What do you get for $129 Genealogy Dollars?

1. A few books from Amazon
2. 3-4 Vital Records Certificates
3. 4 months Ancestry sub (Australian)
4. Three days of lectures from noted genealogists and technologists, opportunities to network with 3,000 people with shared interests, exposure to an exhibition hall brimming with vendors of genealogical products.

If you are quick and take advantage of the Earlybird Registration for the Rootstech Conference in 2012 you can get all that Option 4 offers and more. But you had better be quick Earlybird registration closes on November 30th.

Mosman Council: Ancestry and FindMyPast online genealogy workshop

I've booked for this talk by Kerry Farmer who always gives a polished presentation.

Mosman Council: Ancestry and FindMyPast online genealogy workshop:

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What to do?

I am a genealogy event junkie who regularly attends talks, seminars etc. around Sydney, on various topics related to family history. Sometimes I am familiar with the content of the talk, at other times the material delivered is new to me. However, I always learn something that I can apply to my practice.

At times I criticise speakers for their lack of speaking and presentation skills but I have not, until recently, heard a speaker who demonstrates a lack of knowledge of the topic under discussion. All other speakers I have heard have possessed a deep knowledge of their topics.

This has posed a quandary for me. The audience at this event was made up mainly of beginning genealogists who listened intently and took notes during the presentation. This talk was riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation with the speaker being unable to answer simple questions on the topic. I chimed in with answers and extra information a few times but did not want to be a fly in the ointment during the presentation.  The presenter was confused enough as it was. My concern is that these newbies have gone away from the talk with a load of codswallop.

The speaker's intentions were honourable, they had a nice personality and demonstrated a willingness to help others. It appears that the hosting institution asked this presenter to speak on this particular topic, the presenter stated that they went away, did a bit of homework and prepared the talk. Unfortunately that homework lacked the depth needed to present this topic adequately.

So what do I do? Do I write to someone at the hosting institution telling them my concerns? Do I let sleeping dogs lie?

The Story of Bob Waterer and his family

Bob Waterer

It's two weeks since I journeyed to Mosman Library for a talk on this book by author, Nan Bosler. It would be remiss of me to miss a post about this event. Nan was accompanied to this event by the subject of her book, Bob Waterer, and the book's editor, Pat Frater.

Finding a leather pouch hidden away at the back his late sister's wardrobe led Bob to discover his aboriginal heritage when he was around 80 years old. The certificates found sparked an interest in Bob to find out more about his ancestry. Bob learnt that he is descended from Biddy Wallace, a member of Bungaree's Broken Bay clan.

At the Mosman event Bob conducted the most meaningful Welcome to Country I have ever heard. Nan Bosler talked about the research leading up to the publishing of the book "The Story of Bob Waterer and his family" that has been financed by a grant from Manly Council. Bob, who is now in his late 80s, shared a few anecdotes with us.

The Story of Bob Waterer and his Family

This fascinating family history tells about life on the early Hawkesbury River, Scotland Island and Pittwater. Bob's grandmother, Catherine Bens, was known as the Queen of Scotland Island. Although I have not read my copy in its entirety the book promises to be a most interesting read. The list of references at the end of the book is a very useful resource for historians and genealogists with similar interests. It would be a valuable addition to local history library collections in the areas covered. It is not my usual practice to advertise on this blog but if you are interested in purchasing this book you may contact donandpatfrater@bigpond.com for further details.

Thanks again to the people from Mosman Library for staging such an inspiring free event.

Lest we forget

For the fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

Source :http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/customs/poems.asp 

Mosman Council: Finding Margaret - tracing a family story

Another free event at Mosman Library next week

Mosman Council: Finding Margaret - tracing a family story:

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Data Lost - Drat

I am so annoyed with myself because I have lost the notes I took at yesterday's Hawkesbury Family History Group Meeting and it was a cracker of a meeting. Therefore I  cannot give a decent report of the meeting.

