Prior to the Internet, if you wanted to trace your family tree you would have spent a lot of time on the phone, performing research and once completed there would be significant gaps in your family tree.
Now using the world wide web, you can easily network with others, track down long lost friends and relatives and easily find information to fill in all the gaps and do it relatively quickly.
In reality the best way to start is by asking yourself, lots of questions you are the best resource in the entire world about yourself.
The more information you identify the better, however just a few basic facts can be all you need to get started.
Even your full name, date and place of birth would be enough for you to start.
The next step is to look at old family photographs, newspaper clippings or anything else that will add a connection for the generations to come.
Something that is often overlooked is keeping a consistent feel and look to things.
As you go further back, identify pictures of yourself and others then put these in your book.
Next, after you have exhausted your own information, find out about your parents, siblings, any progeny and your spouse or partner.
Always try to have a conversation with everyone you are going to write about their personal recollections can add emotion and a sense of connection to the words you write about them.
Try and do this with all your living relatives.
There will be times when you do your research you will feel like giving up, you might be faced with a mountain of information to plough through just to identify a single trivial piece of information, don't despair, try and imagine yourself as Sherlock Holmes investigating your family history and you will find the resolve to go on.
When you hit a wall, remember the Internet can often turn up a huge amount of information.
It might be public records, death or birth certificates or other useful things.
One of my friends was looking for a great grandfather, they found his signature on a census form, using this they were able to trace family roots right across the country.
I would also suggest joining a genealogy web site.
They can be like social networking sites, with the added bonus you can add you information online.
You might be lucky and find another relative who can fill in gaps and trace things further back than you ever thought possible.
In general terms this is the basic process of learning how to research your family tree.
Modern technology has catapulted it into one of the most popular pastimes there is today.