You will meet many helpful genealogists here who will gladly try to help you with your "puzzlers". We have created ten easy points to consider before you start to write your messages. If you write with these in mind, your questions will be easier to work with for those who want to help you.
- Write your entry in the right forum, and only in one forum
Choose carefully the forum which is most relevant for your message. Then we don't have to move it later. - Choose a subject that is descriptive of the information you are asking for
Don't write Ancestors, Looking for or Requesting information in the subject line. Almost all announcements are for requesting information. Don't write a place, like Bergen. That informartion is shown by the forum you write in. Personal name, name of farm and date are often good information to write. Don't use more capital letters than necessary. - Ask concrete questions
Don't waste the time of those who are willing to help you. Say clearly what you want to know more about. Children? Parents? Place where they lived? - Tell all you already know
Don't waste your helper's time. Take time to write all you already know and tell which sources you have used to find the information. It's not fun when you have used time to look for information and hear "I knew that from before". Remember to include links to information you have found on the internet, like census reports from Digitalarkivet. - Just one request in each message
Your requests are much easier to locate and work with if you don't put more than one in each message. - Make it clear whether you are creating a new topic or answering one that exists
If you enter a new message, make sure you don't do that by answering one that already exists. You must use the new topic button.
If you answer a existing question, be careful that you do it by using the answer button and don't begin a new topic. - Take time to formulate your messages well
Don't waste your helper's time. Take time to check for mistakes. Is it well written and complete, so that those who are willing to help you can understand everything? - Choose Watch this topic for replies when you answer in Slektsforum
Then you will receive an e-mail notification when someone has replied to your message. And you can follow up before your helper has forgotten what it is all about. - Write about the results of your search in Slektsforum
Both for those who have helped you and for others it can be useful to know whether the information you received was useful and correct. Therefore, please post feedback in the forum. - Don't include information about people who are living. Write in a pleasant way, no attacks on individuals
As a general practice, Slektsforum does not accept information about living persons. Messages shall not be offensive, unfriendly, or contain spam (advertisements). If you have a complaint regarding this, you can warn the administration at [email protected] . Use the same address if you have other complaints about individuals, users or their messages. Don't write such complaints in the actual forum - such messages will be removed.
By violation of this rule (number 10), the moderators will issue a warning. Repeated incidents will lead to exclusion from the forum for at least two months.
Questions? Use the area About this service. We will answer as fast as we can. You will also find several entries with ideas about how you can get the most out of your announcement and visit in Slektsforum. And of course, you may enter messages in English as well as in Norwegian!
Good luck!
PS: Have you remembered to thank those who have used their time to help you?