I took my notes on GDocs Notes on my tablet computer and was unable to sync them to Google Docs because reception from my carrier, Telstra, is so poor in the meeting room. I think at some stage I must have inadvertently deleted my text. Luckily I  had taken some photos of the items that members have brought along for the "Show and Tell" session at the meeting.

Each short presentation was unique and interesting, I congratulate everyone who shared an artefact and its story with us. I found this meeting so much more interesting than I sometimes find those with just one guest speaker. The articles shown included a medal for clog walking, certificates for Sunday school examinations, a metal hook from the fireplace of a house now demolished, a family Bible, family photos, a pharmacist's metal engraved plate, several books and some original indenture papers from the 19th century.

I am always banging on about speakers needing to have passion and each of these speakers yesterday did because most of the items they spoke about related to their own family histories and meant so much to them. I was so impressed with the amount of research that had been done to find the stories behind the artefacts.

It was my first time as a "Show and Tell" girl, I can't wait for next year's meeting. Now that I have a better idea of what to do I will be better prepared.

Should your society be thinking of having a "Show and Tell" session go for it.

19th Century Medal for Clog Walking in Scotland



Folder for 20th Century Sunday School Examination Certificates

Original Jurd Family Indenture from 19th century

Free event at Baulkham Hills Library

I received this comment on my website and am passing on this information for anyone who may be interested. I had previously reported one of Ian's talks at Castle Hill Library.

Comments: Hello,

I work at Baulkham Hills Library and would like to pass on details of a free genealogy event we are having next week. On Wednesday 16 November 2011 family history enthusiast Ian Beckett will be presenting a session from 10.30am to 11.30am on useful websites focusing on Australian family history research. 

If you or anyone you know would like to attend we would be more than happy to see you there. Bookings can be made at http://familyhistorywebsites-eorg.eventbrite.com/ or by phoning Baulkham Hills Library on 029761 5735. The Library address in Railway Street, Baulkham Hills.

Kind regards
Antonella Martin
Customer Service Officer

Antonella Martin
amartin@thehills.nsw.gov.au

An Outstanding Performance at Ku-ring-gai

Wendy Blaxland's background in teaching, drama, and the theatre was obvious when she addressed the monthly meeting of the Kur-ing-gai Historical Society Family History Group yesterday. A natural speaker, Wendy had those gathered enthralled as she told the stories of her famous Blaxland ancestors and some 20th century family members.

Wendy signing one of her children's books

Wendy is a direct descendant of Gregory Blaxland who led the first crossing of the Blue Mountains. She related the history of the two Blaxland Brothers, John and Gregory,  early free settlers in New South Wales, who became entrepreneurs and built  beautiful homes on either side of  the Parramatta River. John's house that became the original Newington College has now been restored and is part of the Silverwater Gaol while Gregory's more modest home Brush Farm has been restored by Ryde Council who have owned it since 1990.

Audrey Blaxland, Wendy's mother, was an actress and drama teacher who began her acting career at the Independent Theatre in the 1940s where she met Wendy's father. Wendy shared with us stories of Audrey's involvement with the Pymble Players and the Marian Street Theatre where Audrey spent 12 years as the Principal of the Marian Street Theatre School. Wendy who has been involved in the theatre since she was five years old is still deeply involved with the Marian Street Theatre for Young People as a producer, writer and board member.

Bohemian artist, Elizabeth Blaxland, an artist, sculptor and teacher at the East Sydney Technical College was the other 20th-century subject discussed. When Wendy first met her aunt, Elizabeth, who was in her 90s they immediately developed a strong bond. A number of Elizabeth's works are in the Manly Art Gallery.

I only wish that some of the genealogy presenters whose talks I have endured heard could have seen Wendy's presentation. It was an examplar that we could all follow. Wendy spoke naturally from the heart without notes, she used elements of humour and surprise choosing words that tugged at our emotions. She drew us into her world through voice and eye contact supported by the use of artefacts.

