The Family History Guide: Essentials for Everyone

One of the reasons for the remarkable growth of The Family History Guide is that it offers something useful and important to just about everyone. We’ve done a bit of thinking on this topic and come up with a list of 10 family history “audiences” and what might appeal to them in The Family History Guide. Some of us, of course, would fit into multiple categories—but any way you slice it, The Family History Guide has essentials for nearly everyone.

  1. Beginners — If you need to brush up on computer skills or you’re curious about Google apps and social media tools, the Computer Basics section is for you. It has step-by-step tutorials to help you build the skills you need. New to family history? Try the articles in the Family History Basics section.
  1. Busy People — Actually, all of us might fit in this category. The Home page has a 15 Minutes button that takes you to a handy list of quick-hitting items you can work on to enjoy family history progress, a bit at a time.
  1. Started, but Stalled — “OK, I started on my family history but now I’m stuck: what do I do next?” The Projects, Goals, and Choices in The Family History Guide might be just what you need: they guide you through learning and research step by step, with the flexibility you need to succeed. In addition to FamilySearch, you can also learn AncestryMyHeritage, and Findmypast.
  1. Families and Individuals — Family history is more than genealogy sheets; we could all use some fun activities to draw us closer to both living and departed relatives. Here are the sections in The Family History Guide with tons of great activities you can try:  Activities for Families   Individuals   Youth    Kids Corner
  1. Worldwide Audiences — We have visitors to the website from over 150 countries, so the Country pages are a definite plus for doing worldwide research. There are also translated videos and articles available from The Family History Guide, as well as Google Translate buttons on nearly every page.
  1. Faiths and Ethnic Groups — There are family history pages for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholics, and Protestants, as well as pages for these ethnic groups: African American, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, and Native American.
  1. Experienced Researchers — “OK, I’ve been around the block with genealogy; what does The Family History Guide offer me?” How would you like to accelerate record searches or explore advanced research skills? It’s all waiting for you on the website.
  1. Trainers and Consultants — There are plenty of resources for training in The Family History Guide, including a Course Catalog, Quizzes, and a new Certified Trainers program.
  1. Social Media Users — You can use Blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest to work on your family history and connect with others while you do it. There’s also a Technology Project to help you pick up new skills as you go.
  1. Different Learning Styles — Some of us prefer to read the instructions; others would rather watch a video to learn. Either way we’ve got you covered, with links to timely articles and videos about the family history topics you’re looking for. Plus, there are Exercises and Trackers (Online or Word) to help you monitor your learning and research progress.


Bob Taylor