GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L Archives

From: "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>
Subject: [GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES] WRITING A GOOD QUERY ~~~ Getting to theHeart of the Subject: Are You Guilty? .. Published on RootsWeb
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:08:34 -0700

Getting to the Heart of the Subject: Are You Guilty?
By Joan Young


Have you ever posted a query on a RootsWeb mailing list or message
Board and gotten absolutely no response? Does it seem like everyone
But you is getting the answers and feedback they need while you are
Shut out in the cold? If so, let's try to pinpoint the reason and
Improve your odds of making that RootsWeb connection.

THE PROBLEM
Most people are constantly on the go. They try to "multitask" to cover
A lot of ground as quickly as possible.

When we scan our inboxes for new e-mails, or search new message board
Posts, we generally don't read every word of every message. Many of us
Scan the subject lines and then only read those messages that appeal
To us; that is, we read the message if we find a name, location, or
Fact in the subject line that attracts our attention.

Digest mailing list subscribers, especially, are notorious for quickly
Scanning the subjects in the index of a digest before deciding which
Messages to read and which to ignore. If we have books at our disposal
That allow us to do lookups, we often only read those posts that
Mention the topics covered by our books.

PITFALLS TO AVOID
When we encounter a subject line that says "no subject," or a generic
Subject line such as "Looking," "Searching," "Genealogy," "My Family,"
Or worse yet, "Help!" we tend to disregard the message and move on to
The next e-mail.

Another red flag for someone perusing a mailing list is the digest
Subscriber who merely clicks "reply" to a digest message and leaves
The digest as the subject of the reply. I think we'd all admit that a
Subject line of "SMITH Digest, Vol 2, Issue 171" isn't exactly telling
Us much about the content of the message within. When replying to a
Digest message be sure to change the default subject to an informative
One.

A WELL-WRITTEN QUERY IS MEANINGLESS IF IT IS NEVER READ
Quite possibly you have drafted an informative, well-written query
With the names of the people you are researching, details of the times
And places where they lived, and the information you wanted to learn.

However, it may still be lost if no one reads your message because of
A poor subject line. Your message body should embellish your subject
Line and provide additional details.

THE SOLUTION: CREATING A MEANINGFUL SUBJECT LINE TO ATTRACT READERS
Provide concise but specific information about the content of your
Message. Include the name, location, and time frame of the individuals
In your message. Tell us what information you are looking for. In
Other words, briefly outline your reason for posting the query. If
Your query includes an interesting story about your ancestor, provide
The reader with an indication of the story enclosed so that your
Message attracts his attention.

Some examples of good subject lines follow:

--Maiden name needed for Sophie who married John SMITH in 1900 in
Chicago, Illinois

--Seeking parents of Joseph JONES born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
In 1765

--Looking for Obituary of James JOHNSON who died in Clearwater,
Florida, in 1965
--Seeking Descendants of Henricus GEIGER who Died in 1746 in Lembach,
Alsace, France

--James O'REILLY, born New Jersey, 1830; killed at Battle of
Gettysburg, 1863; need marriage information

--Morris FRIEDMAN, immigrated in 1900 to Philadelphia, PA, from
Russia--Seeking Village of Origin

Note: It is typical to capitalize surnames so that they quickly catch
Readers''s attention.

CONCLUSION
The success of your query rests largely on your ability to create a
Subject line that will grab readers. Readers will be more likely to
Take the time to study your message and consider whether they have an
Interest or an answer for you. So stop crying for HELP in the
Wilderness and SEARCHING and LOOKING aimlessly, and start providing
Specifics in your subject lines.

Sally Rolls Pavia

List Owner:
Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES
"All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

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• [GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES] WRITING A GOOD QUERY ~~~ Getting to theHeart of the Subject: Are You Guilty? .. Published on RootsWeb by "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>