If you ever get a chance to hear Wendy speak grab it.

Thanks to Jo Harris, Leader of The Family History Group at Ku-ring-gai for organising such a super afternoon.

SAG Library Orientation

As I have been a member of SAG (The Society of Australian Genealogists) on and off since 1998 it is embarrassing to admit that I only made it to the Society for a Library Orientation tour today. I have been to the society's other location on a number of occasions to attend seminars and Sydney TMG user group meetings  and to deliver a couple of lectures. I have also attended the society's first paid webinar and have registered for others.

Before the Library moved to its new location four years ago I had been an irregular visitor to the old library but I haven't visited since it moved to its Kent Street, Sydney, Location. There are a number of  excuses reasons for this. Until my recent retirement I didn't have time to visit the library during the week and I tried to keep weekends for family. I also have a little mobility issue that makes the walk from the railway station difficult and parking near the society is quite costly. I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and registered for the free members only orientation session via the society's website.

Today I joined seven other women and one man for the talk by Lorraine Brothers, the friendly SAG librarian, who made us feel most welcome. Lorraine spent nearly two hours describing the library's cataloguing system, telling us about the range of resources available, showing us where they were stored and  demonstrating the use of the library catalogue that is available in the SAG library. This is a more comprehensive catalogue than that available online offsite. To assist us on future visits Lorraine gave us a link to a 2007 journal article Finding your way around the new SAG Library as well as a couple of handouts.

Lorraine Brothers - SAG Librarian

I do find some of the rules and regulations at the SAG library a bit restrictive but, if I want to use the great collection of resources including many Australian family histories, will  have to live with them. It's a shame that we couldn't stay on the put our new knowledge into practice but the orientation has to be held on a day that the library is closed.

Lorraine coped admirably with the group that was made up of absolute beginners and more advanced researchers (and graciously allowed me to take her photo). Even though I have qualifications as a librarian and worked in the library field for many years I still find visiting a new library daunting. Each institution has its idiosyncrasies,  the SAG classification system that had been a mystery to me is one of these. Thanks to Lorraine I now have an understanding of this system.  


By offering this orientation to members SAG is ensuring that new library users have an opportunity to be confident library users. Thanks, SAG, for this initiative and Lorraine for being such a great ambassador for the society and the profession of librarianship.

Macquarie Uni researcher speaks on Mrs Macquarie - Council - News - Northern District Times

Details for the next author talk I'll be attending at Hornsby Library

Macquarie Uni researcher speaks on Mrs Macquarie : "Macquarie Uni researcher speaks on Mrs Macquarie"

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Captain Thunderbolt & His Lady

I wouldn't miss an opportunity to hear Carol Baxter speak. Although her author talk at Hornsby Library this week was not strictly a genealogy talk I went along because, as well as being interested in Thunderbolt, I enjoy listening to Carol. As a lively speaker who engages her audience and keeps them awake she is one of a rare breed on the genealogy speaking circuit.

Carol spoke about her new book Captain Thunderbolt & his Lady the story of the Gentleman bushranger and his lady, the educated part aboriginal Mary Ann Bugg. This new book was recently launched at McCrossin's Mill Museum,  in Uralla, NSW the town around which Frederick Ward (Captain Thunderbolt) worked.  Carol told us the pre-publication history of the book, whetted our appetites by reading from the book and kept secret details of the events described in the book.

I was first in line before the talk to buy a copy of the book. As I was sitting near members of Carol's family I heard their hurried 'phone calls to someone relaying that all copies of the book had been sold prior to the talk. At the conclusion of the talk I saw that someone had delivered another carton of copies so all who wanted were able to buy and have a book signed by Carol.

 While Carol writes in a descriptive style her writing is based on sound research principles with heavy use of original source material. I have only read the first few pages of the book so far and it promises to be an easy read that tarts up dry old historical facts and makes historical non-fiction have appeal to people like me who do hot have the stomach for dry academic tomes..

