Building a Great (Genealogical) Society

There is a new social networking site which is well on its way to becoming the genealogist's version of Facebook. It is called Genealogy Wise and you can check it out at www.genealogywise.com. Lots of interest groups where you can join and participate in dicsussions, including one for the Topeka Genealogical Society.

Today, I discovered a group called "Save Our (Local Genealogical) Societies," established by Deason Hunt. An interesting forum for discussion of the challenges currently facing many genealogical societies. Declining memberships due to busy lives and availability of genealogical information on the Internet are pushing many genealogical societies to the brink of closure. Those that survive will do so because they offer something that can't be found through the Internet --- social interaction with other genealogists, unique research resources, knowledge of and access to the local resources, learning opportunities, and other services.

When you join a genealogical society or decide to renew an existing membership, whether it is a group in the area where you live or a distant one, what does the society offer that you find worth the price? Together, let's generate a list, and define what the great genealogical society of tomorrow would look like.

I'll start off:

1. High-quality educational and learning opportunities for all levels of genealogists
2. Expertise in the local genealogical records


Now it's your turn.......