Looking for Suggestions or Creative ways to Encourage more Participants in DNA testing

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Debbie Kennett on August 30, 2009 at 5:37pm

Hi Wendy

It would be a good idea for you to join the ISOGG admins mailing list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ISOGG/?yguid=56387448

You would then be able to compare notes with all the other DNA project admins. You have to be a member of ISOGG to join the list but membership is free and you get a nice free monthly newsletter:

http://www.isogg.org

I've found that a lot of the people I need to test aren't necessarily doing any family history research so you have to do the forward genealogy and identify the potential candidates. This is easier with the UK records where all the BMD indexes are online up to 2005. I've found it also helps to have an online presence. I have a blog, and I'm also a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies (http://www.one-name.org). People tend to contact me for genealogical queries and then once I've got to know them I can ask them to participate in the DNA project. Other people have had success by sending out mailings by post after getting names and addresses from the electoral register for the countries of interest.

Permalink Reply by Wendy Ramirez on September 3, 2009 at 7:46pm

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions, I have already joined ISOGG but not the Yahoo Group.

I have started adding Money to all of my Surname project Group funds and trying to encourage others to donate also, that way we can ask people to Participate and help offset the costs, especially in cases where a person is not necessarily into Research.

I will also lookinto the Guild of One name studies!!

Thanks Again, I appreciate the advice!!
Wendy

Permalink Reply by Bobby on October 30, 2009 at 12:09am

I aggree with Wendy, online presence is a must - blog, website, twitter and whatnot, etc, etc. Apart from that, you could drop a subtle hint about DNA to folks in genealogical emails you send off.

Best not to be to pushy, and to be patient but have it on the web/emails.

Send out 100 letters (snail mail) to folks and (look in phone book for all surnames that your researching and snail mail them all) inform them of your ancestry research and also mention that your looking for DNA participants. (thats what i'll be doing next time i write my big batch of letters).