Just a note to say thank you for helping me out with my dissertation research. The replies have been keeping me reading and I have been kept amused with many of the anecdotes.
I now have over sixty responses since posting on several Scottish related message boards. I think as a geography project I probably have the widest spread of responses across the whole world which is rather exciting. I have mainly had responses from the USA, Scotland and England, and one or two from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria and Belgium!! In addition I have interviewed people in Edinburgh and sent postal questionnaires to people in New Zealand who are not involved with using computers. It will be very interesting to compare ideas in detail.
All sorts of responses have come through. I think the questions that get people most fired up were those referring to managing and storing information (obviously a challenge with so many types of information) and the clans in Scotland (or should I say the highlands or not at all). It is clear that there is a very wide spectrum of attachment to the clans.
It is also very interesting how people use the Internet and email in a variety of ways. There is very little academic research into how the Internet is being used and how it creates linkages between people who are separated by huge distances, so in that sense I know that I am doing something new and exciting. To perhaps bore you all (sorry…) various academics have talked about the Internet making us lose our sense of place, our attachment to individual locations, or the Internet making us realise that maybe we need to focus on local places. From my responses I think I would say that genealogists are very interested in specific places, their histories and the people in them. The exceptions tend to be those interested in genetic problems. But (also very generally) people did not start genealogy because of the presence of the Internet, rather the death of close relatives seems to be the most common reason for starting off. I know there are a lot of exceptions and I shall attempt to give as representative an account as possible.
I got distracted there. I ought to write it in my write up, not bore everyone!!
When I refer to people in my write up, I will not refer to full names or email addresses. The examiners won’t be allowed to see these either. I will use a number I have assigned to each response and their location. Occasionally I will add details such as a surname if referring to clans. Do get in contact if you are unhappy about this.
Thank you again for your time answering my questions.
If you have any questions or have anything more to add, then feel free to email. I’ll update my website properly when the writing up is done by Easter.
Catriona
More information:
Home
My original request (on my old home page)
Why have I chosen to do a dissertation into Genealogy?
The dissertation as part of my Geography course
Studying at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge
Simple List of my Questions