Carol Baxter at Hornsby Library

When the lady beside me asked if I had heard Carol speak previously I gave a reply that painted Carol in a glowing light. Luckily I had because I was seated beside Carol's very proud mother who, with family members and friends was at the event which was the Sydney launch of the book.

On this occasion Carol appeared nervous and seemed to be delivering a prepared speech that she had committed to memory. In spite of this I enjoyed her talk immensely. It was pleasing to note that when she took questions from the audience the real Carol emerged.  Her engaging personality and passion for history and writing shone through  when she spoke "off the cuff".

Even though I didn't even avail myself of a glass of the plonk and the sandwiches offered after the talk I got great value for my $5. Thanks to Hornsby Library for hosting this event.

Bound for South Australia

I am a Genealogy Junkie. I've got it bad. I spend every spare moment and more engaged in genealogy activities.


I thought Mr Geniaus would cringe when, yesterday, I broached a trip to South Australia in March next year less than two weeks after we return form a visit to the US for the Rootstech Conference. He asked would "we" fly or drive I said drive, then I agreed that we could drive home via Broken Hill and the deal was done. 


A number of my Australian GeniMates have indicated that they are going to The 13th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry in Adelaide in March 2012 and recommend it as the premier event on the Australian Genealogy Calendar.  Unfortunately I cannot link to the Conference site as the rules on their fromt page state "Other sites may only link to the site with the Society's prior written permission. " I'm not writing for permission to make a harmless link.


Although there are only 66 presentations over the 4 days of the conference a perusal of the program indicates that I will find many topics to suit my appetite. I look forward to hearing from the overseas speakers, especially those from the lands of my ancestors in the UK like Roger Kershaw from The National Archives. I cannot pass up the opportunity of seeing so many eminent speakers in one location.


I hope to meet many Australian genealogists at the Congress. Are you Bound for South Australia?

Carol Baxter at Hornsby

When I phoned to make a booking for Carol Baxter's upcoming talk at Hornsby Library on 27th September, the person on the end of the phone indicated that I was the first person to register.

Back in June I heard Carol speak at The Ku-ring-gai Historical Society on "Writing Interesting Family Histories".  Carol was an enthusiastic and lively speaker who kept all in the audience awake and engaged. This event will not be a genealogy talk but an author talk as part of the library's "Meet the Author" series. Carol will talk about her latest book "Captain Thunderbolt and his Lady ".


If you are within cooee of Hornsby Library and have an interest in Australian History or Genealogy or if you enjoy a darned good speaker then put this event in your diary.

Full details can be found on the library website.

Rootstech Countdown - 5 months to go

Travelling to an overseas conference is a big deal for an Australian. Firstly there is the expense of an aeroplane ticket then, after one finds funds to allocate to this, one must endure the discomfort of a long haul aeroplane ride that dumps one on foreign shores. Thankfully the trip to Los Angeles for Rootstech is only 14 hours (and Qantas looks after us pretty well). One then has to make one's way to Salt Lake City.

After having an amazing time at Rootstech 2011, where I was honoured to be an Official Blogger, I returned home full of enthusiasm and determined to attend again in 2012. Mr Geniaus, although he is not really into family history, announced that he would like to come along with me. It's a waste of money for two of us to go to the US for only the conference so we will be spending 6 weeks there visiting new places.


I got a shock when I logged onto the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown to make an accommodation booking today - I got a message that there were no rooms available. As I found this hotel convenient last year I panicked when I saw this message. I phoned the hotel directly and was able to secure a booking for 8 nights around the conference - Phew. 


I booked our airfares from Sydney to Los Angeles a couple of months ago so that is sorted.  We have decided that, as Salt Lake City is only 11 - 12 hours drive away or 14 hours via Death Valley, we will book a rental car, drive to Utah and see some of the countryside along the way. I just need to organise a car, itinerary and overnight accommodation.


