Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei
The Italian-American Genealogy Group (Washington, DC Metropolitan Area) held its quarterly meeting on April 9, 2016, at the Dolly Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean, VA. We had a good turnout with 18 members and guests in attendance. Marie V. Melchiori started the meeting at 10:10 a.m.
A long-time member of our Italian-American Genealogy Group, Brad Jansen, gave a well-prepared talk on using social media as an aide to our family searches. He has been researching his family genealogy for over 25 years. Brad provided computer-generated handout to show us how he uses Facebook and other Internet resources to reach out to distant family members who might otherwise be overlooked.
Brad
says: “In olden times, genealogists physically traveled to repositories
of records and leafed through books in musty basements to find
information. Now, records are being digitalized and stored online
with incredible frequency. Similarly, where we used to write
snail mail paper letters to send queries and share information, now we
communicate through ones and zeros. Similarly, social media
collaboration opens up great opportunities for genealogists. I
started a Facebook group for my mother's maternal side (my grandmother
being the oldest of 14 kids), which now has 100 people from Cincinnati
and across the US, as well as in Avellino, Italy and across Europe;
Cousins that didn't know others existed now message each other and meet
when traveling, as well as regularly sharing pics and stories.
But social media groups aren't just for direct relatives: groups exist
for geographic locations, ethic groups, handwriting analysis, digital
photo restoration and much more--all with others willing to help each
other out with advice, lookups, and sharing information. Not only
are people there waiting to help you--don't be stingy! Join and
help someone else out too!”
During his talk we had a number of questions, answers and comments about computer security. There are trade-offs between the freedom to share information and privacy issues. We discussed the concerns limiting access to genealogical sources and new restrictions imposed by certain agencies protecting open source data. Brad and others explained how to adjust your computer settings to avoid unwanted intrusions from others outside your selected family groups.
Following Brad’s presentation we had our usual round table discussion about our research results and questions and new websites resources.
Anne Jeffery is stepping down as Webmaster. She volunteered to take over this task a few years ago and has done a great job. Carda and Paul Trauero have returned to the area and Paul has volunteered to be our new Webmaster. They are also knowledgeable on the workings of Facebook and help our members with privacy questions and issued.
Be sure to visit our website for news and information on our next meeting. Also go to our Facebook Page and ask to join our friends. Both our webpage, our Facebook page and emails can keep us informed about future events and help us stay connected with our mutual interests.
Website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vapip6gs/
Facebook Page: facebook.com/groups/930431287038610/