C is for Calendar Posted 4 April 2017 by Tessa KeoughNo one wants to forget an important date, whether in our personal lives or our Guild lives. Lucky for us, the Guild has a calendar here at our Website listing every event from regional Guild meetings to international family history conferences. The calendar is available to all – whether you are a Guild member or simply an interested genealogist. All events are are shown on the monthly calendar and include the date and time, location, links if pre-registration is necessary, links to help you map the location, and a link to the Guild contact who can answer any questions about the event. The events are also listed on the right-hand side of the page in two categories: future seminars & conferences AND regional events & fairs. Guild events are scheduled through 2018. You can find the Guild calendar by going to the drop-down menu on the Home page, selecting Events and then selecting Calendar. The current month is shown but you can also plan ahead by choosing a future month at the top of the calendar. Want to focus on future seminars offered by the Guild? Than select Seminar Events (rather than Calendar) and check out the seminars planned through July 2018. What’s My Line will take place on May 6th, 2017 and is all about occupations. So why not visit the Guild Website and check out our calendar of events. find out what the Guild is up to by checking out the calendar!
B is for Brand Posted 3 April 2017 by Tessa KeoughWhat is a brand? While there are many definitions, in simplest terms a brand is what differentiates one thing from another. For our purposes it is the identity of our organization. What comes to mind when you think of the Guild? Hopefully, what you think of is the people who make up our organization – whether that is fellow members, postholders, or committee. Who the Guild is was on display at last weekend’s Guild Conference & AGM and will again be on display at Who Do You Think You Are? Live in Birmingham later this week. Who is the Guild? On a practical level (1) we are individual one-name researchers who have joined together to learn from each other and share our expertise with those who engage in family history and social history research, and (2) we operate as a charity and strive to educate not only our members but also the public. On an emotional level (1) we enjoy getting together with others who do this type of specialized study, (2) we provide help with methodology and technology, (3) we answer questions, (4) we teach others how to approach a one-name study and are enthusiastic supporters of anyone who takes one on, and (5) we identify new programs, such as the Members’ Website Project or the FamilySearch Initiative, to meet and exceed our members’ expectations. Our brand is also the sum total of the experiences our members and the public have with the Guild. Our logo symbolizes our brand and it is important to be clear, concise and consistent – hence the use of our current logo and our colors (Guild blue and gold) on all our publicity, marketing, and references to the Guild. As a reminder our current logo can be found here at our Website (at the drop down menu – Resources – Publicity & Marketing – Guild Logos). Why not check to make sure you are using our current logo your newsletters, websites, and the like. However, the most important consideration for our brand is that we continue to provide value to members and a positive experience to the public. We don’t intend to take our members for granted as we continue to earn our well-regarded reputation in the field of surname research and one-name studies.
A is for About the Guild Posted 1 April 2017 by Tessa KeoughWhat are the top 6 things to know about the Guild? We are a worldwide organization with over 2,700 members in 30 countries. We are a registered charity and take our status seriously by providing education and assistance to members and non-members alike. The materials freely available at our website about the methodology of one-name studies and the use of DNA studies with surname research is impressive. The majority of our members have a registered study, but it is not a requirement. Anyone interested in surnames and one-name studies is welcome to join us. Our most recent program, the Members’ Website Project, helps members host and preserve their one-name studies – it’s a huge hit! What do you think others should know about the Guild?