I met recently with a group of subscribers to talk about their genealogy pursuits and their opinions of Family Tree Magazine. To kick off the discussion, I asked the group members how long they've been researching their family histories, and what experience level they consider themselves. A genealogy instructor named Karen piped up, “I've been teaching for 20-plus years — but I'm always a beginner!”

Karen's response struck me, not because it was surprising, but because it hinted at a universal truth: There's a beginner within every family historian. Genealogy's such a huge subject, with so many records and resources to learn and explore, that no one could be an expert in them all — not even a genealogy instructor with more than 20 years' experience. Whether you've been pursuing your pedigree for five years or five decades, you're always a newbie in some aspect of genealogy.

This idea emphasizes a key aspect of Family Tree Magazine's mission: to be the most beginner-friendly genealogy publication you'll find. As loyal readers know, that doesn't mean we create our content only for family history novices. Rather, we try to provide advice and information that's useful to readers of all experience and skill levels. In doing that, we strive to explain family history topics in an engaging, easy-to-follow manner — so even if you're totally new to that topic, you'll understand.