Why Are You A Genealogist?
or "What Motivates Your Research?"
Analyze Your Motives and Research Goals Before You Buy
The focus of this series of articles is to help you select, or upgrade to, a GSP that fills your needs as a genealogist. Most of the time you will find that no *single* GSP will fill ALL your needs and so you may have to entertain the idea of having more than one program. Your choices will depend on YOUR needs, and certainly NOT the needs of someone else.
Just a word on that - if you ask in a chat room what the "best" GSP is, you'll get a variety of answers. Bear in mind that the users may "think" theirs is "best" when, in reality, they may not be as conversant with all the variety of functions other programs provide and the functions theirs doesn't.
In one chat I recently hosted, when this question came up, one attendee told the group what GSP he was using and when I mentioned some disadvantages of his program he said - well, I guess what I don't know won't hurt me. He has lost a great advantage, in that he is missing out on some really exciting ways to display his genealogy. So it is in YOUR best interest to find out what a GSP can and should be able to do depending on YOUR answers to the following questions:
Think about how you would answer these questions at this point in time and maybe even do some paper/pencil notes to see where you stand.
- WHY are you doing genealogy? Have you ever really thought about that? There are a variety of reasons which lead to the next question -
- WHAT do you plan to do with your research results? How do you want to use it? Display it? Communicate it to others?
- HOW do you "expect" a GSP to help you achieve the results of your answers to # 2 above?
- Are you willing to spend some time NOW in investigating software options so that your needs (as stated in # 3 above) can be met? So that down the road you won't face a time when you are dissatisfied because you suddenly realize you chose GSP A when GSP B would better suit those needs.
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