Teach Yourself How To Research Your Family

There is absolutely no excuse for a lack of learning about how to do family history research. There are books, videos, webinars, classes and conferences galore on the subject. These are all available online. Here is a list of places I would suggest going to learn the basics of family history. After years of research and entering data, I decided to take some formal training and spent five years or so taking Independent Study classes from Brigham Young University. The website was not functioning when I looked at it, but I am guessing they are doing some maintenance over the holiday.

I hear complaints from Family History Consultants all the time about how they have not been "trained." Well, get busy and do the training yourself. As it says in the Doctrine and Covenants 58:27:

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

Here is the list of places to start. Some of these are free, others have a cost associated with them. You might just have to spend some time and money to learn. You might want to start looking for local classes. Some Family History Centers around the world have classes and I have seen and participated in local classes at libraries and from local genealogical societies.

• The Family History Guide - Probably one of the best places to start. 
• BYU Family History Library YouTube Channel - Over 100 instructional videos.
• National Genealogical Society Educational Courses - There is a discount to members
• FamilyHistoryExpos - Classes, webinars, books, videos and class handouts available
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars - free and paid
• Genealogy Gems -- Lisa Louise Cooke has a huge selection of books and podcasts
• GeneaWebinars -- Past and future webinars on genealogy
• Ancestry.com - Learning Center
• FamilySearch.org - Learning Center with hundreds of video classes and the Help Center with answers
• Family History Library webinars - The Library has regularly scheduled free webinars
• The British National Archives -- Instruction in family history
• YouTube.com -- just search for genealogy and other topics, there are thousands of videos

OK, I hope you get the idea. To repeat, there is no excuse for claiming ignorance.