As well as attending the conference I am presenting two papers; I managed to submit all the information required by this week's deadline. I was fired up last night so started work on one of the talks "The Galaxy Girls –three genealogists’ and their Android tablets" so that's on track. I have until November to submit the syllabuses (sounds like I am back teaching).


After the conference we will be exhausted; it is a busy affair so we have booked ourselves on a Caribbean cruise directly afterwards. We will then, hopefully, be ready for four weeks of exploration that will include visits to favourite cities Washington and New York then some new places. Our dilemma  is what to choose; as it will be winter we will head south, but where?


Last year I was quite nervous about making the trip to Salt Lake City to attend such a huge event. This year I 
have no such concerns. I know that the accommodation is clean and comfortable and near the venue, the natives in Salt Lake City friendly, my fellow geneabloggers welcoming and the conference inexpensive and well-organised with a huge and varied program. Even Mr Geniaus should find sessions to interest him - I will be registering him for the conference.

I wonder if any other Australians will be making the journey. Last year only Allan Murrin and I were there from Australia. If you are thinking of going along and want to have a chat about the conference please email me and I will be happy to talk with you about it.

The conference starts 5 months from today on 2nd February. Details can be found on the conference website.

A July Saturday at SAG

My last CGD activity before heading off on holidays this week was a talk given by Carole Riley, SAG Councillor and Professional Genealogist, on NSW Land Records.

Although I have attended talks by three different people on this tricky topic I am still a novice. Excellent advice came from the SAG volunteer who thanked Carole. This lady suggested that, to make sense of all the information Carole had presented, we should not put off going to the NSW Land and Property Information Dpeartment (commonly known as the Lands Department) but should do so whilst the content of the seminar was fresh in our minds. She suggested that we arm ourselves with Carole's comprehensive notes and make the visit.

So that I can shed my novice status I might just have to bite the bullet and make that excursion.

KHS Family Group Meeting

Arriving at my second monthly meeting of The Family History Group at The Ku-Ring-Gai Historical Society last week I felt that I belonged as a number of the people I had previously met greeted me warmly. There was also waiting for me a name badge.

Jo Harris, Vice-President and Family History Leader, capably lead the morning's workshop in which she demonstrated the new resources on the Society's intranet. Made available for $5 was a multipage listing of the resources on the intranet, I declined to purchase this as it was only available in hard copy but I am sure that it will be a valuable resource for those who like to have paper-based records.

On these occasions I find that the incidental things I learn are most valuable. I learnt that Hyde Park Barracks has a database of every convict that spent a night there. One can phone and ask if  a particular convict is on this list. One can then request, for a fee, a copy of the database entry. I usually use Abebooks to find copies of old and out of print books to buy, Jo introduced me to Booksandcollectibles another online bookstore. During the lunchbreak I ate my peanut butter sandwiches in the company of Cecilia, whom I hadn't met previously. 

After lunch we had our formal meeting. I am sorry that I won't be around for the talk on Trove by Ann Manley on August 11th (visitors welcome - contact the Society) but I will be able to attend the Irish research day on 8th October. This active society already has a Mac users interest group and is soon to start up a German interest group.

Guest speaker for the afternoon was Gary Luke, a committee member of the Australian Jewish Historical Society, research advisor with the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society and a trustee of the Jewish sections at Rookwood cemetery. Gary spoke on Foreigners and Aliens giving details of Government records about non-British immigrant ancestors.  Although I have a boring British/Irish ancestry I found Gary's talk that was richly illustrated with images, quite fascinating. 

A couple of important takeaways were:

* Remember to look for records in the country that a town/village was in at the time of an event not the country the town/village is in now, there have been many changing borders over the past few centuries
* In NSW Change of Name records from 1868 to 1967 are in Land Titles office
soundex phonetic conversion
* The Applications to Marry in The Great Synagogue are a valuable and often overlooked resource.

