the Second World War (the Channels Islands was under German control from 1940) and others sadly perished. Sobering for the children, but that is a conversation for a parent to explain. I have written about the Underground hospital before, but you can see the post HERE. What is interesting is that about a year ago I had an email from someone whose parent knew one of the people named on one of our cards. That was fabulous as it meant that, the individual had survived the war and I passed the details onto the museum in Jersey. Sometimes joining the dots is great!

By being an on-line organisation the possibilities are endless for engagement and testing the water with technology. Encouraging those more seasoned genealogists to toe dip into the fantastic on-line genealogical world. The bottom line is that we can learn something new every day. The internet has revolutionised the way we do everything, including genealogy. Lets use it to an advantage to engage another generation of our families.

+The NextGen Genealogy Network Google Community

Society Website where you can find out more details about the Society and join

Disclaimer - I write a regular column called Right Here, Right Now for NextGen Dispatch, the quarterly newsletter for the Society and I am also Chair for Social Media. I have also write occasionally for the Society blog and have been featured as Member Spotlight. The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the Society.

Society Saturday - Using Google Hangouts & Embracing Social Media

Using Google to embrace interaction between a group of people is not only a great idea, but it is free. There are two kinds of Google Hangouts

1. A private conversation or meeting between no more than 10 people 
2. A Hangout that will be recorded and archived at YouTube

How can I or my Society do this?

1. Create a Google Community for yourself or your Society. I have the Book of Me, Written by You community, some other familiar on-line faces with communities are +DearMYRTLE +Society for One-Place Studies, +Tessa Keough who hosts the Legacy Virtual Users Group, Guild of One-Name Studies and +Jill Ball who hosts the GeniAUS community.
2. Once you have a community you can host hangouts that are scheduled, invite people and comments on the hangouts and much more.

Once the community is created that will be the home of your on-line hangouts and is the gateway to interaction 

1. Members of the community will see the scheduled hangout in their Google stream. By members responding Yes or Maybe the event will be added to their Google calendar in their time zone
2. The stream will allow comments that can be shared or addressed in the hangout
3. The hangout typically has one or two hosts, and then 8 spaces are available for interaction - known as JOINers. Should you not wish to participate but simply want to watch whilst the hangout is in progress you can and are a VIEWer. 
4. If the event is missed completely because you were at work , walking the dog, taking a nap or you simply didn't know then you can view via the archived version which is located on the relevant YouTube Channel.

Here is a few Q & A that I created for the Book of Me Community and the Society of One-Place Studies community.

There is even a good video created by +DearMYRTLE and Cousin Russ(+Russ Worthington) which explains how to schedule and create a hangout.



The on-line world has never been so easy. There are friendly faces across the globe who will be more than happy to answer questions and assist.

So go ahead, embrace the free facilities that Google offers!

Society Saturday ~ Branding & Logo's

Last week we looked at society websites, blogs and we briefly touched on social media. Today we are going to look at Branding and logos.

Have a look at this picture. It is simply a collage of images created by me and were chosen because they will hopefully mean something to you, the readers of this post. I have not been compensated by any organisation, the images used are done so as an illustration point.

So, do you recognise any of them? Some are UK or Australian specific, some are from the USA and one is from South Africa. There are a few that are global and represent social media.

The point is that they are a representation of the individual companies and are worth millions. I worked for an organisation who merged with one of the logos represented here. The deal made someone a very rich individual, and was a really brilliant (and virtually unheard of) strategic move. 

Each of the logo's is a statement of identity and taking the steps further we look at branding. The colours used in those logos are the corporate colours. Whatever the logo is, whatever the colours chosen they need to be eye catching, something that jumps out at you the moment you see them. Using 15 shades of the same colour does not necessarily equate to eye catching!

Within the family history and genealogical arena you might think the logo is typically going to involve trees, but does it? Here is an example of the logos from a few societies that I belong to.

Do you recognise any? Are you curious about any of the logo's? Which ones do you find eye catching and why? 

The majority of these organisations have been in existence for some years. I have been involved in two of these Societies since their beginnings and hold the membership number of 1 for one of them. The logo in probably all of these organisations was created at the beginning, with probably little thought that it would be around many years later. That is not a criticism, simply that at the beginning of an organisation's journey, there is not time to think about the longevity of the logo. At least three of these societies in the last year have celebrated their 40th birthday. 

The logo is typically going to reflect in some way the area or speciality that they represent. That is a fairly typical way of thinking. Can they be changed in the future? Yes they can, if it is deemed necessary. Changing a logo is not as difficult as it sounds, and I worked for a company that went through a re-brand and merger within four years. I have some former colleagues still getting over the shock, years after the event!

