This is the roots-l.welcome3 file, the fourth in a series of ROOTS-L
introductory files.   To request another copy of the initial file in 
this series, in the event that you lost or accidentally deleted it,
send a message to ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com with the single word
"archive" (no quotation marks) in the subject line and the message
       get roots-l.welcome

File               Contents
roots-l.welcome  - Overview of ROOTS-L
                 - Posting guidelines
roots-l.welcome1 - Surname lists in signatures and other netiquette issues
                 - Getting started with your family research
roots-l.welcome2 - SmartList commands to use with ROOTS-L
                 - Searching the archived messages
                 - Why subscriptions sometimes get deleted
roots-l.welcome3 - The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) files
                 - The genealog files
                 - The family files

   The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Files
   ==========================================

Probably the most important thing you could do as a new subscriber
would be to request a listing of the faq.index of files available and
take a good look at it.  To do this, just send the a message to
ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com, with the word "archive" in the subject
line and in the body of the message the command 

       get faq.index 

and it will be sent to you via e-mail.  After you receive the index,
you may request other files using the get command like you did to get
the FAQ index.

The FAQ area has many common genealogical questions and answers which
are asked by new subscribers.  These cover a variety of topics.

   The genealog Files
   ==================

What is genealog?  genealog is an area on the which is used for
storage of many, many text files which pertain to genealogy.  The
genealog area has 100s of files, all of which are available to any
user via regular e-mail.  You may request a listing of the files and
descriptions be mailed to you by simply sending a message to
ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com a me with the word "archive" in the
subject line and in the body of the message the command

      get roots-l.catalog

You will be sent a list of available
files from which you may pick and choose the filenames of interest.
To request a file just simply send to ROOTS-L-requestt@rootsweb.com the
command 
    get filename 

where genealog.vital-NY, for instance, would be the filename.  The word
"archive" should be in the subject line.

   The family files
   ================

What is the Roots Surname List or RSL?  The Roots Surname List is
intended to help genealogical researchers compare and share data.
Readers of ROOTS-L (or just about anyone with Internet acccess) are
welcome to submit surnames they are researching for inclusion in the
Roots Surname List if they are willing to share their data with others
who may be doing parallel research.  Send any message to
rsl-info@emcee.com for further information.  A copy of the RSL is
stored in the family area of the ROOTS-L fileserver.  Send a message
to ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com with the subject line "archive" and
the command

       get family.index 

to get an overview of all the family files that are available.