Following BerksFHS – What You Are Missing
In the last issue, we looked at how to get started on social media safely and with confidence. This time, we want to focus closer to home – on a few of the channels that Berkshire Family History Society runs, and what you will find if you choose to follow us. We’ll start with the main ones and tell you about the others in a later article.
We are not a large organisation with a dedicated social media team. We are, like everything at BerksFHS, run entirely by volunteers. But we do maintain several online spaces, and each one serves a slightly different purpose. Here is a guide to what is where, and what you will get from each.
The BerksFHS Facebook Group – ‘Berkshire Genealogy’
The Facebook Group Berkshire Genealogy is open to members and non-members alike. This is our most conversational space – the online equivalent of chatting at one of our events or meetings. It has existed for many years, facilitated by a couple of our volunteers who do a great job.
What you will find there:
- Queries and discussions. Members post research questions – “Has anyone come across the Higgs family in Newbury in the 1840s?” or “I can’t make out this word in a burial register – can anyone help?” – and other members respond. The collective knowledge in a group like this is genuinely impressive.
- Interesting finds. Members share photographs, transcriptions, and discoveries that they think others will enjoy.
- News and links. Relevant articles, newly released record sets, and items of local historical interest get shared here.
- A friendly atmosphere. This is worth emphasising. Family history communities tend to be extraordinarily welcoming, because everyone has been a bewildered beginner at some point.
You do not need to post to benefit from the group. Many members read along quietly for months before they pluck up the courage to post a query – and when they do, they are rarely disappointed.
The BerksFHS Facebook Page – ‘Berkshire Family History Society’
The Facebook Page is a different beast from the Group. Where the Group is a conversation, the Page is more like a noticeboard. It is where you will find:
- Events posted automatically as we add them to our calendar – talks, workshops, fairs, and social events.
- Society announcements and news.
- Links to articles and resources we think members will find useful.
The Page is public, which means you do not even need a Facebook account to read it – you can visit it directly in a web browser. However, if you follow the Page while logged into Facebook, new posts will appear in your feed automatically, which is much more convenient than remembering to check.
The BerksFHS Forum
Our website includes a long-established members’ Forum, which you can find at berksfhs.org – use the menu option Community > Community (Forum). This is perhaps the least well-known of our online spaces, and it deserves more attention than it gets.
The Forum is better suited to longer, more in-depth discussions than social media. If you have a complex research problem you would like to work through in detail, or if you want to search back through previous discussions on a topic, the Forum is the place to go. Unlike a Facebook group, where older posts gradually disappear from view, Forum threads stay organised and searchable.
Every member has automatic access to the Forum – there is no need to register separately.
Which should you choose?
You do not have to choose just one – but if you are new to all of this and want to start somewhere, we would suggest:
- Start with the Facebook Page (Berkshire Family History Society). You can read it without an account, and following it will keep you up to date with events.
- When you feel ready, join the Facebook Group (Berkshire Genealogy). Even as a quiet reader, you will find it rewarding.
- Explore the Forum if you have a research question that would benefit from a longer discussion.
In a later article we will introduce you to the full range of platforms where BerksFHS has a presence – there are more than you might expect. But these three are the best place to start.
In the next article, we will venture beyond BerksFHS and explore the much wider world of family history communities online.
Next issue: Beyond BerksFHS – the family history internet.
