I am not sure what you mean. When I started, it was with my parents. Dates for birth, marriage, the when and where...

I use Family Search software to keep my records.

Check out my sight. http:www.tribalpages.com/tribes/brendag

This is my small collection. My other data with the whole bit on my family and the extended family isn't posted.

I think I've been in your boat; I'm not sure I'm completely out of it yet, either. ;>

I collected information very indisciminately when I started my research about 5 years ago. I was excited, and becuase of the wonder that is the internet I got loads of info very quickly from distant cousins and pillaged posted online family trees like a pirate. I cited my sources randomly, incorrectly, and occassionally at best; mostly taking other people's words on the integrity of the data. Pretty quickly my Reunion database (a great mac based program) became a couple thousand releations heavy, but very little of the information was cited or validated through my own efforts. Impressive in it's volume and scope, but a mess as far as focus and accuracy.

I did two things. I took an online genealogy course through the National Genealogical Society (www.ngsgenealogy.org/Courses...se.cfm), and I got a great book on organizing your family reseach (www.amazon.com/exec/obido...558705112). Both were invaluable. The course gave me the nuts and bolts of resources and records as well as correct terminology, the book helped me organize my existing research and got me conscious of the level of detail I needed to document, and the best ways to capture and file that info. I came out of both experiences with a lofty new goal of backing up every piece of data with records from my own research.

I did end up setting up a great filing system for myself and started the meticulous work of backing up my data with actual vital records. What I haven't been able to bring myself to do is prune my tree, so to speak, of a lot of non-relevant people. Like you said, I don't want to just retire my old database and start fresh, but I think it might be inevitable. The jury is still out...

I started when I was in high school, so I NEVER worried about the reliability of an online database or documenting my sources. Since then I have continued to grow my tree (to nearly 1400 names) while always striving to get more and more details and sources about the closer generations. If you ever decide to "start over" never throw anything away. Just go thru each name, date, and relationship and make sure you have at least one source for every one. Family Tree Maker has the capability of reporting many alternates with a source for each one. So if your mom gave you one date for your grandfather's birthday, his WWI draft registration card gave you another, and the 1900 census gave you a month and year different from those... you can list and cite sources for them all. Then you choose the one you think is the most reliable (probably the draft card because it was filled out by him) and set that as your default so that it's the one that shows up on pedigree charts, etc. It's extremely easy to use, too.