Forest of Dean FHT Forum

Posting Guidelines

Your query should be easy to read
Compose your new posting or reply in the traditional manner using:

• Paragraphs
• Punctuation
• Upper and lower case letters

Do not use all capital letters look like SHOUTING.
Do not use all small letters makes for laborious reading

Subject line is concise and specific

• Make sure that there is reference to the content of your query
• Only use all capital letters on surnames only
• Subject headings such as "Seeking Ancestor" or "Need help" are not good subject lines
• Valuable information to include in a subject line is name, date or time frame, and location

A good subject format might be:
William JONES born in Lydney about 1838

Before Posting a Message

• Have you searched the forum?
  On this forum we have over 10,000 previous postings and it is possible that your query may already have been asked by someone else and an answer posted.
  
• Have you searched the Parish Records on this Web site?
  When you register on this Web site you are able to post a message in the forum and also search through over 4000,000 Parish and Non-conformist records of the Forest of Dean and surrounding places.
  
  Be considerate to many people who answer queries on this forum of their time by first of all searching through the records yourself before seeking help with Baptism, Marriage and Burial details.

Keep to Forest of Dean People and Places
Only post messages relating to people and places connected in some way to the Forest of Dean or near by bordering places. Like the name of this Web site indicates, we specialise in the area of the Forest of Dean.

Do not use this forum in searching for Living Relatives
This forum is not the place to start looking for Adopted and Living Relatives as it can cause great misery and distress, and will not be allowed here. Read more...

Do not post information of Living People
The posting of personal data such as dates of birth and address of living persons is strictly forbidden as it is a breach of General Data Protection Regulations in addition to posing a risk of Identity of Theft.

Do not put an email address in your post or give your email address as your username
Having your (or other peoples) email address in your posts leaves you wide open to spammers and spam bots. We will delete email addresses in posts. Other people can contact you direct by using the Email button which is on any posts you submit providing you have made yourself email contactable by ticking the appropriate box in your Profile.

Keep your query limited to one request.
For example, do not ask a look-up person, for everything they have on the WILLIAMS surname, in the area. Asking for too much information at one time, may leave others feeling overwhelmed, thus decrease your chances for a response.

If you have more than one inquiry, post another query; by doing so, you will, also, eliminate any confusion of "whom" or "what" you are referencing.

Clearly state what information you hope to learn
For example, if you want to learn your ancestor's parents' names, state that. If you are looking for a marriage record, provide what related information that you can, i.e. approximate year of the event and the possible location.

It is difficult for someone to provide an answer, if they do not clearly understand the question.

Be kind and polite in your posting
Do not "flame" others by being authoritative, narrow-minded, or biased, with a conviction that your opinion is the only valid one, which leads to a personal attack on anyone who differs or disagrees with your stand, on a particular issue.

Be considerate of other people's time and your own
If you have already searched specific records, regarding the information that you are seeking, include those source titles in your query, so people responding to your query do not search the same sources, only to provide you with information that you already have.

Before finalising, carefully review the rough draft of your post
Try to put yourself in the position of the reader on the receiving end - someone who knows nothing about the ancestor that you are describing. Make sure that the data and query would be understood by a "perfect stranger," because one of them just might turn out to hold the answer to your query or possess a publication, from which they could find the answer for you.

Before sending, carefully proof-read, for errors and detail
Correct all "typos," check to see that all words are, fully, spelled out, dates are in an understandable format, and that you revise any unclear statements. Determine if you included all of the pertinent information about your ancestor by answering the "Who, What, Where, and When" questions? Are there any other details that you might add to help others identify with your ancestor?

By following these simple guidelines
You can reap great rewards from a query. It is a good way to make new friends, find relatives, and produce valuable genealogical information.