Google should be one of the most-used tools in your genealogy tool box. The “wag” is that you can ask Google for information on a zillion subjects. (No, Google will NOT be able to tell you where great-grandma was buried.)
Family Tree Magazine offered this 8-page Cheat Sheet as an insert in their magazine a while back. My opinion? It’s worth the $9.99 but ONLY IF you use it! 😐
Here are the front page Google Search Tips:
- Save time; search properly
- Disregard punctuation
- Disregard capitalization
- Don’t stress spelling
- Put the most important search term first
- Use the Advanced feature
- Set up Google alerts/automated searches
- Use Google Chrome
Did you know Google offers (for free):
- Google Books, 40 billion books
- Google Translate
- Google Maps
- Google Earth
- Google Drive
- MORE!
There are dozens of tutorials on YouTube (also part of the Google family) to teach you!
Genealogical research is more than just picking the “low-hanging fruit” and sitting back. Genealogical research is learning how to reach that “higher” fruit! Google can help, I guarantee. 😀
I love Google’s translate.Google.com as a favorite site for research in the different languages in my European roots. Working with Google translation and books I have on the language, I can almost always figure out every sentence. Google doesn’t necessarily know the older terminology but helps enough and, with future research on older terms, I can come up with the translation. Hint: pick up old language books at yard sales as older terms may be used. Thanks again Donna for your insights in Let’s Talk About