We’re Related on Facebook just added a new feature. Now you can upload photos to share with your friends and family. In addition to writing comments and sharing links you can now send a picture to your mother (if you didn’t send her one for Mother’s Day), or even share a photo with some of your second and third cousins. It’s easy using the Add Photos button on We’re Related.

The Add Photos button is located next to the Add Update button on the left and also the Find Relatives button on the right-hand side.

To add a photo:

1. Click on Family Stream
2. Click on Add Photos
3. Click on Run (the application)
4. Select the photo or photos you wish to upload
5. Click upload
6. When you see the Upload Complete button, click Okay

We’re Related on Facebook has nearly 40 million users. It is the No.1 social application for families. More than 150 million relationships have been created using We’re Related.

Many individuals throughout the world question, “Am I really a fourth cousin once removed to Barack Obama?”

PROVO, UT, April 1, 2009 – Nearly 19 million people woke up this April Fool’s morning with an email from We’re Related, a service of FamilyLink.com, Inc., informing them that President Barack Obama confirmed them as a cousin on the We’re Related application on Facebook Platform. The landing page included a family tree of Obama, complete with the recipient’s name and photo at the bottom, connected with Obama.

“I am looking at snow in Seattle & I am a Barack’s cousin on April Fool’s day. I have been fooled by God & the president,” posted one We’re Related user.

The April Fool’s joke resulted in We’re Related’s biggest day ever, with five times more traffic than average. At 6 a.m., more than 137,000 people had visited the application. By 10 a.m., We’re Related had more than 500,000 unique visitors, with the numbers still climbing (3 million visitors this afternoon). The overwhelming response validates the interest people have in discovering new family relationships (especially notable ones)!

“Our traffic has skyrocketed to 5 times our normal traffic. Hundreds of thousands of people are visiting the application per hour. Plus we have become a trending topic on Twitter,” said Jason McGowan, chief social officer, FamilyLink.com, Inc. and developer of We’re Related, “I am ecstatic that it has been so successful, with so many positive comments about the joke.”

We’re Related is the fourth most popular application on Facebook Platform, and the number 1 social application for families, with an audience of 34 million people who have defined nearly 200 million family relationships using the application. We’re Related helps individuals stay in touch with their families by connecting them to their possible relatives, and also through photo sharing, news feed, birthday reminders, gifts, and more. The email sent this morning mimics the typical relative confirmation emails sent by FamilyLink.com, Inc. to its We’re Related customers.

Thousands of people have put their comments about the joke on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and other Internet sites. Reactions relating to this so-called association with President Obama range from extreme excitement to anger.

For example, since the email went out, many have expressed crushes they have on President Obama:

“Whew!!! I’m glad Barack Obama is not my cousin cause I have a major crush on him.”

“Barack Obama confirms you as a Cousin. The real April Fools joke is me saying I’ll stop being sexually attracted to him bc we’re related.”

Many We’re Related users hoped this new relationship with Obama would give them privileges:

“Facebook App information ‘Barack Obama confirmed you are a cousin on We’re Related’. Crumb, no robe for me – nepotism-free administration.”

“Just got a Facebook notification that Barack Obama has confirmed me as a cousin. I’m really looking forward to the family Christmas card.”

“Barack Obama (Washington, DC) has confirmed you as his fourth cousin once removed on We’re Related. Yaaa! Babe, Washington here I come!”

“We’re related to Obama. So I guess I’m going to college after all.”

“Barack Obama confirmed you as a cousin on We’re Related (from Friendface) I thought this was real. Lincoln bedroom, here we come.”

Some individuals have stated their disdain for being related to the President:

“For the record: I am not Barack Obama’s cousin no matter what Facebook says.”

“Boy am I glad this is an april fool’s joke, isn’t today his birthday?”

Since the joke, some individuals have begun to question their family relationship:

“Just got this email from Facebook; “Michael, Barack Obama confirmed you as a cousin on We’re Related” …. uhhh Mom????”

