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Sharing Your Family History Online

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Member Reviews

As I’ve just started the process of tracing my family history, I found this to be a very informative book with a number of practical suggestions on how to research my family history, including websites that can assist in the process. A practical guide that I intend to use to the full during my research.

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My thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for a copy of “ Sharing Your Family History Online “ for an honest review.
As someone who has been looking into my family history for over 10:years I have appreciated any help I can get for my research. Pen and Sword publications have never failed me , and Chris Paton is someone whose advice has been invaluable..There is something in this publication to help both the beginner and more advanced in Family History..A really informative and helpful book which I cannot recommend highly enough.

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This is a fantastic, thorough, and informative reference book for anyone researching their family history. I have been researching mine for many years and I have still found it to be a very useful guide. It is packed with useful websites for researching and recording your family information, as well as a clear explanation of DNA testing and what choices you have when selecting a test. The book is very readable and I would recommend it to beginners and experienced genealogists alike. Thank you to Chris Paton, Net Galley and Pen & Sword Family History for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I found this to be a very informative book with many suggestions on how to research your family history. There are many websites that the author mentions as well as other ways to learn about your relatives. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Pen & Sword for my honest review.

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Introduces the topic of genealogy into the digital age, with a good grounding in all aspects such as social media, genealogy websites. and other hints and tips using the internet.
A good amount of ideas and links within the book gives a beginner a good start.
If you are PC literate and have a good knowledge of all things digital then the book will be of limited use, for those who don't have this knowledge then its a great guide to starting research on your family tree online.

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I was given an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. I have been gathering my family history for quite some time now and am in the process of putting it all together for my children and grandchildren so I thought this book might be especially helpful. When I 'wished' for this book, I had no idea it was a United Kingdom publication. That being said, author Chris Paton geared it toward genealogy in England, Ireland, and Scotland. While this surprised me, I was not disappointed as my great-grandmother on my dad's side was of English descent. She died very young and I have not found a lot of information about her. Paton has given me some solid suggestions on where I might research her side of the family. He also made many good points that any researcher should heed. First off, just because something is in writing (on the web or in print) does not necessarily mean it is true. Do your homework and you might be surprised to find things are not quite as they seem. It would be a shame to continue propagating misinformation, which I can assure you happens all the time. Paton not only gives some sound advice, he also provides detailed explanations on various genealogy websites and how to navigate through them. Believe me, it can get complicated. He also has some good pointers about documenting your family history. He certainly knows his stuff. He also talks about the many cousins he's met through his research and how as a team they have worked together. I, too, have found a cousin who lives clear across the country. We have pooled our resources and helped each other by sharing family photos and some pretty significant research surprises. I will definitely keep this book as a companion guide and reference it while I research and write my family's story. Nicely done, Chris Paton!

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Sharing Your Family History Online: A Guide for Family Historians by Chris Paton
Publisher: Pen & Sword
Genre: History | Nonfiction (Adult)
Release Date: January 31, 2021

Sharing Your Family History Online: A Guide for Family Historians by Chris Paton is an extensive resource for someone conducting genealogy research on their family and looking to share their family history with others.

As someone who started doing research into my family history during my time at home this past year, I found this book to be filled with useful information! The author provides information where to research your ancestry, as well as contacting relatives (known and possible discoveries). There is a whole chapter dedicated to collaboration and crowdsourcing, as well as one for recording your family history using software, websites, and online family tree sites. I found the chapter on DNA to be very interesting since it provided detailed information for multiple online testing sites. Finally, it closes with a chapter on sharing and preserving family stories.

I really appreciate the information provided in this book and will be buying a copy for my mother as her retirement gift, since she has been wanted to take a deep dive into her family history.

I'm so grateful to Chris Paton, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

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Chris Paton has written many books about how to research your family history. His previous books have mostly concentrated on how to build your family tree, how to get more information. In Sharing Your Family History Online, he shifts the focus to taking your discoveries and sharing them with others.

Of course you can put everything you want onto the internet and let the world sort through it. But Paton shows you the benefits of considering who you want your audience to be, what you want to tell them, and how and where you can best accomplish your goals. He outlines websites and formats, walks you through choosing a blogging platform, and alternatives to blogs such as videos or podcasts. He also explains copyright and privacy concerns, and although his audience is primarily in the United Kingdom, the principles also apply to the United States and other countries. Just be sure to check the copyright and privacy laws in your own jurisdiction.

The book is not long (144 pages with illustrations) but it is packed with information and ideas. He includes a substantial section on the ins and outs of DNA testing and results. He shares advice about how to respond to those who contact you once you've put your family history out there. He's very candid about both the potential benefits and pitfalls of sharing your work online. This is an excellent resource for any family historian. (Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword Books for providing a digital review copy.)

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I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. As a genealogist for over 30 years, I found the information information very useful. Most of the links provided were from the UK, but the information was still very valuable. I will be purchasing this book for my library.

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