Provo, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/26/2007 -- FamilyLink.com, a free, social networking site for genealogists, announced its launch today of Family Tree Viewer, allowing individuals to upload their family tree and expand it with the help of local genealogists from all over the world.
"I am so excited about the new features of FamilyLink.com. This is groundbreaking in so many ways. This site will change the genealogy world,” said David Lifferth, President, World Vital Records, Inc.
When individuals upload their family trees, they can quickly connect with other genealogists who live in the same places they are researching who can help them extend their trees by finding records they could not easily access for themselveS. For example, suppose an individual has hit a brick wall who is doing genealogical research in Sweden. With a few clicks of the mouse, this person could easily find all the individuals who are currently researching Swedish records, as well as the individuals who are living in Sweden.
Plus, once a family tree has been uploaded at FamilyLink.com, individuals can easily access on a single page the top surnames of their ancestors and find other genealogists who have interest in or who are researching the same surname with just one click. FamilyLink.com does all the work.
“FamilyLink.com is becoming the best way to connect with genealogists, and soon will become the best in the world,” said Jason McGowan, Product Manager, FamilyLink.com. “Using FamilyLink.com, people will be able to find the perfect genealogists who can help them the most with their research.
Using FamilyLink.com’s Free Family Tree Viewer, individuals can:
* Quickly view up to 12 generations of their family tree
* View their pedigree in five different formats: standard, compact, box, text, and ahnentafel.
* Calculate the relationship between two individuals within their pedigree chart
* Easily view vital information on an individual, such as birth, marriage, or death dates
* Switch to ancestor or descendant view
* Add or view photos, documents, albums, etc.
* See information that has been added in the past 30 days
* View a statistics page containing information about their GEDCOMs
* Search through a large repository of information
* Find surnames, bookmarks, places, dates, and cemeteries
Although FamilyLink.com is free and accessible to anyone, FamilyLink.com users decide exactly who has permission to view their family trees, their profiles, as well as any information they post on the site.
FamilyLink has a philosophy: “Your family tree is YOUR data. You can remove it at any time, limit who can see it, collaborate with others and grow it together, and share it with whom you choose. We will never charge others to search and access YOUR data.”
“At FamilyLink, we strongly believe people have a right to their data, and we respect that,” McGowan said. “People have spent decades working on their family trees. They should be the ones who decide what happens to their family history data. We just need to make sure that we continue to build products and services where people want to keep their data on our site.”
In addition to the Family Tree Viewer, individuals at FamilyLink.com can upload their GEDCOM files, send messages to genealogists in more than 20 countries, upload photos of their favorite ancestors, and connect with more than 13,000 genealogists and family historians in more than 1,600 places.
"FamilyLink.com will change the world of genealogy and family history. After you have seen the amazing power of this free social network for families, family historians, and genealogists you will think that this is why the Internet was created,” Lifferth said.
Come, upload your family tree and see what all the fuss is about!
About FamilyLink.com
FamilyLink.com is a social networking site that provides an innovative platform for individuals to connect, research family history, and preserve memories. FamilyLink.com has been created in a response to help genealogists from all over the world gather the information they need in a vibrantly efficient, fun, and easy way. Founded by Paul Allen in 2007, FamilyLink.com is a worldwide effort to help individuals collaborate on a global scale.