While I do not shy away from computers, I also still consider myself a "Gutenberg man" -- that is, I think there's nothing better than sitting down to read something in print (book, magazine or newspaper), as opposed to the digital versions of the same.

And when I spearheaded the publishing of a family history some 15 years ago, there was no question what the goal of that project would be -- it was taken for granted that the family wanted a hardbound book as the product of our efforts.

Fast-forward to the present and that "taken-for-granted" goal is no longer so taken for granted.

The cost of producing such a book -- known in the publishing business as a "short run" -- has always been relatively costly, and even the advent of "on demand" publishing (where, in essence, you can print just a few books at a time instead of committing to 500 or 1,000) has merely kept per-copy costs from going even higher.

From a genealogical standpoint, the drawback for putting genealogy in book form has always been the inevitable changes -- people in the family keep marrying, giving birth and dying after all! -- as well as corrections due to new historical research.

"Publishing" a book on the Internet addresses these concerns. The cost of putting a book on a Web site is much less expensive than a hardbound book, and updates can be done seamlessly.

A new book, "Getting Started on Your Genealogy Web site," is a guide for genealogists who wish to Internet-publish their family histories.

The first chapter of this book, which presents a comprehensive overview of the whole process of planning, designing and building a genealogy Web site, is available to read for free.

The authors of the book, Thornton and Marty Gale, started "the hunt" about 20 years ago. After working in professional careers, Marty, a teacher, and Thornton, a software engineer, retired to focus on their driving force: genealogy.

Around 2000, both Marty's and Thornton's genealogy started to reach the point where it was ready to be published. Since Thornton had spent his career in computer technology, they naturally turned to Web sites as the media of publication for their genealogy research.

The Gales, not coincidentally, own a Web-hosting company just for genealogists -- http://www.genealogyhosting.com .