[SIGCIS-Members] Internet history and online genealogy

[Janet Abbate]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this. I had referred him to the  
US National Archives, since genealogical queries are a major portion  
of the information requests they get from the public, but I had no  
special knowledge of the Internet side of this.

Janet

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> > From: Josh Tapper <josh.tapper at gmail.com>
> > Date: April 30, 2010 2:48:42 PM EDT
> > To: abbate at computer.org
> > Subject: question, re: Internet history and online genealogy
> >
> > Dear Prof. Abbate,
> >
> > My name is Josh Tapper;; I'm a freelance journalist and student at
> > the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York. For the
> > past few months I've been reporting a story on the rise of
> > mainstream, or popular, genealogy and what that means for the field
> > at large. Ancestry.com, an online genealogy search engine and data
> > compiler, is the world's most prominent source for genealogical
> > research. Essentially, it controls how people do genealogy.
> >
> > Generally speaking, genealogy has been on the web for years. I've
> > often heard that it's one of the most search topics. I've also
> > heard that genealogy (and porn) was behind most Internet activity.
> >
> > I was hoping you might be able to comment on the historical
> > relationship between genealogy and the Internet. If not, would you
> > be able to recommend someone who might?
> >
> > Thank you very much,
> >
> > -Josh Tapper
> > M.S. Magazine '10
> > Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
>


Dr. Janet Abbate
Dept. of Science & Technology in Society
Virginia Tech