A few weeks back, I wrote about Internet portals and how they can help simplify and organize your Internet experiences. The portals I wrote about at that time allow you to customize the page, adding links that pertain to sites you visit often.

I've just learned of a “genealogy information portal” that is along the lines of the portals discussed previously, only it doesn't allow for customization. GenealogySpot.com is a “new genealogy portal [that] simplifies the search for the best free genealogy resources online,” according to a news release from StartSpot Mediaworks.

StartSpot has already made a splash in the information portal world with its popular LibrarySpot.com, which was selected as the best reference site on the Internet by Forbes magazine. As it delves into the genealogy world, StartSpot takes with it the same reference formats it uses in LibrarySpot.com and adds more reference points that pertain specifically to genealogy.

In essence, GenealogySpot finds references around the Internet that will help you with your genealogical searches. I was impressed with the fact that a lot of the links I saw were to reputable sites and holders of primary sources, such as the National Archives and the Bureau of Land Management. But in addition to links to other sites, GenealogySpot contains articles that will help you with specific tasks. These articles contain bylines, but I would like to see a short biography of each of the writers so I can know what background they bring to the topic.

The site contains a large tool chest of items that are of value to anyone doing genealogical research. Remember, though, that the information GenealogySpot points to is primarily reference material and not necessarily all of the answers to your genealogical dilemmas.

Of course, GenealogySpot.com isn't the only genealogy information portal. About.com has had a genealogy section for quite some time, and its offerings are similar to those mentioned above. There are hundreds of links to different types of sites as well as original articles written by authors whose names are more recognizable (and they have biographical information!).

GenealogyPortal.com has also been around for a couple of years. It's a joint project between Stephen Wood and Matthew Helm, and it's designed to find information easily. A feature on this site not found on the two mentioned above is a metasearch engine that checks sites using eight different search engines. You can search using the overall search engine, or you can use a specific search engine, such as “Names and Personal Sites” or “Archives and Libraries.” The search engines do a good job of filtering out pages that don't apply to genealogy, and in return, you have better and more accurate searches for your topics. The site also contains many links, although some of them point to outdated materials.

Finally, Cyndi's List contains a number of links to sites that contain other lists, under a section called Handy Online Starting Points. Some of these are list compilations, some are search engines, but they all try to help you find genealogy sites of interest to you.

Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS, is the managing editor of Genealogical Computing (GC), editor of the Board for Certification of Genealogists' newsletter OnBoard, the creator of Clooz—the electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records, and a frequent contributor to Ancestry Magazine. She can be reached via e-mail at liz@ancestordetective.com or at gceditor@ancestry.com.