The following press release was written by FamilyLink.com, Inc.:
PROVO, Utah, Jan. 8 -- We're Related, a service developed by FamilyLink.com, Inc. to connect Facebook users to other family members, just became the fifth most popular application on Facebook Platform. The We're Related application surpassed Texas HoldEm Poker, Bumper Sticker, and Video by Facebook as well as more than 52,000 other Facebook applications in terms of active monthly users. "We are thrilled with the momentum of We're Related and are looking forward to future growth and the new functionality we will offer our loyal users," said Paul Allen, CEO, FamilyLink.com, Inc. "As the number of We're Related users increases, so does the number of connections people are making to their families."
We're Related was launched in October 2007 and is currently the most popular Facebook application for families with more than 16.5 million users. FamilyLink.com, Inc. also recently became one of the Top 500 Web companies in the world, based on Quantcast statistics.
"I'm just excited to see that families really want to connect with each other on the Internet. Our next goal is to grow to 50 million users by the end of this year to help even more individuals stay connected to their loved ones," said Jason McGowan, VP Product, FamilyLink.com, Inc.
Connecting families is also important to the top three family sites on the Internet, which include Geni.com, MyHeritage.com, and MyFamily.com. In addition to the 5.8 million monthly visitors using We're Related on Facebook, these three websites attract an additional 2.6 million monthly visitors who connect with their families online, according to statistics published by Quantcast, a service that measures online audiences.
Those who use the We're Related application also share their excitement through online comments and reviews:
"It's good to get all of my family in one place. I'm slowly adding people who I didn't even no I was related to and finding people that I haven't seen or heard from in years. We even found a cousin we had never spoken to," said Neka Towers.
"So far so good! It's great to connect with relatives I don't get to see more often!" said Kathie Smith, a Facebook user from Massachusetts.
"Awesome app ... Makes keeping up with the fam easier," said Junius Simon from Texas.
"Just joined and it has helped me find family I never knew existed. 5 stars!" said Tom Davies, new user on We're Related.
"This application is amazing ... I love being able to show who I am related to. Keep up the excellent work," said Willow Bigelow from Colorado.
We're Related was created to help individuals stay in touch with their families through photo sharing, a news feed, birthday reminders, etc. Individuals can also build their family tree using We're Related. For example, more than 100 million relationships (of living people) have been defined on We're Related. The most common relationship, by far, is cousin. This relationship is often defined in We're Related using the terms cuz, first cousin, or my cousin.
We're Related is a free application on Facebook. It can be downloaded through Facebook at: http://tinyurl.com/75f6rk.
About FamilyLink.com, Inc.
FamilyLink.com, Inc. is a family of services that includes WorldVitalRecords.com (http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/), FamilyHistoryLink.com (http://www.familyhistorylink.com/), WebTree.com (http://www.webtree.com/), and the We're Related (http://tinyurl.com/75f6rk) and My Family (http://tinyurl.com/7m9cty) applications on Facebook. The focus of the company is to bring families closer through innovative online services. A combined global audience of 11.5 million unique individuals visits the Web properties owned and operated by FamilyLink.com, Inc. each month to generate 28 million monthly page views. We're Related is one of the fastest-growing social networks for genealogists as well as other family members. The application helps individuals find relatives on Facebook, keep in touch with family members through news and status updates, build family trees, and share photos. Those who use We're Related actively participate in guiding the product roadmap through an online forum and direct feedback.
I've been trying to enjoy the experience of this Facebook app, but it really does not feel ready. It's quirky, doesn't accept gedcoms (and the note that pops up has misspellings) and linking to people on facebook is not easy. This needs work.
Posted by: Elias Savada | January 09, 2009 at 10:53 PM
I must agree - it is an application with many shortcomings. I have added my children to my tree but they don't show up there, and I don't show up on their tree. Replying to the application when asked to be a relative doesn't make sense - it asks you to identify other relatives, and if you have none you are stuck! It need A Lot of work!
Posted by: Linda | January 11, 2009 at 10:28 PM
If it doesn't accept a gedcom, it is not too convenient. I have never gotten into Facebook and Myspace, I guess it's a sign of my age. However, I just set up a Genoom account, and tried to upload a gedcom. It didn't work somehow, they said there must be a disconnected person, and I'm going to try again, they were very prompt with support. They are from Barcelona. My hope is that extended family will get a password and can log in and fill in all my missing data on their kids and grandkids (well, I can dream, can't I?) We'll see.
Posted by: Holly | January 12, 2009 at 06:44 AM
When I post a couple as divorced on Family Link and add children, It lists the children as children and then double enters them as step children! I can't figure out how to delete the step children and I don't know what I'm doing to make this happen.
Posted by: Bridget | February 25, 2009 at 02:37 PM
When I post a couple as divorced on Family Link and add children, It lists the children as children and then double enters them as step children! I can't figure out how to delete the step children and I don't know what I'm doing to make this happen.
Posted by: Bridget | February 25, 2009 at 02:39 PM