Diagramming a family tree for the absolute novice

[emyoulation]

@emyoulation

I’m always exasperated when I see responses to a Facebook posting from an absolute beginner asking how to simply create a basic family tree.

So many people tell them to use Word (or Excel) and just start! Others tell them to buy software … when the person can’t recognize the right tool for their need.

Matt Kemmer replied:

@Mattkmmr

Gramps is difficult for beginners unfortunately. It probably takes them up to a few hours just to add closely related family members, the ancestors back to great-grandparents and generate some reports. All the different editor windows needed in the process further confuse beginners. I don’t know what could be changed to make Gramps easier, but the steep learning curve is definitely stopping many beginners from using Gramps.

Word and Excel have the advantage to be known widely and a simple list of close relatives and ancestors including names, dates and places can be created quickly. Great for starting, but useless for any larger tree.

Other programs and tools might just have a fraction of features compared to Gramps, but a flatter learning curve which makes them more attractive for beginners.

Moved too many postings to the new thread. Restoring one the hard way. (via quoting)