RootsWeb
I posted about the top 14 websites preferred by professional genealogists over a year ago, and I am just now beginning to use and appreciate the website ranked 3rd, RootsWeb. I don't know why I haven't tried it out sooner, since it is free, but at long last I am making good use of it. The original article about these websites, written by Kory L. Meyerink, said this about RootsWeb, "Free data makes RootsWeb a great place for hobbyist genealogists to publish their work and for others to find it."
I wish I had realized the option of sharing my work with others by using RootsWeb's offer of free web space. I have uploaded my gedcom file to Tribal Pages, but others need a password to access it and no one has actually found me and contacted me through their site. RootsWeb, on the other hand, files your website under their surnames list and any other genealogists searching for information on that surname can contact you and see what you have displaying on your site.
I am currently concentrating on one of my lines from New England, the Hersams, and I found one link to a common variation of Hersom. The website didn't actually have any information on the Hersoms, but it did have an email address to another lady studying the same line in Maine. We are now sharing information.
I plan to start my own web page with RootsWeb in order to share my information and be a reference for others. It takes 3-5 days after you apply for RootsWeb to approve you and get things ready. I will post again to let you know how easy or hard it is to make a website. Here are a few examples of sites I've found matching surnames in my file: Chapman and Mullins
If you don't feel up to making your own web page on their site, you can easily take advantage of their message boards and mailing lists. You can sign up for specific surname mailing lists or check surname message boards.
This truly is a great reference to check when working on your family history. It's supported by Ancestry.com, but there is no fee to use it.