Dear Member

 

To date the Genealogical Society of Victoria has been represented online by its website, Facebook and Twitter pages. Last year we added a closed Facebook Group for the GSV Writers Circle to share common interests. Now, we are pleased to announce that we have a fully functioning Blog as well.

 

The website (sandbox.gsv.org.au) is the public face of the GSV. It can be accessed to obtain information about forthcoming events and activities, to ascertain available resources, including the library catalogue and digitized resources, and to explore opportunities for research assistance. There is an enhanced Members’ Area which provides access to an expanded catalogue and other online resources.

 

The GSV Facebook site (https://www.facebook.com/gsv.org.au/) provides frequent updates in relation to events and general genealogical information, while GSV Writers Circle Facebook site (https://www.facebook.com/groups/198397623850171/?fref=nf) is a private online forum for GSV members to discuss, share and comment on matters related to writing about family history.

 

In the past, GSV also provided mailing list forums for members via Ancestry's RootsWeb (GSV mailing list and AUS-VIC-GEN-GROUPS), but these are now little used and are no longer supported. We plan to explore other options for providing an online forum for members, but the new Blog and our Facebook sites provide opportunities for you to easily communicate with us.

 

 

We are excited to announce the Blog as the latest digital feature of the GSV. (https://sandbox.gsv.org.au/welcome-to-the-gsv-blog) Here you will find a potentially ever-widening range of posts on topics such as book reviews, new and/or interesting resources available in the GSV Library, news from the broader world of genealogy, and reports from and information about the activities of the various GSV groups. We think you will find it a useful and interesting addition to your genealogical world. The Blog posts will all be written by GSV volunteers, so if you have a post that you would like to share, perhaps you might submit it to the Blog Editor for consideration: blog@gsv.org.au. The Blog is available for viewing by all visitors but only registered users are able to post comments.

 

It is planned to register all members of the GSV as users. This means that you will receive an email whenever anything new is posted on the blog. This is an easy way to alert you to information that you might otherwise miss. However, if you decide that you do not want to receive these emails, it will be possible for you to remove yourself from the email list. You will still be a registered user, and still able to post comments, but you will not be alerted to any new posts. Once the task of registering all of the members as Blog users is completed, we will publish a Blog post explaining how you can remove yourself from the email list if you so desire.

 

The Blog can be accessed in the following ways:

• by clicking on the icon on the bottom blue panel of the website Home Page
• by accessing this url: https://sandbox.gsv.org.au/welcome-to-the-gsv-blog/
• by using search terms such as ‘Family History Matters’ or ‘GSV Blog’

 

1. As a GSV Member you will automatically be given access to the Blog as part of your Membership, without you needing to register or do anything.
2. You should soon receive a welcome email with your Blog username (your membership number) and your initial Blog password. The email subject will be: “Welcome to Family History Matters at GSV - Your Blog registration has been approved.”
3. Your Blog username will be the same as the one you use on the main GSV site but the initial password will be a different, system-generated one, which you can change. Your email address will be the same in both cases.
4. The address of the Blog is: https://sandbox.gsv.org.au/welcome-to-the-gsv-blog
5. You can read articles on the Blog without having to log in. You only need to log in with your Blog username/email address and password if you wish to post a comment about one of the Blog posts, or you need to change your notification settings.
6. If you do need to log in, you can use either your Blog username or your email address.
7. You will receive an email notification whenever anything new is posted on the Blog but you can opt out if you wish. We will publish a Blog post which explains how to do this.
8. If you have a post that you would like to share, you can submit it to the Blog Editor for consideration: blog@gsv.org.au

 

As members, you can help promote the GSV by actively supporting us on social media and by letting your friends see what we do. ‘Likes’ on our Facebook pages, reposting or tweeting Blog posts and your posted Comments on both Facebook and the Blog will be especially welcome.

 

David Down

President