Facebook and You



facebookSocial media is everywhere and it can truly be helpful if used correctly. One good area is to share ideas, sources, databases, photos and questions with others doing similar research.

First way — after you get your own Facebook page — is to find out what is there on Facebook to help you.

Start with states where your ancestors lived. Put in the state name and genealogy. The Maryland Genealogy Facebook page has many topics covering a wide range. Some are links to help others and there are also questions asked or photos to identify. It might get a good written dialog started with others looking for similar things related to Maryland. Sometimes there is a Facebook page for a region of a state, a certain county or even some are a specific hometown. Try different ways.

Another search on Facebook is using ‘Family History’. This would be general research questions, links, comments made by people interested in genealogy. You can also go with a specific cultural group such as Irish genealogy, Scottish genealogy, or German genealogy. There you get some real help, especially with databases centered for that ethnic or cultural group. Each group will some to thousands of followers, so there might be some good sources to refer to on such a site.

facebook-2You have to try surnames also. There be none created yet or there could be several. Plus recheck a few months later, a specific surname Facebook might be running then. Putting in an ancestor’s surname will also reveal others with that name, maybe a ‘cousin’ you were unaware of is on Facebook. Also finding businesses with that same surname.

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