Did you know that Facebook can be a useful tool for genealogists? There are a few ways that you can use the very popular social networking site to increase your knowledge about genealogy and discover your family’s history.
The first and most obvious use for Facebook as a genealogist’s tool is connecting with living relatives. You can look up the names of your family members to see whether they are on Facebook, and send them friend requests. In no time at all, you will be able to exchange messages and pictures with your family. You can even look at the profiles of your family members to see what other relatives they have listed as friends and become friends with them too.
Facebook has a family tree application, which you can use to build a family tree. You can also share your family tree with others after you have created it. Or, if you need help filling in some of the blanks, you can send it around to your family to see if anyone has any answers.
There are some great genealogy groups on Facebook, too. By joining one or more of these groups, you can learn about genealogy in general or access information specific to a particular culture or even a specific surname. You can read questions that others have posted on the group message boards, and even post a few of your own. Who knows, someone may have some creative ideas to help you get through that brick wall that you have run into.
As a note of caution to those of you who have never used Facebook before – it can be addictive. If you use it in a way that works for you and you limit the amount of time that you spend online just as you would limit the amount of television you watch, or any other thing that could interfere with getting the other things that you need to do done, you will be just fine.
Who will you connect with on Facebook?