In researching, it is very easy to get lost with all the information out there available on each genealogy line. The hard part is not in finding the names and information, but in getting the sources for that information and validating they are indeed the direct relative you are searching for. Paper trails are not out, even in this electronic age, but necessary for truely doing your genealogy research right. Cemetary rubbings, or photos, or documents from the morg; certificates - birth, death, wedding, christianings, blessings, land deeds, legal actions; and family documents hand written - bibles, journals, scrapbooks, etc. These are all good sources for varifying the person is the correct relative. Then you must really document your own research and keep good organized records so you can say "here is proof that it is this John, not that John" when they have the same name, birth year, close birth month and date, and same county or state.
That is really the challenging, fun part of genealogy.