Just hatched!

This is my first blog and my first attempt to use the Internet to share my experience and ideas using computer technology in genealogical research. I've followed many genealogy blogs and Web sites over the past eight years, and I've learned a great deal from all of the people who have shared their own knowledge and experiences. I've decided it's time to return the favor. I'm not sure if I have anything new to offer -- seems like there are a lot of talented and articulate people already sharing what they know. 

I'll try to start modestly and describe my experiences, what works, what doesn't work. I'm coming from an engineering background working with all kinds of systems that process information. One of the things about genealogy that really thrills me is the search for the missing pieces of a puzzle, the collection and analysis of data, and the use of the resulting information to draw conclusions, gradually completing the puzzle.

As background for anyone interested, I took up genealogy just after my mother's death in February 2000. I started by reading many books on genealogy and began using Family Tree Maker software on a PC. I joined several genealogical societies and began attending conferences. Over time I switched to The Master Genealogist (TMG) because of its extensive source documenting capabilities and its customizability. Then, in November 2007 I switched to an Apple iMac. I ran TMG under VMWare Fusion for almost a year until I evaluated Mac genealogy programs and concluded that I could live with Reunion as my main application. The biggest influence on me to switch to Reunion has been a site called MacGenealogist.com by Ben Sayer. Using his blog and videos, I was able to conclude that Reunion was more than adequate to meet my genealogy application needs as a replacement for TMG.

I plan to write about the switch from TMG to Reunion as well as some other applications I tried out before settling on Reunion. I will also write about how I do my research (not restricted to online) and some of my ideas for organizing my data and files.