Hi Terry, There are no dumb questions here. :-) We're all here to learn from each other and to help when we can. As Davie mentioned, GEDCOM can be considered to be the "least common denominator" in sharing genealogy data. In fact, maybe it stands for GEnealogical Data COMmon (format) or some such. (I am just making this up; I don't know off-hand what it stands for). This is a format created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Most (all??) genealogy software programs (Family Tree Maker, Reunion, etc.) have an option to export and import GEDCOMs. In this way, I can exchange my database with Davie, or Rebecca, or Jann, even if they use a different software than I do to input their genealogical data. Personally, I use Reunion for Macintosh (no affiliation, just a happy user). So when I get ready to share part of my database with Davie, I'll choose "export GEDCOM" from Reunion's pull-down menu. This puts my data into a common format understood by both our software programs. Then I'll e-mail the file to Davie, and Davie will go to his software and choose "import GEDCOM", choosing the file I just sent him. This will get my data into his database with a minimal amount of fuss on his part. Hope this helps, Melissa At 2:48 PM -0600 11/2/98, twheeler@telemedtoday.com wrote: >Okay, here are the stupid questions of the week. What's a GEDCOM? How do >you get one or make one? >Don't know why I should be surprised that genealogy has its own jargon. I'm >ready to be enlightened. >The New Kid on the Block >Terry Wheeler