Not just Ned: a true history of the Irish in Australia...

... is an exhibition I had been looking forward to visiting since I heard Richard Reid talk about planning for it  at the SAG Irish Day last year. Richard displayed such enthusiasm for the exhibition and passion for the Irish in Australia that I knew I had to attend.

The exhibition was my last stop this morning before travelling back home after a  few days break in Canberra. As Mr Geniaus was busy with work I dragged a friend, who also has Irish heritage, along with me. My friend hadn't heard much about the exhibition even though he lives in Canberra, not far from the National Museum of Australia where the exhibition is housed, and had no idea of what he would see.

The excellent exhibition, that shows many artefacts begged and borrowed from institutions and individuals from Australia and overseas, has a wealth of information about the Irish in Australia. Highlighted in the exhibition, in addition to Ned Kelly and his notorious gang, are many famous and infamous Australians of Irish heritage, their stories are told with photos, maps, video, sound and  artefacts.

There is a reading area that has a collection of books on Ireland, the Irish in Australia and Irish genealogy; unfortunately, as there were no copies of these for sale, the Museum is probably missing out on  some extra revenue. I did manage to buy a couple of books from the small collection that was for sale. Additionally in a corner of the retail/reading area there is a family history area with a few PCs that visitors can use to research their family history. It would be useful if there was a person available to help budding genealogists use the resources on these PCs.

Les Darcy - Locket

What I didn't realise was how much I would be emotionally affected by my visit, how many memories  of my early years it would dredge up and what a connection I would feel while in the exhibition space. It was because of  Patrick and Ellen, Bridget, Denis and Eliza, Mary, Michael and Catherine, Mary, Margaret and Ann, my Irish ancestors, that I felt such closeness. I recalled spending many hours with my grandmother, who was born in Australia and had never left its shores, talk longingly of Ireland and teaching me Irish songs like "The Rose of Tralee". That grandmother's cousin, boxer Les D'arcy, was one sportsman featured in the exhibition. I have not been able to find evidence to support her claim but am confident that, as they lived near each other in NSW and came from the same place in Ireland, that there is a relationship to our D'Arcy ancestors.

Hearing a recording of  "Hail Queen of Heaven" reminded me of my years in a catholic school and seeing the model of Tarmons, the first site of St Vincent's Hospital, and later part of St. Vincent's College caused me to reflect on my schooldays and the influence the Sisters of Charity.

When I saw the chalice that Father Therry, the pioneer priest, used in the early years of the colony tears welled up. Father Therry baptised my 2 x great grandfather, Patrick Curry. Patrick's parents, my convict ancestors Patrick Curry and Ellen Moore, would have taken communion from this cup when Father Therry visited the area near Camden Park where they lived. I was  glad that I had a friend with me with whom I could share my joy at seeing that object. Sadly, as photography is not allowed, I was not able to take a photo of the chalice to add to my family story.

I learnt so much about Australia from this exhibition and have added too many books to my "to buy" and "to read" lists; I am now anxious to organise another more leisurely trip to Ireland than my last one. My friend was thrilled that I had taken him along and, as our tickets allowed re-entry on the day, was returning  to continue his exploration after dropping me back to my hotel.

Not just Ned - Catalogue

The highlight of the day was when my friend called me over to see the exhibit on The Irish Memorial at Waverley Cemetery. He knew that he was a direct descendant of an Irish Rebel from Wicklow called Michael Dwyer (a cousin now deceased had given him this information) but did not know where he was buried; he discovered at the exhibition today that his ancestors Michael Dwyer and his wife, Mary, are buried in that monument and that "it was the largest funeral Sydney had seen with 400 horse-drawn carriages following the hearse in a procession of 10,000 people watched by 100,000 others." (Source)

I would have liked more time at the exhibition but am pleased that I was able to have a couple of hours there. The beautiful catalogue of the exhibition that I purchased will ensure that I can revisit and read about the event for years to come. If only it had a picture of Father Therry's chalice it would be perfect.

