NGS Launches UpFront Blog

The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the launch of UpFront with NGS in blog format. “Blog” is short for “web log,” an Internet communications tool that has been growing rapidly in recent years. This format will extend all the conveniences of a blog to UpFront readers. Here are some of the major advantages:

More content sooner - You can see the latest articles as soon as they are available instead of waiting for the next monthly mailing.

Convenience - You can choose the articles you wish to read and view them whenever you like. When used with an RSS newsreader, you can gather articles as they are posted.

Readability - In addition to a cleaner look with appropriate font variations, web addresses noted in articles are hot links that you can click on to immediately view the referenced web page. You will even see illustrations for some articles!

Reliability - Some e-mail services block messages that their software deems as possible spam. There are no spam issues when you read blog articles - either on the web or in an RSS newsreader.

Comments - You can share your thoughts with other readers by posting a comment at the end of any article.

Many UpFront subscribers already read a number of genealogy blogs and can attest to their many benefits. NGS hopes that all our readers will enjoy this upgrade. NGS Education & Publications Director Pam Sayre, CG, CGL, remarked, "Some of us may recall bringing home a new color TV to replace the fuzzy old black and white model. What a difference it made in our viewing pleasure. We at NGS believe that the difference between a plain text e-mailed UpFront with NGS and an interactive, up-to-the-minute, color version with photographs, video clips, and a feedback mechanism will dazzle everyone far beyond that first color TV in the house. NGS continues to move forward into the twenty-first century with the UpFront blog, and it enables us to bring you -- NGS members and the public -- the latest society and genealogy community news, helpful how-to articles, educational tools, and more."

For a limited time, NGS will continue to e-mail the monthly newsletter as it has in the past. This will give readers a chance to try out the new blog format at their leisure. At the same time, NGS will be able to refine the blog's operation and design. Subscribers will be notified in the final e-mail version when the move to the blog is complete. That issue will include a reminder to either bookmark the UpFront blog in your browser (or add it as a "favorite" web page) or add it to your favorite RSS newsreader. In addition, events and reunions will be consolidated in the existing Events and Reunions pages of the NGS website, which will continue to post those items for NGS members. As always, everyone will be able to view those pages. In addition, the UpFront blog will remain free to everyone. You can find it online at http://upfront.ngsgenealogy.org/.

NGS appreciates your continued readership and looks forward to welcoming you to this new era of online communication.