It is not just organisations that have branding and image to consider. We all do. The name of this blog for example is my brand. I also have an unusual surname, so I often use that too. It is interchangeable and whilst that might not be ideal, that is the way I have always been known. There are various other people on-line that have an logo or image that represents them, but that is a topic for another day!

Society Saturday - Websites, Blogs and Social Media

Genealogical & family history societies here in the UK typically do not have a base. There are some societies that do, but many do not and therefore how a society is seen by the wider public is important.

In that event, societies perhaps need to be a little creative and have a degree of awareness.  In this day and age most societies have a web page. Lets align the web page to a shop. The page represents the society physical structure, the shelves, the stock - If you want shampoo you would visit a store that sells shampoo and much more, if you want to find out about a society whose focus is on your area of research you visit that web page. You get the idea?

The web page is static on the whole, but there is a degree of movement as new material is added and so forth. That is much the same as a shop who magically re-merchandise the shop periodical , so that where shampoo once sat is now located by anything from banana's to nappies! The front page of the website is where your society has an opportunity to capture the attention of a viewer. That decision is made in a fairly short time, typically seconds. A front page of a website that has not been reviewed or altered in a few years does not infer that things happen here, or sends the message that the society has not moved with the times, in other words is outdated. In much the same way as a shop that had a refit 30 years ago and has not refreshed the paint.

If your society has a blog let's align that to the shop window. The shop window exists to tempt and tantalise people to walk through the doors. Someone sees what is in the window and makes a decision to go in and purchase. Some people are natural reflectors and revisit the shop to look again only to find the shop window has changed and the item they were hoping to look at again is not on window display and they need to go in, in order to have a look.

Having understood the concept of the shop window. Does your society blog do that? Does it have a steady and regular flow of movement? Is it welcoming and informative? Does it entice people and encourage them to leave comments and share posts?

Made with Wordle

We have all heard the expression "there is no such thing as bad publicity". Companies spend millions on advertising. The advertising on the television, radio and alike. Mentions of a particular business name in the press, simply by being the named topic in a report, (good or bad) is advertising that has not been paid for, yet it raises the appeal and knowledge of the wider public.

I am not suggesting that our societies should be named on the news in order to get publicity, but if a blog post is written it can be shared easily within the social media arena? Remember this is zero cost to the society. Therefore is that free advertising avenue being utilised as much as it should be? I am also not suggesting that the same thing is tweeted or shared every hour, but used sensibly and understood social media is free advertising and profile raising.

Have you looked at your society recently?

Society Saturday - West Surrey FHS

I first joined today's featured Society, The West Surrey Family History Society in 1988. In fact, it was the latest journal for the West Surrey that gave me the idea for this series of blog posts.

In 1988 everything in the genealogy world was conducted via post,or was passed member to member whilst at the meetings of the Society which were announced in the journal. There was no internet, no website and no email facility.

Today, the West Surrey still has the regular meetings, and the journal but it also has a website which does include a lot of information including a members room. Below is a map of Surrey which is taken from the website.

Copyright to June Rudman and WSFHS

As you hopefully see, Surrey is next to six other Counties, and my own ancestry from Surrey rolls across into predominately Sussex and Hampshire, with some branches into the other Counties. Surrey also benefits from a second Society, which covers the East of the County.

The two Societies are independent of each other, although there is a little overlap in places and they do share a Strays index.

The member's room is a new addition. I had missed all mention of it in journals until the December 2013 edition arrived, when it mentioned the members room and I instantly thought, what members room? I went over to the website and sure enough a members page. The lesson here is keep visiting the website that is operated by your Society and read the journal (and remember the contents!).

Societies want to progress and stretch themselves delivering more for the annual subscription and this can only be done with volunteers. 

Society Saturday - Getting Involved.....

Over the years I have been involved with several family history societies, but why did I bother?

When I first dipped my toes into the genealogy & family history Society arena I was steered in the direction of the local society. That was back in 1988, and I have been a member of that Society ever since.

That was the days before the Internet and the days before on-line facilities. The way to become involved with a society was to pay the appropriate membership fee and in exchange receive a quarterly journal. For this particular Society I still have all those journals, all 104 of them! Surname interests were submitted to the Society using pen and paper and inserted into an envelope with a stamp. They appeared in the journal within a few months. In order to "connect" or share information with a fellow member you wrote a letter. I am still in touch with several of those early day researchers. One has become a great friend and resides in New Zealand. I can still recall the excitement when an envelope arrived with a New Zealand stamp on and I devoured the letter full of details of domestics, holidays, friendship and of course family history, the latest finds and discoveries.

This was the days of indexing parish records, monumental inscriptions and strays and much, much more. The data was indexed, checked and collated on index cards and slips and stored in shoe boxes. There was an army of volunteers working for the benefit of the members and the society. Working in a way that was completely alien to many of the new genealogists of today. I recall checking a series of monumental inscriptions at the churchyard of a rural parish in Surrey during a series of lunch breaks, in the days when pharmacies closed for lunch. Really it was all very civilised and looking back on the changes both within my profession and family history we really have been on a quite a journey.