I would recommend this exhibition to anyone irrespective of their heritage, it is a must for those with a connection to Ireland  who should head for Canberra before the exhibition closes on July 31.

I'm into Recycling

Hopefully my blog has gathered a few new followers since June 8, 2010 when I posted an article " Methinks some people tweet too much" in which I outlined some points that genea-tweeters should keep in mind when using Twitter. As I haven't seen any other post on this subject I am recycling this post with a few alterations and additions:

Twitter is a wonderful resource for learning about current news and new resources. My problem is how to use Twitter for family history responsibly.

I don't want to clog up the tweet streams of my followers with useless tweets so I don't retweet items that a number of my followers who have the same follower base have already retweeted.

Neal Chambers says that "The most important thing about your Twitter account is your username. This will be used to identify you in the Twitter stream and how people will find your account (http://twitter.com/username) It's best to choose something easy to remember/spell. A perfect example of this is your real name (gasp!)." I chose Geniaus as I wanted something short and easy to remember that indicated my interest in genealogy (Geni) and my location and interest in Australia (Aus). If you do not want to use your own name think of a short username that somehow describes you. I particularly like @infolass, @geneabloggers, @genebrarian and @geneaphile. This username can be used across a number of social networking sites to give you a brand name.

The nine essentials of Twitter etiquette includes the advice "Don't feel compelled to tweet regularly. I promise that if you take a personal tweet-free day, your audience will understand." One does not need to tweet every day, interesting news does not arrive at regular intervals but in waves, one's pattern of tweeting can reflect these peaks and troughs. Less is more.

Some Twitterers with a commercial affiliation use Twitter as a marketing tool and seem to retweet endlessly; I am tempted to unfollow them but I might miss some of the original snippets they post. The Search Marketing Spin Blog warns against being "Re-tweeting Machines: If all you do is re-tweet, that can get annoying as well. I definitely encourage re-tweeting articles and thoughts that are deemed important, but keep that as part of the overall mix." I wish Twitter had a facility where one could select individual settings for those one follows ie so one could select to see just a user's original tweets, retweets, replies or any combination of these.

"Don’t RT Yourself  If you have multiple Twitter accounts, for example one for personal stuff and another for work, please do not Retweet what you said on another account. If people want to follow both, they will.  
There’s a reason you have two accounts: not everyone cares about both of your online personalities." This advice from "Online etiquette: Tweet with care" should be heeded by some genealogy Tweeters.

In Mind your twitter manners Jacqueline Whitmore says: "Don’t spam. If people are following you, they are going to want real content that matches their interests or teaches them something new. If you are sending out numerous tweets that are trying to sell your products, you will quickly lose your following. People have enough spam through e-mail and don’t want this to be another source of excess clutter."

I sometimes unfollow and refollow some people while they are at events and conferences if I don't have an interest in the event they are attending (of course major genealogy conferences are an exception).

A PCWorld article "Twitter Etiquette: How to Tweet Politely" states "Reconsider the running commentary. Live-tweeting sporting events or conference speeches may seem like a public service, but who's listening? If you normally use Twitter to post once-a-week status updates but then abruptly let fly with 80 tweets in a day, you'll aggravate followers who aren't expecting their account to be inundated by your sudden outpouring. Consider composing a blog post instead, or offer a single succinct observation each hour".

"Don't bother re-tweeting the big dogs" is more sage advice from The nine essentials of Twitter etiquette  includes the advice "Most people interested in genealogy will follow Ancestry and FamilySearch and other major organisations in their countries, don't retweet what most of your followers will have already read."

Recently I have received a few tweets containing a link to a website that  requires a  usernmame and password to access the information being recommended. It is extremely frustrating to follow a link and then be thwarted by such a request. I suspect that sometimes people tweet without actually checking out the site they are tweeting. Always check a link before tweeting or retweeting it.

