2018 Webinar Series – The 7 Pillars Approach Posted 11 January 2018 by Tessa KeoughNew Year – New Projects As we welcome the new year, the Guild welcomes a new endeavor – our 2018 Webinar Series. We hope you will join us on the third Tuesday of each month to learn more about surname research, one-name studies, and the 7 Pillars approach to conducting a one-name study. The topics presented (data gathering, mapping, publishing, DNA, social media, continuing education, and preservation) are useful for one-name studies but also can be applied to family history research in general. Why webinars? In our most recent surveys (both the geographic survey and the USA member survey) you told us you want to learn more about methodology and be able to ask questions or get tips on how others go about their studies. In 2018 we will focus on just that so there should be something for everyone, whether you are new to surname research and one-name studies OR an old hand. We also hope this webinar series will introduce the larger genealogy and family history community to the wonderful world of surname research! These webinars are free and open to the public – so members and non-members alike are welcome. Non-members will be able to attend the webinar live and/or watch the recording for one week after the webinar broadcast. After that, the recordings will go behind the member pay wall, as a member’s only benefit (with the exception of the first webinar What We Do which will always be available). We are hosting our webinar series through the GoToWebinar platform. A few quick points to keep in mind You MUST register in advance to participate and there are a limited number of spaces Each webinar will have a registration link (simply click on it to be taken to the GoToWebinar website) Enter your name, email address and possibly a few questions (depending on the presenter or topic) and submit your registration. You will receive a confirmation of your registration by email. You will receive reminders before the webinar (usually 1 week before and 1 day before the webinar) The confirmation and reminder email will have information on joining the webinar and, if applicable, accessing handout material On the day of the webinar, simply click on the link that you received in your invitation to join the webinar MORE INFORMATION AND A SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING WEBINARS WILL BE POSTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. STAY TUNED! ****UPDATE: Anyone here at the Guild Website can now use the DropDown Menu – EVENTS and then WEBINAR EVENTS to check out the schedule, topics, and register for our January and February webinars.**** We look forward to seeing you at our webinars.
Geographic Members’ Survey 2017 – Full results Posted 7 January 2018 by Paul HowesSome preliminary results from the survey of members’ studies appear in the January 2018 edition of the Journal (see page 33). For those that are curious or would like to see more detail, the information is now available on the Guild website. This shows results for each of the questions, with a summary and details. https://guild-dev.org/geographic-survey-2017-results We hope that members will find this interesting, and we believe that the data gathered through the survey will be helpful for education and marketing initiatives which we will be working on in the coming months. The survey team
USA Member Survey – 1 Week Left To Take Our Survey Posted 17 December 2017 by Tessa KeoughA quick reminder that the USA Member Survey will close in one week. To-date we have received 99 responses (we have 363 USA members). If you are a USA member you should have received an email with a link to the Survey in mid-November (a few days after you received our November 2017 Newsletter). If you received the email, made a note to get back to it and haven’t taken the Survey yet, please use the link below to take the Survey NOW (don’t wait, you know you will forget). If you are new to the Guild since November you may have been missed, but no worries – just click on the link below and take the Survey. The Survey is a Google Forms survey and takes 10-15 minutes to complete (trust me it is painless). Your responses will help us determine what we are getting right, what we need to work on, and what you would like us to focus on in 2018. Thanks to those of you who have already responded and I’m hoping to hear from the rest of you SOON! Tessa Keough (USA National Guild Rep/USA West Regional Rep) Take Me To The USA Member Survey
Family History Handbook 2018 Posted 23 November 2017 by Julie GoucherThe Guild is featured on page 25 of the recently published Family History Handbook 2018 which is published by Family Tree Magazine in association with the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS). Also listed is a number of surname specific family history associations and societies. Here is what the Guild Chairman, Paul Howes said about the Guild on page 54 “Established in 1979, the Guild exists to further the study of surnames, both in educating the public and encouraging our members to study particular surnames. We have about 3,000 members around the world studying a total of almost 9,000 surnames including variant spellings. We support members by providing seminars, a quarterly journal, discounts and shared databases. Our marriage database contains over 1.1 million marriages. We have 169 active websites for members at one-name.net Today, the global nature of the internet has made it simple to acquire data from across the world and see scans of original records, largely obviating the need to visit churches for parish registers. Larger studies can operate with teams across multiple countries. And we have seen recent growth in surnames under study from outside the British Isles, now about 70. DNA adds to the fun for surname studies! see https://guild-dev.org/dna-introduction/ for an easy-to-read tutorial. The two really precious things about the Guild are the collaboration between members and the diversity of our studies. We can learn from each other because we are all trying different things. Think the Guild is for others? Think again! Check https://guild-dev.org to see if one of your surnames is being studied. If you find one, use the email button to contact the member. Perhaps you can help them or they you. If the surname is not being studied, what are you waiting for – it’s time to start your surname study.” If your interest has been whetted, but you are not sure where to start why not explore the Starting Your One-Name Study pages. The next Introduction to One-Name Studies taught by Pharos Tutoring and Teaching begins in February 2018