Sometimes there is too much information to keep up with it. Groups such as the Genealogy Society often can be called upon for beginners' advice. At last month's society meeting, however, Bryan's tips for getting started sounded more like a seminar on Net surfing. Due in part to its budding accessibility, online genealogy is one of the hottest interest groups on the Internet. One of genealogy's main periodicals, Everton's Genealogical Helper, now lists hundreds of Web sites.
Virtual universities offer classes on using the Internet for genealogical studies.
But even the longtime hobbyists at the Pinellas Genealogy Society caution that the glut of information can, especially for the inexperienced, be equally frustrating as rewarding. Matthew and April Helm, co-authors of the book Genealogy Online For Dummies, first used the Internet for their hobby in 1994. We started the toolbox with links to 134 sites. One problem these days is the sheer number of sites out there. People who don't have background in researching get swamped.