Hashtags (#) are an important element of Twitter use. As well as giving readers an idea of the relevance of tweets to their interests they can be important for marketing and promotion. I would suggest using between one and three descriptive hashtags with each tweet.  Additionally these descriptors are help people conducting searches on Twitter to find relevant information. If you are tweeting about genealogy add the #genealogy hashtag. If you are at an event use the hashtag assigned to that event eg #rootstech2011.

One of my pet peeves is the Follow Friday (#FF) post where one thanks followers. These posts seem impersonal to me and clog up tweet streams. If a thank you is warranted one can send a private thankyou via a direct message. It is important to build relationships on Twitter; this can be done by sending public individual thankyous, using the reply function and retweeting followers' posts. Following the lead of @JudyQld a number of other genealogists embraced a policy of one #FF per week. This sensible policy makes one think very carefully about who will receive that one precious follow. I have relished tose follws I have had from the people following this policy.

Like Audrey Collins I too was taken with the badge Thomas MacEntee gave me at the Rootstech Conference earlier this year. (You can buy one here). That little red badge simply says "Keep Calm and Cite your Sources".

I don't mind what method one uses to cites one's sources but it should be done whenever one quotes another's words in any form of media. With the 140 character limit on Twitter this may be difficult but, as I used to say to my students, "plagiarism is stealing."  Taking the words of another and passing them off as your own is unethical and should not be done even on Twitter.

When I wrote my post, "I'm into recycling" yesterday about Twitter etiquette I did not mention plagiarism. This morning I saw a thoughtful sentence posted on Twitter that did not sound like the language normally used by that tweeter. I put the sentence into Google and within a few seconds found that sentence on a genealogy blog post written yesterday. The tweeter in question was obviously also captivted by the sentence and shared it without attribution. It has been retweeted a couple of times with kudos going to the tweeter not the blogger who appears to be the original creator of this piece of text. I am now wondering about the credibility of the tweeter and the organisation this person represents.

Plagiarism does not belong on Twitter.  It may be difficult to cite a source in 140 characters but it must be done. Plagiarism is akin to stealing; using the words of another without attribution is unethical, whenever one publishes in any format one must give attribution to an original author. Plagiarism is easy to detect. Tweeps who are found to have plagiarised lose credibility for themselves and the organisations they represent.

Remember that your Tweets are in the public domain. If you say something on Twitter you are potentially telling the world. Your tweets can be read by everyone.

Carol Preaches Active Voice

Carol busily signing bookss

If you want to go on a roller coaster ride and learn something at the same time Carol Baxter is the girl for you. A very lively presenter, Carol , who spoke at a hundred miles a minute, extolled the virtues of using active voice when "Writing Interesting Family Histories".

Around 40 people listened intently as the energetic Carol offered writing tips at Ku-ring-gai Historical Society's Family  History Group event yesterday. At $5 per head, including morning tea this event that was open to the public was great value.  Those who were cashed up could also purchase a copy of  Carol's book, "Writing Interesting Family Histories"  for $20. However, having read the book last night, I do not think it adds much to the copious notes I took in Carol's fast-paced talk.

The book would be a worthwhile purchase for anyone who cannot attend one of Carol's talks but her enthusiasm, personality, rich vocabulary and digressions from her printed notes made this a very enjoyable learning activity.

Among the things I must remember before I set fingers on the keyboard are to :

• Release my grip on old habits and release my creative writing spirit (if I can find one)
• Remember that facts are critically important 
• Use evocative language
• Realise that dates are not absolute! They are relative to the calendar being used at time
• Select a structure and stick to it
• Communicate perspective through careful choice of words
• Remember Oomph in writing is carried by verbs
• Use active rather than passive voice - make the doer do it 
• Ground my writing in historical context
• Grab my readers with my first sentence
• Think about what my ancestors saw, heard, felt, smelled, tasted, and emotionally experienced 
• Recraft my writing over and over and over