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Some topics are made 'Sticky' by board moderators to draw user's attention to them. 

A sticky topic always appears at the top of a board and will stay on Page 1.  New messages appear below it.  Topics may be made sticky for several reasons:

They may be Important New Information   
Often they are instructions for use of that particular board
They may be commonly asked questions
Or they may be lists of resources

If you receive an email notification that one of your topics has been made sticky,  this is because a moderator wanted to be sure it was noticed.  This may be because it is a question that has not been answered,  or it may be information the moderator felt was particularly useful to other users.  Either way you do not need to take any action,  but feel free to ask the moderator concerned to clarify the situation for you.

And,  If you see a new sticky on a board you use,  it is useful to read it,  you may save yourself some time. 

Kazza.

Hi all,

I know we have had lots of discussion on the Best software,  but what in Rootschatters opinions is the Easiest to use.

I have a good reason for asking,  I have been asked to recommend one to a computer newbie.  She has been tracing  her family for about 7 months,  and now the paper is becoming difficult to keep track of.

So I recommended she use some software,  but she is not convinced she could manage it.  If it looks too complicated she will not use it.

I use Roots Magic,  and have no real experience of any others.  Is PAF easy?

Looking forward to a lively discussion. 

Kazza.

There have been several questions recently by RootsChatters who have found marriage records can be elusive.  Should they stop looking,  or accept there was an element of illegitimacy within their tree?

I know we have discussed it in the past and lots of us have been surprised by their relatives reluctance to tie the knot,  but to try to measure the occurrences within a sample of trees,  please answer the poll.

And I do want to know if they are all married,  as well as if they are not,  otherwise the poll will be useless.

Thank you,

Kazza.

FreeBMD are now posting helpful statistics to show you when you are more likely to be successful with a search.  It has a breakdown of the month and the previous day,  so you can judge the best time to use the service.

http://www.freebmd.org.uk/UsageInfo.html

Take a look,  it is very revealing,  and could save you some time and frustration.

Kazza.

The customs that users have evolved on forums and chatrooms generally apply here in RootsChat.  No-one is born knowing them,  we pick it up as we go along,  so don't be embarrassed if you find you are not following them all.

Here are a few pointers to help you out:

Avoid writing messages using all capitals.  IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING! (see Reply #2 also)

To add humor and personality to your messages, and to help convey your meaning,  use smilies. 

Keep your communications to the point. Some people pay for Internet access by the hour. The longer it takes to read your messages, the more it may cost them.  Remember,  if you are asking for someone's help,  you would like them to read your message.

Remember that anything you post on RootsChat can be read by other members and visitors to the site.  Our pages are indexed by search engines,  that's how a lot of new members find there way here.

When replying to a thread,  stick to the topic. Don't indiscriminately post unrelated comments, or worse. 

RootsChat discourages flaming.  What is flaming? Flaming is treating others rudely online.  Sometimes you might offend someone unintentionally,  or they may offend you.  Do not attack back,  report it to a moderator who will deal with the situation.  To contain the heat, the best response usually is no response at all.

To keep messages short,  there are some common abbreviations in use:
<BTW> means by the way.
A <G> enclosed in brackets indicates grinning.
A good one to keep handy in case you're worried about offending someone is <IMHO>,  In My Humble Opinion.
One of my favorites is <ROTFL>, which stands for Rolling on the Floor Laughing.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are handy documents to read before asking questions.  On RootsChat,  boards often have message stuck to the top,  entitled *How to use this Board* or something along those lines.  Consult them when available,  they may save you some time and trouble. 

Remember though that RootsChat aims to be a friendly,  helpful forum.  It is also a lot of fun,  so have a look around,  visit the Beginners Board and the Common Room for a flavour of what we have to offer.