Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tuesday's Tip - Use LearnWebSkills.com for Online Genealogy Tutorial

Today's Tuesday's Tip is to:  Use the online tutorial at www.LearnWebSkills.com to improve your online genealogy skills. 

Are you leery about using online genealogy databases?  Has someone asked you how to, or do you know someone who wants to, improve their Internet skills for genealogy?  Does your local society need an organized way to bring beginning researchers online?

I recommend that you use, or refer people to, the LearnWebSkills tutorials, which has five modules:

1.  Getting Started - Home Sources, Charts, Recording Information, Citing Sources

2.  Using Online Resources - Online Databases, Search Engines, Directories

3.  Gathering Key Records - Vital Records, Federal Census Records

4.  Exploring Further - Probate Records, Church Records, Military Records, Newspapers

5.  Sharing Information - Discussion Lists, Message Boards, Software Programs

Each module has a number of topics that lead the user to a website, demonstrates how to use the web site, and lets the user practice on the site with tutorial help alongside.  The "demonstration" and "practice"

The site uses only freely available resources.  It does access the https://www.familysearch.org site for Ancestral File and for US Census Records, but uses the "old" Family History Library Catalog page.

There is also a special Researching Your Patriot Ancestors tutorial at http://www.learnwebskills.com/patriot/index.htm which has some of the same modules as the main site, but focuses on DAR applicants. 

The LearnWebSkills tutorial sites were developed by Debbie Duay, Ph.D. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and are, I believe, the best online beginning online genealogy tutorials available.

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