W is for Wiki Posted 27 April 2017 by Peggy ChapmanWhat is the Guild wiki? It is a members benefit and members will need to be logged in to view the wiki pages. It represents the collective knowledge of many Guild members on topics ranging from surnames, to conducting a one-name study, to resources by country, to genealogy software, well, almost anything you can think of relevant to a one-name study. Before you ask a question, try searching the wiki first and you may get the answer you are seeking, or a link to an external resource. Certainly if you are new to a one-name study, you will see all the pillars of wisdom described and different ways of managing your study. Where do you find the wiki? It is the first topic under the Resources tab on the home page of the Guild website. The contents of the wiki are displayed in several ways, and you can choose a traditional Table of Contents or you can choose other ways to search, such as, alphabetically or most popular wiki pages. See the screenshot below for an examples. The website and wiki editors team have completed the migration from the older system and if you have not visited the wiki recently, now is the time to do so. Some sections have been revised, updated or if no longer relevant, may have been deleted or assigned to another area of the wiki. Do you have a topic that you are particularly interested in? For example, you have looked at the wiki content for mapping. Mapping is an area where new developments are occurring rapidly and if new content is added, you would like to know. At the very bottom of a wiki section, you will see “Notify me of changes”. Click on this and you should get notified if new content is added. Do you have information that doesn’t seem to be included on the wiki and is a source useful for one-namers? You can add content to the wiki, but first ensure it is not duplicate information, is not breaking copyright laws ( no cutting and pasting of others’ information) and familiarise yourself with how to edit, and the layout of the wiki. If in doubt, you can always email the Wiki Coordinator – the email contact is provided on the first page of the wiki.
V is for Volunteering Posted 26 April 2017 by Peggy ChapmanEverything that you see, or hear, or do, in the Guild of One-Name Studies is prepared, maintained or facilitated by an individual volunteer or a group of volunteers. It is how the Guild runs and a total of hours donated by these volunteers would be staggering. Just take a moment to think of how many volunteers have interacted with you during your membership: it began with processing your application to join and ensuring your details were posted to the register; your first of many contacts from a regional representative; the website that is developed, maintained and enhanced for ease of communication and sharing of information; forums, Facebook, Twitter; the assistance and information when you first set up a DNA project; an annual conference; seminars in your region; the new webinar strategy; the website project and the Family Search option; the setup of stands to promote and educate and those who staff the stands, and of course, the Committee that takes on the administration of the Guild. So many of you have given of your time over the years, and benefit from the experience and engagement that comes from participating in these roles. For the first time, I recently volunteered on the stand at WDYTYA in Birmingham. I was impressed by the knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication of the volunteers. This is a great way to keep connected as well as to share what you know and to learn from your colleagues. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. In every organisation, there are some volunteers who have to take on too much. If the work is shared, it makes everyone’s job easier to manage. Do you think that you have to be in the UK to volunteer? I am on a team where the members are from Australia, Ireland, Canada, USA, and the UK. Do you want to help but you’re not sure what you can do? The screenshot below shows where you can get some information on volunteering for specific roles. See the job descriptions and check out the Volunteer Opportunities. But also remember the many other activities that do not require an ongoing commitment: marriage challenges; event assistance; seminar organising; writing an article for the Journal; submitting information for the indexes. There will be an opportunity that meets yours interests and skills!
U is for Unified Marriage Index Posted 24 April 2017 by Julie GoucherOne of the biggest attributes that the Guild offers members is the numerous indexes (you need to be logged in to access them). In recent months a decision has been taken to merge the various marriage indexes into one offering a wider and more comprehensive index for members. This merged index will be known as the Guild Unified Marriage Index. Many Guild members submit their own material to the indexes so that others may benefit. Of course the biggest benefit is to members who can access the full data available, but non members, should they search for any given surname will find that the search results will also indicate if the surname appears in one of the indexes and many instances are to be found. I am personally submitting material that is relevant to my own family history and then moving on to records from my own One-Name Studies. Do you use the Guild indexes? and have you submitted material? Or perhaps if not, why not?
T is for…….Twitter! Posted 24 April 2017 by Julie GoucherThe Guild, like many genealogical and family history organisations across the globe has a social media presence and that includes Twitter. You can follow us @GuildOneName and interact with us as we share snippets of information from seminars, conference, stand events, Pharos course information where you can discover when the next Introduction course to One-Name Studies will run, or the Advanced One-Name Studies course. Do you follow the Guild Twitter feed?