----- Original Message ----- From: Family Tree Finders <soda-send@gt.sodamail.com> To: <ladyd@dnaco.net> Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 9:49 AM Subject: Family Tree Finders Tuesday December 21, 1999 > > > FAMILY TREE FINDERS > Tuesday - 21 December 1999 > > Getting the Most from Online Research > > The Internet should be a benefit to genealogists, and yet to > many it is nothing but a frustration. You go out in search of a > web site, and three hours later you have nothing to show for it, > other than a massive headache and red burning eyes. But what > is it about the Internet that causes this frustration? > > For most people is it a lack of confidence when working on > the computer. Unfortunately there isn't any easy fix to this. > You just need to spend enough time working with the different > programs so that you know what to expect. Above all, it is > essential that you actually read the screen. Looking at a > computer screen is a lot like listening to a person. Sometimes > we listen and sometimes we really hear. Sometimes we see > and other times we really read. When working online, it is > always a good idea to really read the screen. > > It is also important to have a plan. If you go to the county > courthouse or the library or archive without having a plan, > generally you leave empty handed. So it would stand to > reason that if you do not have a plan when you are looking > online that you are just as likely to end up empty handed. So, > before you go online, decide what it is that you hope to find. > Are you looking for a fellow researcher who may be looking > the same locality you are? Are you hoping to find a family > history page for a given surname? Plan your work and work > your plan. > > You also need to have an understanding about what it is you > are hoping to find. Obviously looking for a SMITH family > will result in a lot of family history pages on lines of that > surname that don't apply to you. Searching for surnames like > MINES may require you to be creative with your searches to > omit those non-genealogical sites that might be devoted to > such things as coalmines. > > Each of you will learn at your own pace. Some of you will > learn how to work the search engines while others of you will > be happiest working with directories first. Just remember that > in order to get the most out of the Internet, you need to take > some time to learn how it works and experiment with what is > most effective when looking for your families. Above all, > don't be afraid to experiment. The worst that can happen is > that you don't get the results you hoped for. You will certainly > be no worse off. > > And before I close this issue, I am very pleased to announce > that my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online > Genealogy" is now available. You can find it at local > bookstores and online at sites such as Amazon.com > (http://www.amazon.com) and Barnes and Noble > (http://www.barnesandnoble.com). > > > > > > > Rhonda R. McClure > rhondam@sodamail.com > > If you know someone who is interested in genealogy, > please forward this entire message to them! > _________________________________________________ > To subscribe to Family Tree Finders, send a blank e-mail message to: > join-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > > At the site you can change your address, cancel or join: > http://207.153.204.247/cgi-bin/gt/login.html > > To cancel your free subscription don't hit reply,send a blank email from > your subscription address: ladyd@dnaco.net > > To: > leave-family-tree-finders@gt.sodamail.com > ________________________________________________ > Copyright 1999 by SodaMail. All rights reserved. > http://www.sodamail.com > > >