DNA and Social Networking

[Mudgeeclarke]

One of "our own" here at FTDNA (a Project Admin) has just published an excellent book "DNA and Social Networking", and if you weren't sure what you were getting for your own Christmas stocking, then I respectfully suggest you consider this excellent book.

Debbie Kennett (Cruwys Group Project) has produced the book I wish I had a year ago, when I was just getting interested in adding DNA research to my many years of paper research (snail mail and then email). Debbie answers so many of the questions I had then, and many more that I have right now. Not only does she explain things clearly, but her own experiences and enthusiasm for 21st Century-style genealogy shines through.

In well over 200 pages of this attractive hardcover book, Debbie covers a lot of ground, and cleverly draws together 'The Genetic Genealogy Revolution', and 'The Social Networking Revolution'. From a basic Glossary of Terms, to a comprehensive list of website links (with commentary), no stone is left unturned.

The extra bonus for we 'My FTDNA'/Forum users is that many of the illustrations in the book are direct web page 'lifts' from FTDNA, to support wonderfully clear explanations of what we can discover from the data. Debbie is "one of us".

If this seems like a shameless 'plug' for Debbie's book, it is. But I hasten to add that I have never met Debbie, and I am not her 'book sales manager'. (Debbie lives in the UK, and I live in the US). It's just that so many of the questions I see here at the Forum on a daily basis from the newbies like me are already clearly answered in the book.

As Chris Pomery (author of two books on DNA and consultant to FTDNA) opines in the book's Preface, "(it) can be used by every genealogist to help widen ... searches and accelerate ... research."

At £14.99/$24.95 "DNA and Social Networking" might be the best gift you'll get for Christmas, even if you have to buy it for yourself.

[nathanm]

I'll second the praise for Debbie's new book!

I'm reading the Kindle version right now (only $10), since the hardcover doesn't come out in the states until April. It's now the single most comprehensive, up-to-date book on genetic genealogy. There have been other good books on the subject, which I've recommended in the past. However, some books neglected certain aspects of the field, and none have been revised to keep up with the latest advances, like autosomal DNA tests and extensive Y-SNP testing.

I've learned a lot about genetics over the past two years of research and reading commercial and hobbyist websites, academic papers, and forums like this one. Now, much of that knowledge is one place, in a format that's highly readable, but not watered down. If you want a great overview of the latest in genetic genealogy, I can't recommend DNA and Social Networking highly enough.

As an added bonus, the second half of the book is on social networking. I'm just starting this section, so I can't offer an informed opinion. But if the first half was any indication, I'm sure it'll be just as useful and well-written.