“Hey Barack Obama just confirmed me as his COUSIN on Facebook. Must be the ears.”

“Obama asked ME to confirm that he’s a cousin. If we’re both Obama’s cousins, that means WE’RE related. WOOT!”

We’re Related is a free application on Facebook and can be installed here: http://apps.facebook.com/we_r_related.

Click here to read the process of the We’re Related April Fool’s joke.

Click here to read more tweets posted about Barack and the cousin relationship.

xxx

About FamilyLink.com, Inc.
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> FamilyLink.com, Inc. is the leading social networking company for families globally. It was formed in 2006 by original founding executives of Ancestry.com and MyFamily.com. The company operates several genealogy web sites and has popular applications on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, and Friendster. The company’s We’re Related application is currently the third most popular application on Facebook and has helped users define more than 150 million family relationships. FamilyLink.com, Inc. also operates the AdMazing ad network that represents more than 200 million monthly impressions on high traffic family history and heritage sites. Genealogy partners include Everton, brightsolid, Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Genealogical Publishing Company, FindAGrave.com, Godfrey Memorial Library, and FamilySearch.

Media Contact
Whitney Ransom McGowan
Corporate Communications Director
FamilyLink.com, Inc.
http://corporate.familylink.com
whitney@familylink.com
(801) 377-0588

Privacy Policy, Removing Persons From Trees, Connecting Families, and Spending Money on We’re Related

The feature article this week is somewhat of a smorgasbord of questions and comments we have received about our We’re Related application this past week. The first section talks about the Privacy Policy at We’re Related. The second section deals with removing individuals from your family tree. The third section discusses how everyone, including baby boomers can use We’re Related to connect with their families. The fourth section pertains to spending money on We’re Related versus WorldVitalRecords.com. Here we go…

1. What is the privacy policy at We’re Related on Facebook?

Over this past week we have received several questions regarding the privacy policy at We’re Related. We recognize that some individuals are reluctant to post content to their tree because they do not want it to be viewed by everyone who is their friend on Facebook. At We’re Related we have been sensitive to these kinds of issues. If you are using We’re Related, you determine who your relatives are and who can
see the content you have uploaded to your tree. We’re Related’s privacy policy can be found at the following address:

http://apps.facebook.com/we_r_related/?page=privacy_policy

2. How do I remove a person’s name from my family tree on We’re Related?

To remove a person’s name from the family tree on We’re Related, first you need to get them into a box with an edit button in the top, right-hand corner. If they are not already listed in a box, click on the individual’s name to put them in the box where you are working. Next, click on the edit button in the top, right-hand corner of the box. This will pull up a box where you can edit the individual’s information. There is a red delete button near the bottom.

3. Can everyone, including Baby Boomers, really use We’re Related to connect with their family?

The following comment was made by Bruce Christensen regarding We’re Related and
connecting families.

At 55, and with an empty nest, we have found that the social media has really blessed our lives. When our youngest left, we longed for the fun banter and conversation that had permeated our home for over 30-years. These electronic networks full of pictures and conversation have increased the memories and make us proud to be at this point in our life. We have even used some of our creativity to contribute to the conversation and assist others to connect in a meaningful way. Great tools like We’re Related and other family applications will continue to grow the ranks of Facebook with Baby Boomers like us.

To view the entire article on this topic at Paul Allen’s blog,
click here.

4. Why does FamilyLink.com put money into We’re Related instead of WorldVitalRecords.com?
Recently we announced that FamilyLink.com received 2.85 million in Series B funding. As a result of this email, there has been some concern that FamilyLink.com is focusing more on We’re Related on Facebook than on WorldVitalRecords.com.

Here are some thoughts from CEO, Paul Allen:

1. We aren’t putting money into social networking–it is putting profits into the company.
2. We are using these profits to launch GenSeek and improve WorldVitalRecords.com.
3. We have many more Major Collections coming soon from current and new content partners.
4. We are recruiting a Chief Genealogist and a product manager to help us improve WorldVitalRecords.com even more.

