Previously published in RootsWeb Review: 25
July 2007, Vol. 10, No. 30.
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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, in1765
--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' 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.