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1. Ancestry Member Trees $
Join the genealogy research movement by starting a member tree on Ancestry.com. With features that can help connect long-lost family together, billions of genealogy records and a huge user network, it’s no wonder that Ancestry is one of the most popular websites for storing and sharing genealogy information and research.
2. Facebook
No, this wildly popular social-networking site isn’t just for teens with way too much time on their hands—not anymore. Genealogy groups and different pages like Ancestry turn your Facebook page into a powerful tool for exchanging family tree information. It’s an ideal place to network with like-minded genealogists (and become a fan of Family Tree Magazine).
3. FamilySearch
As you enter information into the Family Tree, lines that have been researched by others instantly connect. The Family Tree gathers everything in one spot and creates one profile for everyone, as opposed to participants each having their own trees individually. The goal, according to FamilySearch, is to reduce research duplication.
4. Flickr $
Here’s another site not specifically for genealogy that clever family historians are using—in this case, to post photos of ancestors, gravestones and more. See, for example, the Kansas Civil War veterans graves. The Smithsonian and Library of Congress have collections on Flickr, too.
5. Geni $
A standout among family tree sharing sites with 45 million profiles, Geni was singled out by Time magazine as one of the 50 best Web sites in 2008 and honored on PC Magazine’s list of Best Free Software. Who are we to argue?
6. MyHeritage $
A descendant, if you will, of the old GenCircles pedigree website, MyHeritage hosts more than 6.4 million family sites. Besides free sites, it offers Family Tree Builder software, a fun celebrity look-alike photo search, and a recently upgraded genealogy metasearch tool that looks for results in up to 1,350 sites and databases.
7. Pinterest
Pinterest is a photo uploading and sharing website usually used for fashion or recipes. But smart genealogists are using it to make free family trees and to organize their genealogy research. Upload photos of your family (boards can be made private) or use Pinterest to keep different family recipes and research material in easy, separate boards.
8. TribalPages $
One of the first sites to make the leap from plain pedigree files to online family trees, TribalPages has grown to more than 350,000 family sites with 50 million names.
9. WikiTree
Combining genealogy research with DNA, WikiTree allows you to participate in a global family tree. Add your own family to the 12 million profiles already edited by over 300,000 genealogists. The WikiTree Honor Code makes for a safe and easy-to-use website for all.
10. WeRelate
“Part encyclopedia, part social network,” this free wiki is sponsored by the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy in partnership with the Allen County (Ind.) Public Library. In addition to pages for more than 2 million people and families, WeRelate searches nearly 1 million sources, including microfilms and Web sites.
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