Following the comment by our Chairman in The
Bulletin of the December issue of the Berkshire
Family Historian that: 'I believe the majority of
active family historians now use computers', it
will come as a shock that very few of our members
(about 15%) subscribe to the Email Discussion
Group and that fewer than 1 in 10 new members
join. Why?
I suspect that there are several reasons. The
main one is probably that many are unaware of its
existence or unsure of its purpose. As with the
Research Centre and some other activities of the
Society, the Group may have been mentioned in
articles but there is no regular 'advert' in the
Family Historian to say what it is all about or
how to subscribe. Some may think the Discussion
Group is solely for those with Berkshire
interests. Others that it is only for experts.
Another group may say it is only for the computer
experts. I have also heard it said that many
emails are naive. The truth is that it is a
medium for discussion of any topic of interest to
members of the Society. It can be invaluable to
those who are just starting their family history
research and those just beginning to look in the
computer world both for 'data' and contacts with
cousins or others researching the same line.
Those new to using computers will find friendly
and helpful ears as they gain confidence in using
email and surfing the Internet. It is also
invaluable for passing on important and time-critical
information (e.g. about dates of meetings which
have to be changed or have been incorrectly
advertised).
As the average number of messages per week
rarely exceeds 30 it meets both the needs of
those who cannot manage the 30 or more per day of
some county Rootsweb sites or need a site where
they can fire off an enquiry or comment on a
topic of interest to family historians which
would be unsuitable on their favoured lists. At
the time of writing it is useful for canvassing
the experiences of others using the new 1901 PRO
census site at www.census.pro.gov.uk.
To subscribe to the Email Discussion Group
send an email to 
giving
your name, postcode and membership number.
I also wonder how many have looked at our
website at www.berksfhs.org.uk? How often do you
revisit the site to see if there is anything new?
(There is a 'What's New' link on the home page
for this purpose.) Do you recommend the site to
friends? Did you know that the publications pages
frequently provide information on books and our
new publications before they appear in a formal
booklist? An order form appears on the site and
payment can be sent in Australian, Canadian, New
Zealand and US dollars as well as Euros and
Sterling but we do not provide any electronic
means of purchase.
Most of us who maintain a website also value
any constructive comments on it - especially
those which identify methods of improving
presentation or navigation. It is only very
occasionally that I get any comment so it was not
only gratifying but also exceedingly helpful to
be told recently: 'I am researching my family and
frequently visit the site for information on the
area. I have found it very useful and helpful. I
viewed the joining/membership page. I found the
contact names for membership queries but no email
addresses. Please don't take this as a criticism
of the site as it is one of the most useful and
easy to use that I have come across.' Would
others agree?
Our website is intended as a source of
information on Berkshire, but not 'data' - yet.
It is certain that many members will have noted
important information that does not appear on our
site. What would you like us to provide? One
particularly valuable aspect of websites is their
expandability. We currently use about 25% of the
capacity provided by our host so there is plenty
of space to fill; if you have a contribution to
offer please send it to 
.
.