“We want all our subscribers to feel appreciated and listened to because without them and their feedback we won’t get this right. With their help, we’ll create something wonderful!” – Paul Allen, CEO, FamilyLink.com, Inc.

Yes, it’s true. This week We’re Related on Facebook reached the 30 million user milestone and is also the number four application (for most active users), out of more than 54,000 applications on Facebook.

Here are a few features you may want to try out on We’re Related.

Possible Relatives – We’re Related sends you an email to tell you how many possible relatives it has found for you. You simply click the link, and start looking at the list of potential family members…and even some family members you may not know yet.

Birthdays – Do you ever have trouble remembering the birthdays of your family members? Worry no more. We’re Related will keep track of those dates for you. You can even send one of your family members a virtual gift.

Private Wall – Do you have thoughts you want to share with just your family, and not with all of your friends on Facebook? Try out the Private Wall. Here only you and your family will see the messages, photos, and videos you post.

Photos – Here you can upload photos for your family to see. Get started now on your first family album. Enjoy the photos your family members have posted for your viewing pleasure as well.

Status Updates – This is the place where you can tell your family what you are up to. You can also see how your family members are connected to each other and help in the process of determining who is related to whom and how everyone is related. Nearly 200 million relationships have been defined using this feature.

Trees, Ancestors, and GEDCOMs – This feature will be working again soon. And when it does, be ready to get going on your family tree. Your ancestors will be happy that you are discovering who they are.

Today Jason McGowan, product manager of We’re Related on Facebook said, “As of today, families are more important than poker.” What he was referring to was the fact that the We’re Related application has moved up to be the #6 most popular application on Facebook, by Most Active Users, surpassing the Texas HoldEm Poker application.

We’re Related was launched in October 2007 and is currently the most popular Facebook application for families, with more than 15 million users.

What is the purpose of We’re Related, and what is the connection to families? We’re Related allows you to keep up with your family, through photo sharing, a news feed, birthday reminders, etc. Using We’re Related, you can also build your family tree.  For example, more than 50 million relationships (of living people) have been defined on We’re Related. The most common relationship, by far, is “cousin, or cuz, or first cousin, or my cousin.” We’re Related is a free application on Facebook. It can be downloaded through Facebook  (http://apps.facebook.com/we_r_related), or by pasting the following link into your browser:

http://www.facebook.com/applications/#/apps/application.php?id=5388815661&b=&ref=pd_r

Many of you have used We’re Related to connect with your family members on Facebook, to upload photos, to share news, and to give gifts. One feature you may not have used is the We’re Related Tree. The We’re Related Tree allows you to easily input put in your pedigree chart onto the We’re Related application.

Here’s how you add your chart: First, go to the We’re Related application on Facebook.com. Next, simply click on the Tree button. Once you click on this button, you should see a pedigree chart with your picture as the starting point. Next begin to add information, starting with your father and mother. To add information, click on the title where you would like to add information. For example, if you would like to list the name of your mother, you would click on Add Mother. Once you click on this link, you will be prompted to input information including first name, last name, birth date, birth place, death date, death place, and email address. There is also a feature to “Link this individual to one of my Facebook friends“.

Once you have added all of the information, click on the Add Mother button (Depending on the information you are adding, the caption on this button will vary.). If you don’t know all of the information, just include what you do know. If you need to edit the information you have added, click on the edit button in the top, right-hand corner of the box that lists the individual whose information you would like to edit.

Next, click on the Tree Permissions button. This feature allows you to choose relatives and friends whom you would like to be able to view your tree. You can also see a list of your friends on Facebook and select the names of individuals whose tree you would like to view. If you select a friend or family member, a request will be sent to this individual. Once he or she confirms that you can view their tree, you will be able to access it.

We’re Related formerly offered a feature to upload GEDCOMs. Within the next week, this feature will be working again, making it that much easier to upload your family tree information and share it with your family on Facebook.