Genealogy lists and webrings

[waltreams]

There's been a lot of discussion about how to get better indexing through google and other search engines. Personally, I don't want a lot of Google exposure. That is asking for more traffic from hackers and wannabe hackers (especially if you think of my surname and what search results it may be associated with.

Although a lot of people "google" their surname, everyone needs to remember that a lot of people start off their genealogy experience with FTM and the ensuing links to Ancestry.com, etc. (ditto for the other high-profile software suites). Although my traffic may never be on any top-10 list, I am quite happy with people finding me through genforum, ancestry.com, and other lists.

So what lists and webrings are available? Here's a couple.

Genforum

Genealogy Today

C'mon folks! Post up!!

p.s.

this is not intended to be a flame toward the people working on search optimization. I just don't believe that google will help my target audience find me.

[Scotty]

TNG Network

Open Directory Project

TNG Webring

are a few that come to mind...

Scotty

[Rush]

Cyndi's List

My Cinnamon Toast

Rush

[sjwinslow]

Here is a url that will locate potential subject oriented web sites where you can add you site's url. Some sites want money others are free. Use a subject such as "genealogy" to locate sites that have the correct area of context.

I was able to find several that looked like they were oriented to genealogy and were free or just required a reciprocal link.

http://www.webconfs.com/backlink-builder.php

Steve

[Smack]

In addition to submitting a site to Google, Live Search, and Yahoo! in order to "put the word out" on a site and to have it indexed, it's a good idea to submit a site to some of the family history-specific search engines, indexes, message boards, email lists, etc. While the Big 3 will certainly improve organic search results, generally speaking family history-specific search engines, indexes, et. al. are where knowledgeable researchers most likely spend their search time on the Internet.

By submitting a site to the Big 3 and using some combination of the following methods, a website is more likely to hit most if not all of the target market - at least according to Cyndi Howells, and who can argue with the queen of "Internet family history"?

Genealogy Web Indexes and Search Engines

Here's a list of "Genealogy Web Indexes and Search Engines" to which a site can be submitted. (Note: Some of these are already mentioned in other posts, but on one or two, the links didn't work. This "list" is from Cyndi Howells' "Planting Your Family Tree Online", pp. 213-214 - a little dated, but still a decent resource):

Cyndi's List - http://www.cyndislist.com/submitnewlink.htm

FamilySearch - http://www.familysearch.org/eng/share/add/frameset_add.asp (Note: you might have to be a registered user)

The Genealogy Home Page - www.genhomepage.com

Genealogy Resources on the Internet - www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/internet.html

RootsWeb.com / RootsLinks - http://resources.rootsweb.com/~rootslink/search.html

Mailing Lists and Message Boards

John Fuller and Christine Gaunt have one of the oldest genealogy web sites on the Internet (see Genealogy Resources on the Internet above). Typically, at least according to Cyndi, you can use either Fuller's site or the RootsWeb index to locate the mailing lists that "best fit for the purpose(s) and topic(s) for your web site".

Two of the most popular message boards are RootsWeb/Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com. The message boards are located at:

RootsWeb/Ancestry.com - http://boards.rootsweb.com/?o_iid=33216&o_lid=33216

Genealogy.com - http://genforum.genealogy.com/

You can essentially use the same message for email lists as you can for message boards. She gives descriptions on what to include in the book, but it's your typical stuff such as website description, proper title for site, complete URL, signed with full real name, and real email address. Some email lists are archived and most message boards are archived, so they can be easily searched by interested researchers in the months and years ahead and get pointed to your site.

Cyndi also mentions three "general-interest" mailing lists on Fuller's site to announce your site. the "ROOTS-L" list is the best-known mailing list. This list can be found at http://www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_email.html.

She also suggests another approach to email lists and message boards; e.g. using the "surname-specific" or "locality-specific" lists or boards to further identify specific surnames or locations you are currently working on. These can be found using the links above to RootsWeb and Genealogy.com.

Online Columnists and Editors

Another group to target is online genealogy columnists and editors. She suggests a more formal email to this group and asking them to announce your site in their next newsletter, etc. These include:

Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter - www.eogn.com which is now http://blog.eogn.com/

Missing Links: A Magazine for Genealogists - www.petuniapress.com

RootsWeb Review (only for sites hosted by RootsWeb) - e-zine.rootsweb.com

UpFront with NGS - upfront@ngsgenealogy.org

Surname Registry Sites

Since most researchers start with their ancestor's surname when conducting a search, it makes good sense to submit your URL to these sites and emphasize the surnames that are most important in your research efforts. These sites include:

Connect with Surnames - www.connectwithsurnames.com

Surname Resources at RootsWeb - resources.rootsweb.com/surnames

Surname Springboard - http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2154/spring.htm

Surname Web - www.surnameweb.org

Cyndi's List - General Surname Sites - http://www.cyndislist.com/surn-gen.htm

I initially launched my website in the middle of August and so far have submitted my site to the big G and Yahoo! Due to other activities, I wasn't able to pursue these other methods until today, but when I did, I saw an immediate spike in activity. While expected, over time I expect these other methods to help me better reach my target audience. I thought I would list them here in case some of you might find this information useful...

Greg

...sorry some of the links didn't come out - just didn't have time to fix it after such a lengthy post...