Product Description

Researching your genealogy online is like being a kid in a candy store. So many neat things catch your eye that it’s difficult to decide which one to try. That’s where Genealogy Online For Dummies, 5th Edition comes in. This completely practical handbook helps you become a smart, discriminating researcher from the moment you start your investigation.

Unlike other genealogy books, this easy-to-use guide does more than show you how to access and use online resources; it lays out a sensible organized process you can follow to make your research more efficient and achieve your genealogical goal faster. You'll learn how to start your research before you go online, understand traditional methods of genealogy, identify Web sites that will be most helpful to your research, get vital information and statistics from government records, and much, much more Discover how to:

• Use basic online and offline research techniques
• Develop a plan for your research
• Integrate Internet resources to achieve your genealogical goal
• Create Web sites where family members can make contact
• Access domestic records for births, deaths, immigration, and more
• Research ethnic ancestry through international records
• Verify what you find
• Protect your research

Complete with a companion CD-ROM packed with valuable genealogy software, Genealogy Online For Dummies puts you in touch with all of the tools, resources, methods, and know-how you need to make your research into your family history a total success.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65395 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780470240571
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"this is a book you must not miss" -- Pensacola News Journal, May 28, 2000

From the Back Cover
CD-ROM includes lots of valuable software tools

Use the Internet to search international records and preserve your results

Fascinated with family history? Now's a great time to jump into genealogy, and this book makes it easy. What used to require endless shuffling (and sneezing) through dusty courthouse records can now often be done with your mouse, and you can share information with others who are researching related families. But be warned — genealogy is addictive!

Discover how to:

• Lay out a plan for your research

• Create Web sites where family members can make contact

• Access international records

• Research ethnic ancestry

• Verify what you find

• Protect your records

About the Author
Matthew L. Helm is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for FamilyToolbox.net, Inc. He’s the creator and maintainer of the award-winning Helm’s Genealogy Toolbox, Helm/Helms Family Research Page, and a variety of other Web sites. Matthew speaks at national genealogical conventions and lectures to genealogical and historical societies. Matthew holds an A.B. in History and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

April Leigh Helm is the President of FamilyToolbox.net, Inc. April lectures on genealogy and other topics for various conferences and groups. She holds a B.S. in Journalism and an Ed.M. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Together, the Helms have coauthored several books in addition to the five editions of Genealogy Online For Dummies. They include Family Tree Maker For Dummies, Your Official America Online Guide to Genealogy Online, and Get Your Degree Online.

Customer Reviews

An excellent intro to Web genealogical resources
The best review I can give of this book is that it directed me to about 6 Web sites I hadn't heard of which should give me a lot of useful information in researching my family tree. Unlike a lot of Dummies books, this one isn't padded with filler; every page conveys useful information, discussing numerous internet resources and making suggestions for organizing research. The book also contains lengthy sections on African-American, Native American, and Hispanic genealogical Web sites, and apparently has more information on these sites than many other books.

The reasons I didn't rate the book five stars are two-fold: there are dead links in addition to the live ones, and the book was published before the LDS database (maintained by the Mormon Church) was made available online. That suggests that this book is ripe for a 3rd Edition.

Genealogy Online for Dummies, 4th edition,
Genealogy Online for Dummies is a handy how-to, where-to, what-to, who-to, and why-to book. Matthew L. Helm, one of the authors, is executive vice president and chief technology officer of FamilyToolbox.net, Inc. With a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in library and information science, he created and he maintains the Helm's various genealogy websites. April Leigh Helm, the other author, is the company president. She has degrees in journalism and higher education administration. They are no dummies, and anyone who reads this book will be no dummy about genealogy online.

The book has 16 chapters organized in five major sections, also three appendices, an index, a genealogy Internet directory, and a tear-out "cheat sheet." The text covers in part one doing the groundwork, in part two focusing the online research effort, in part three expanding research online, and in part four using the computer and web to organize and share information. In summary, part five lists ten handy databases, ten things to remember when designing your genealogical website, ten sites that offer help, and ten tips for "smooth sailing."

