For starters

I have been recording Family History and a certain amount of 'Local' history on my web site at www.fivenine.co.uk. I call it "My Notebook". It is not neccessarily 'gospel' but my knowledge/thoughts at the present. I only withhold information regarding living individuals (or those whom I don't know to have died and who were born less than 100 years ago!)

I dislike 'social media' such as Facebook,etc since they demand personal information (however minimal) before allowing you to view their content. I trust that this and subsequent blogs will be accessible without such constraints.

I wanted a way to allow my fellow researchers to discuss the 'notes' I was publishing on my website and to query the data/conclusions or add open-ended questions without neccesarily involving me as an intermediary.

I have read many postings on the web complaining about people republishing information they have been supplied with without acknowledgement - eg by adding the information to family trees on Ancestry or similar sites. The information may be inapplicable - ie wrong - but it is least polite to acknowledge the work of others that you build upon. On the other hand to ignore other's researches is to re-invent the wheel - again and again and again. A published ancestry must be re-researched but can provide many clues as to fruitful avenues of research. I regret the attitude of 'You show me yours and I will show you mine' but I understand that many examples of abuse have led to disillusionment. I have had correspondents who complain when I republish information that the send me. My policy is to publish all information which I have discovered and I only have regrets if it is republished for commercial gain. I proudly acknowledge my debt to my father's cousin, Joan Shrewsbury, who provided the foundation on which I have built. She researched in the days before the Internet in many record offices in north-west England and I believe that this is still the only way to research in depth. However the Internet will reveal many family links which it was never practical to find in earlier years.

For those who are interested my nom-de-plume will be easy to penetrate but it may give minimal protection against spammers.

Alan of Durham