collaboration

A collaboration is defined as a process of people working together toward a common goal; it is a dynamic relationship in which all parties actively participate, more so, perhaps, than an alliance where people agree to support a common cause.

In genealogy, collaboration occurs when family members share information and stories, encompassing everything from interviewing older relatives, to collecting family groups sheets, to gathering documents and verifyinginformation. Today, genealogy collaboration occurs on a global scale, thanks to the Internet. Much of the correspondence and footwork of the past has been replaced by message boards, social networks, and a multitude of information web sites. Today, human collaboration combined with technological tools can bring to the surface information that might never have been discovered otherwise. Collaboration also allows for, perhaps, the most treasured information resource of all, firsthand knowledge. The firsthand knowledge of one person can reveal information that may be recorded in no other place but may shed new light, answer long held questions, or open new avenues of research.