Why not start your research with YouTube?

So, you say, you can't be serious. But yes, I am serious. Once you cut through or ignore all the trash, you find that YouTube has evolved into the go-to place for answering almost any kind of "how to" question and that includes how-to questions about genealogy. My most recent search on Google's  YouTube.com on the term "genealogy" came up with 91,200 videos (I always question round numbers, however). On the first page of that search were offerings by Lisa Louise Cooke, Devin Ashby, Ancestry.com, Kenneth R. Marks, Caroline Pointer and many others. Some of these videos had over 30,000 views.

Yes, it is that simple. You go to YouTube.com and search for a topic of interest. Do you want to learn how to use FamiySearch.org? Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com? They are all there with videos on their programs. In fact, a search on "genealogy FamilySearch" brings up 5,210 videos (there we go with round numbers again).

You may not have realized it but YouTube.com has channels. Anyone or any company that wants to put a series of YouTube videos online can create their own channel. Even Google has a channel. Here are some links to major genealogy channels on YouTube:

• Ancestry.com  YouTube
• FamilySearch.org  YouTube
• MyHeritage.com  YouTube
• findmypast.com  YouTube
• Mocavo.com  YouTube
• Geni.com  YouTube
• U.S. National Archives
• Library of Congress

The list could go on and on. By the way, YouTube is also a good reference place to find instructions on about anything else you can imagine in the Universe from opening a can to building your own house. Literally. They have everything you can imagine. One major caution. They do have everything and everything is not acceptable for viewing. Take some advice. Use common sense and discretion in your viewing. Search for specific topics and don't open your mind to the garbage truck.