A volunteer held those shoe boxes of data and undertook look ups on behalf of the Society. There might have been a fee to members or non members. It depended on the indexes and the Society. As I write this I have glanced back through a few of the early journals. Some of those journals contained articles from members who were deemed knowledgeable within the Society and many have since passed away after contributing so much.

Today, we can pay a fee and access an amazing amount of records via the on-line portals and business of Ancestry, FindmyPast and several others. Genealogy and family history is at risk of being deemed an on-line and "there at the touch of a button" hobby, but that is a subject for another Society Saturday.

I believe in giving back. Not necessarily to the Society that I have gained so much from, but to the wider hobby, obsession, genealogical arena. Paying the way forward in terms of knowledge, support and simply providing funds in the form of membership fees. That first Society I mentioned above had their annual fee at £6 for over 15 years and for me it was worth at least two or three times that. That Society is established in my home County. I have not attended a meeting for over 15 years because of geography, but I look forward to the journals and usually read them within days of it arriving. The membership secretary is in fact the one that processed my membership back in 1988!

Perhaps the instinct to belong to something somehow kicks into our minds and encourages us to part with cash to join a group of like minded people. Whatever the reason, stepping forward to Societies that we are members of,.and assisting in the society growing, moving forward into a new dimension of family history is important not just to the society but to us as individuals.

I believe that it is not necessarily what our Society can do for us, but what can we do for our Society.

Society Saturday - The Guyana / British Guiana Genealogical Society

Today I am going to highlight a society that is new to me and I stumbled across, quite by chance.

Image courtesy of the The Guyana /
British Guiana Genealogical Society

The Guyana / British Guiana Genealogical Society formed in 2005.

It is completely free to join and is totally reliant on volunteer assistance with the Society. Sadly, the newsletters have stopped due to the workload and lack of support, but the Society does offer free membership and in order to take advantage of the free membership, all that you need do is register and post a message on the Forum. This is also free to join.

I do not believe that I have any particular ancestry in the region, but that said I have stumbled across several individuals from collateral lines that have popped up where I did not expect them to be. Furthermore, as I am also undertaking two one name studies, for the surnames of Orlando and Worship I find references in all manner of places and documents.

A quick read of the forum revealed an interest in at least two surnames that are registered with the Guild of One Name Studies.

There are numerous transcriptions, sources and other links to explore and I think this is certainly worth exploring if you potentially have ancestors in the region.

Society Saturday - Society for One-Place Studies

Last week I announced my thoughts for Society Saturday, so first up is the Society for One-Place Studies.

I was approached in the late Spring of 2013 and asked if I would be prepared to get involved? Well of course I would, as I believed that such a Society was much needed and long overdue within the genealogical and local history arenas.

Image courtesy of the Society for One-Place Studies

The Society formed back in September 2013. It has a truly global focus, both in terms of membership and the location of the registered One Place Studies. The committee is spread across three continents.

The Society exists to promote best practice, share ideas, sources and debate with other like minded historians. That is of course not all and further details can be found on the Societies web page

The Society truly has embraced the modern age. Members can benefit by the Society forum, access to Destinations the quarterly digital newsletter and the growing list of resources. Meanwhile, everyone can read and comment on the Society blog and can take part in the monthly hangouts which are hosted using Google.

In early December the Society hosted a Google hangout with the discussion of "Choosing Your Place"



The Society will be hosting regular monthly hangouts taking part on the fourth Friday of the month from January 2014.

The Society has launched a World War One Centenary Project which encourages historians with specific place study to explore the community and the lives of those individuals who contributed to the war effort.

The Society for One-Place Studies is available across a variety of social media channels - Face Book, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Blog and the Website.

Society Saturday - Revisiting Your Society

Over the years I have been a member of numerous and various Societies. As each year passes, the development of social media and the material available on line is tremendous.

Just recently I stumbled across a reference to the website of a Society I have been a member of since 1987. I noticed the mention of a members area and suddenly I asked myself when did that happen? I realise then that it is important to revisit the websites and archives perhaps already explored. Whilst the world of social media is moving along at rapid speed and the commercial entities growing at almost on a daily basis, the Societies that have been the constant of our hobby are tentatively chipping away with the valued work of volunteers.

Here are a few questions to ponder on -

• When did you last revisit the websites of the family history societies that you are a member of? 
• Have you made some wonderful and new discoveries?
• Have you or do you volunteer within your Societies? 

Through the course of 2014 I plan to share details of Societies I belong to, those I have previously belonged to and those I stumble across through the course of my own research. Most of the Societies will be genealogical or historical, but not all, so stay tuned for
Society Saturday.