From: bob.stephan@nitelog.com (Bob Stephan) 
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: Just Starting Replies
Date: 17 Nov 92 09:50:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Nitelog BBS - Monterey, CA - 408-655-1096
Reply-To: bob.stephan@nitelog.com (Bob Stephan) 

Subj:  Re: Just Starting Replies

Rob Bongiovi,

 B. As the originator of the questions that spurred this discussion, I feel
 B. I must reply.

I got a bit confused myself, thinking that the rude reply was from the
originator.  I'm glad it wasn't, but instead was from a busybody
know-nothing.  The advantages of finding places like Genealogical
Societies, the GENIE Genealogy BBS, etc. no matter where they are is that
you run into people who are already doing what you are trying to do.  Just
like monitoring soc.roots here, you will not be operating in a vacuum.  You
can communicate with people who may have researched the same areas that you
are interested in.  I have found that almost all people doing their own
family tree research are not only willing, but eager to help others and
share what they have found and learned.  Take soc.roots here, for examp
le.  That is why it is so important to find where the others in your area
hang out and associate with them. The wider your lists of associates, the
greater the possibility that you will find information on your own
research.  In fact, that is probably why you asked the question here in the
first place, because you wanted to share in the experiences of those who
have gone before you.  Why reinvent the wheel?

My own family tree research has been furthered immensely by just the
associations I have mentioned.  I am in California, but none of my research
had anything to do with CA.  It was all in the Eastern US and in various
European countries.  With just the information available locally at my FHC
I was able to trace one line of my family back to 1650 in Connecticut.
With other help I have been able locate areas in Europe which are promising
for future study. In the local Genealogical Society I have been able to
talk with people who have researched and visited the areas I am interested
in. It has been extremely valuable to me.  By starting with the local GenSo
it has led to other organizations that helped me like the DAR.  I wouldn't
have known how to do these things without the help of people at the GenSo
and it would have taken me infinitely longer to obtain all that knowhow
piecemeal out of books, not that I haven't used books too.

I am relatively new at this business myself and have tried several
approaches. The ones I listed were the ones that I personally found to be
the most helpful.   I didn't list others because I didn't like them too
well, so indeed, it was rather arbitrary.  For example, I did not list the
Prodigy Genealogy BBS because I found it cumbersome, slow, and extremely
time consuming, but I certainly would suggest that a *P subscriber give it
a try to see if it works for him or her. I didn't list Compu$serve because
I didn't try it since I perceived it to be too expensive.  GENIE, like
soc.roots can be automated to save time, and it is full of valuable
information by experienced researchers.  At $4.95 a month with no sign-up
charge, I think it is a real bargain.  The suggestion I made about PAF, for
example, was based not only on my own liking of the program, but on many
messages I saw on GENIE from people who had tried the other programs and
vouched for the fact that PAF served their needs best.  It is a good place
to start if you are not already "into" some other program.  I feel safe in
recommending it, not to the exclusion of others, but if you have to pick
one I don't think you can go wrong by starting out with PAF.

I would hope you might get lists of suggestions like mine from others so
that you can try the things that worked for them and decide for yourself
what works best for you.  I certainly would not like to be perceived as
saying that my suggestions are the only way to do it, only that they
are what worked, and worked very well, for me.  I wish I had such lists
when I started out a year ago. It would have saved me a lot of wasted time
just trying to get my feet on the ground.

Please let me know if I can be of any help to you in getting started.  I am
happy to share anything and everything that I have learned, some of it "the
hard way".  And thank you for letting me know that it wasn't you who was so
rude.  I hope that you will find the people in your area to be as friendly,
knowledgeable, and helpful as I have found them out here in CA.
                                                        Bob Stephan