There is no doubt that the note book computer is one of the greatest tools to come along for genealogy, when used with some well written software for organizing and linking the pieces of information found. The automatic name lists and sort capabilities are extremely valuable to the researcher no matter what level they are at in experience. But for those that are just getting started, or with little PC experience, remember - remember to always make backup copies of your work on separate media, not all on one hard drive. Remember, there are only two kinds of hard drives on PCs----Those that have failed, and those that are going to fail. Dave -----Original Message----- From: MScheffler <mscheffl@twcny.rr.com> To: NYOSWEGO-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Mon, 1 May 2006 17:20:24 -0400 Subject: [NYOSWEGO] Genealogy Research I would hope the list could tolerate several different approaches to helping someone get started with genealogy. No matter how clearly any of us write, we probably frequently don't ask the question clearly or answer questions as clearly as we might. And we have all just plain missed the point of the question at times. In my opinion starting a pedigree right within a computer program is probably the easiest way over trying to do it the old fashioned way with lots of papers that do nothing by overwhelm one after awhile. If someone is new and looking for a program, I recommend RootsMagic at www.rootsmagic.com One can download a demo and start right in to see how it works. Obviously the basic principles are the same whether one uses paper or computer for the record keeping. It's just that the computer helps us organized better. When I see people in the library with big notebooks, I am so thankful for my laptop computer which lets me take most everything I might need with me. About research strategies, I have a set of genealogy research guidelines. Anyone who would like them, please let me know and I will forward them on as an attachment. Margaret Scheffler