Throughout the text are addresses of useful websites, research tips, definitions of genealogical terms, step-by-step instructions, and warnings. Examples of warnings are "don't violate any copyright laws by sending large portions of written works through email" (p. 215), and don't post on your website "any information that could land you in the doghouse with any of your relatives - close or distant" (p. 246). The text features sidebar discussions of issues like copyright (p. 250) and privacy (p. 248), and even a "mandatory lecture on privacy" (234). But the tone and message are generally positive: You can do genealogy online. The text explains not only the software, the search engines, the online resources (websites), but also the hardware appropriate for different tasks, and the basics of HyperText Markup Language (html) needed to create a website.

One appendix provides the basics of going online, for anyone not already connected to the Internet. A second appendix defines genealogical terms. The third appendix provides a long list of software available on the CD inserted in the back of the book, mostly demo software for Windows; but the CD itself contains only the demonstration software for Reunion 8, and a very useful list of genealogy-related urls. The index is detailed. At the center of the book is a 30-page genealogy Internet directory, organized into clear categories and fully annotated. The cheat sheet provides instructions for using the Helm's Genealogy Toolbox at www.genealogytoolbox.com/, as well as the addresses for 14 websites.

The final chapter's "ten tips for genealogical smooth sailing" take the reader back to the big picture: (1) start with what you know, (2) get organized, (3) always get proof, (4) always cite your sources, (5) focus, focus, focus; (6) share your information, (7) join a society or research group, (8) attend a conference or workshop, (9) attend a family reunion, and (10) don't give up. Before the reader gets here, the text has provided clear, detailed guidelines for thoroughly researching, organizing, and presenting genealogical information.

The organization and layout of this 332-page book are great. I found it easy to locate specific information, and I found the information clear enough for the beginner and yet substantive enough for the advanced genealogist. The graphics clearly illustrate the text, and the text is easy to read. The occasional 5th Wave cartoons are appropriate and humorous. I am adding this manual to my desktop reference collection of books that I want within arms reach.

review of Genealogy Online for Dummies
Pros: Covers lots of topics and is a very valuable source for beginners with great, well written, summaries of many skills and sources needed for doing family history
Cons:

No real cons. I was a bit surprised, however, not to read more about the incredible land patent database of the former General Land Office offered through the Bureau of Land Management's Eastern State Office. There is no mention that people can actually download from the office's site copies of early land patents of ancestors after discovering how and where they received federal land. Yet, this only points out that one book, though great, cannot cover everything.

I was interested to review this book since I do a lot of genealogical research and wanted to see what more I could learn. I wasn't disappointed. There's plenty to be discovered through the great information supplied by this fine book. Though one of the "For Dummies" series for beginners, there is much here for people who aren't dummies but are advanced in their genealogical studies. The authors have their own website, "Helm's Genealogy Toolbox" at www.geneaologytoobox.com, and that is featured as well as other web sites and links.
The book also contains a CD with three items: 1) a trial version of "Family Tree Maker," a popular genealogy database, 2) an evaluation copy of "Homesite 5.5," a popular HTML editor, and 3) a gazetteer designed for genealogists,"World Place Finder." This CD runs on Mac OS system software 7.55 or later, which is useful if you haven't yet stepped up to OS X.
This book is indeed a fine source for all genealogists, covering not only what can be found on the web (an incredible amount), but also great tips for basic "how to do" skills. There is even information in one of three appendixes for the real beginner without many computer skills, such as getting set up with a service provider. The other appendixes include terms and more information on using the CD.
As to its organization, the book begins with the needed first steps about recording easily available information needed to "ground" what you later discover. Progressively you also learn about preserving notes and photos, organizing your records, and many other valuable tips to get started. Later chapters (a total of 16 in the book) continue with planning genealogical research trips and strategies, plus lots of great information about the almost countless sources that have developed on the Web to aid family history buffs. This includes some information even on foreign sources and archives.
The book also covers the increasing availability of various source records, such as census and vital statistics posted on the Web, plus the value of using comprehensive genealogical indexes, surname forums, and the incredible national GenWeb project which coordinates state and county records. And that's only a sample of what this useful book covers! The helpful index allows you to easy find the variety of specific topics in this great "how-to" book,.
Overall, its easy-to-follow style, like other "for Dummies" books, makes this a real winner for both the beginner and advanced genealogist. It is well worth the price.