Building your multi-media family tree.

Most family tree sites only allow you to build a single tree, not Ancestory! With us, you can build as many as you like, without re-subscribing. The process is simple, just sign up and we’ll send you a confirmation e-mail with your user name and password - just in case you forget - and an activation link. Once activated, you can log in and create a profile. For a profile picture we use “Gravitar.” Just click the Gravitar link and follow the simple instructions to upload a profile picture. When that’s done, you’ll automatically be sent back to your Ancestory profile.

Click on the “My trees” tab and click “New tree.” Decide if it’s public or private, factual or fictional and give your tree a name, so that you’ll remember to whom it relates. That’s it; you’re all set to start adding people and media to your tree.

Public Trees

Ancestory allows you to add media snippets (Audio, video, document or photo formats) to any tree that you’ve created but we also allow you to add media snippets to the “Public trees created by others.” If you want others to add media to your tree, simply click on the “My trees” tab and select the “Edit tree” button on the tree that you wish to make public. In the “Editing my tree” window, you will see a drop down menu entitled “Public.” Click the dropdown and select “Yes.” Save your changes and your tree is now public.

Factual or fictional trees.

Also, if you decide that you want to tell a funny and fictitious story, simply click on the “My trees” tab and select the “Edit tree” button on the tree that you wish to make fictitious. In the “Editing my tree” window you will see a drop down menu entitled “Tree type” click the dropdown menu and select “Fiction.” Save your changes and your tree is now marked as “Fictional” so if you make it public, other subscribers can add fictitious information to help grow the story. If you want to keep it as factual, that’s ok too, just select “Factual” from the same dropdown menu and if you make it “Public” subscribers can add factual media and information to that tree as well.

Who can see a public tree ?

Ancestory is designed to allow other subscribers to view and add to public trees. So anyone who subscribes and is logged on, can add media to your “Public tree.” They can also delete media from that tree but they can only delete media that they have added, they can’t delete yours or media added by other subscribers. Only the original author of the tree can delete his or her own public tree.

Public trees can be shared over social networks such as Facebook, Bebo, Buzz-up, Twitter, Flikr etc. Ancestory has the facility to allow subscribers to share on almost all major social networks, provided your tree is “Public.” Your friends can follow the share link and as soon as they sign up to Ancetory, in most cases, they’ll be directed straight to your shared public tree.

Private Trees

Under the “My trees” tab, you can view and interact with your private trees, which are personal only to you. Other subscribers cannot view or interact with your private trees and they cannot be shared over social networks unless you chose to make them public.