How To Build Your Family Tree Online For Free

If you are in a hurry to complete your family tree, you need to read this article.  You could be working on your family tree diagram in about 5 minutes – no kidding!  In fact, you could have a detailed chart of your immediate family completed in about 15 minutes!  That’s right – it’s not a typo!

What if there was a new technology tool which would help you complete your family history diagram in a fraction of the time compared to the “old” way?  Would you be interested in learning about it?  What if that same tool also made the project enjoyable while including the input of other members of your family?  What if the new program was easy to use, did not require you to download or install anything – and was free?  I’ll bet you’re interested in learning more about this great new technology!

Click here for a great way to start your family tree online for free!

Whether you are a genealogy beginner or a seasoned veteran, you owe it to yourself and your family to at least consider creating and sharing your family tree online.  In a very short time, the Internet has dramatically changed the way people live and work – and how they create family tree diagrams!

There are many free websites dedicated to helping people build their family tree diagrams.  It seems that every few months a new website comes online offering the same or similar features as the other sites.  Each of these sites have slightly different feature sets, but for the most part, they all perform the same basic functions.

Here is a list of the features you can expect to find on a free family tree website:

• free and easy to use
• collaborative environment (work online with others on the project)
• no software to download, configure or install (Internet connection required)
• you can control who sees what on your family tree project
• easily share your family history diagram with others

Here is a list of the websites I have personally used in building my family tree online:

• Geni.com
• MyHeritage.com
• Dynastree.com
• OneFamily.com

Each of these websites offer a great, free application to help you and your family to create a wonderful family history diagram.  I personally have a preference for Geni.com because of its integration with Facebook.

[Note: If you are not a Facebook user yet, you should consider joining it as a part of your genealogy research.  Keep watching for a future article about using Facebook.]

Are you ready to get started?  First, you will need an email account before you can register on these genealogy sites.  If you don’t have an email account, get a free email account from Gmail.com or Yahoo.com or Live.com.

Next, visit any one of the family tree sites listed above and create a free account (you will need to use your email address to do this).  Some sites will let you immediate begin to create your family tree diagram.  Some sites will require you to first confirm your account through your email address before you can use the free site.  In that case, go back to your email account and look for a new email from the site.  Open the email and follow the steps listed there.

Finally you can begin to create your family chart!  Most of these sites begin with you at the center of the family diagram.  But as you fill in the names of others in your tree it will quickly grow.  The more information you enter, the bigger your tree grows.

Adding names to your tree is very simple.  Each of the sites uses the same basic structure.  There are arrows pointing in each direction around each name on your tree.  To add a name and relationship to an existing person on your tree, simply click on the appropriate arrow and enter the information.  The “up” arrow is for parents.  The “left and right” arrows are for spouses or “partners”.  The “down” arrow is for children.

All of the sites include relationship information as well as a place to mark if the person is still living or is deceased.  Most of the sites also allow you to include a picture of each person in your tree.  I love this feature and I think you will too!

Once you get started I think you will find that 30 minutes can pass very quickly because you are having so much fun!  I said you could have your immediate family tree completed in 15 minutes – and you certainly will.  But you will find it so fascinating and fun to use that you will keep on working, filling out the details and entering names, and before you know it 30 minutes to an hour have passed and your family tree has grown really big, really fast!

Before these websites existed, this process would have taken hours, if not days or weeks to complete.  You would have had to purchase special software, or learned how to use features in your existing office or drawing software – or you would have had to delegate the task to someone who had the technical skills to do it.  Now the process is so simple that anyone can do it.

So what are you waiting for?  Get started making your family tree diagram online today!

Enter your first name and email address in the box below, then click on “Get Instant Access”.  You can begin your family history project right now!