Getting on the Internet for Beginners

As you probably already know the internet is a worldwide network of computers and publically stored information. This information is available to the other computers on the net.

To access the net you must use a computer that is "hooked up" to this network of computers. If you have a computer, it needs to be equipped with a modem and connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) either by phone or a high speed device. If you don't have a computer or yours doesn't have a modem, you will have to use another computer with access to the internet. You can do this at a library, a University, or at a friend's.

Assuming that you have installed the appropriate hardware to connect to an ISP you need to evoke your system's Browser in order to communicate over the net. If you do not want to use the Browser provided with your computer, you can download other Browsers for free.

Once you have connected to the internet you need to know the address of the site you are searching and enter that into the address field to access the site. Another way to locate a site is to use a search engine such as GOOGLEto list sites which meet your search criteria.

At first you will be like a kid in a candy store with all the available sites from which to choose. After a while you will have "Bookmarked" or added to your favorites the sites you frequent and it then becomes a simple matter to activate that site by clicking on the appropriate entry.

How to use the Internet for Genealogy

There are many resources of genealogical information on the Internet today. For an introduction to the many types of available resources, click on Internet Resources. Regardless of the site you use, some fundamental things you need to do will speed up your search for valuable information.

• Preparing for Internet research is very much like preparing for doing research at a library or getting organized for going on a research trip to search a county's records. The basis is to have a well organized information on your family members, know what data you have, and know (or list) what you do not have. Break your research into easily understandable segments for example, a person, a family, a location, etc. If you do not find a single focus to start with the project can easily become overwhelming.
• Documenting which sites you have visited and what you found there is will be a good idea. This will help you as you begin to cross reference down the road or find multiple but often conflicting information.
• Revisiting sites often reveal something you missed on the previous visit.
• Learning how to effectively use search engines to locate the appropriate site for the information you are seeking will save you an inordinate amount of time. To better understand how to use search engines click Google search Basics for good techniques of how to make an effective search.
• Follow the trail where it leads you, but know when to get off the train! Often we can get easily sidetracked from our objective. Make a note of an address to revisit later if the site looks interesting. Focus, focus, focus!
• Remember that even the sites for which you pay for information often are not well documented. Always check the sources. If no sources are given you can bet that it is no more accurate than gossip or hearsay.
• Using governmental data bases are good sources for finding existing records.