Social Networking Sites for Genealogy Research

Social networking sites are taking over the Internet. The three most popular ones right now are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These sites have thousands, if not millions, of members meeting people and reconnecting with people from their past.

Social networking sites can be a great resource for you when doing genealogy research. Since these sites have become so popular, so many people use them. This means you have a higher probability of finding a relative.

To use a social networking site for genealogy research, look up relatives’ name you would you like to search for. Gather information such as birth date and current location. Twitter doesn’t have as great of a search feature as Facebook and Myspace but you can still search for a name to see if your relative comes up. If not, turn to MySpace next. You can use their advanced search option to enter in name, birth date, location or any other information you may have. Then you will have to weed through the results of everyone that comes up with the information you provided. If you don’t find your relative, turn to Facebook next. The reason why you should start with MySpace first since it was much more popular before Facebook.

After finding whom you are looking for, send him/her a friend’s request and a message to let the person know who you are and what you are looking for. This could open up many more opportunities to find other relatives because one person can point you to many more.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes/563807635/)

July 3rd, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Family Trees | (0)