Geni Review

While looking for a way to map and store genealogy information, Geni caught my attention as a simple, intuitive and friendly way to share information with my family, without cost to anyone.  Other sites I explored were too costly and/or awkward, and they did not offer as many features as Geni does.

Geni is a web-based family tree and community.  Only family members who are already on the tree may view and edit information, but designated "friends" can view only an individual's profile upon invitation.  Users can specify the level of privacy on their profiles, depending on who is viewing the profile.  Geni offers an internal e-mail system for family members and, if you like, will invite newly added members to view and add to the tree.  Any family member can add photos, which are organized into photo albums.

The family tree feature is simple and elegant.  Geni offers different navigation methods so that you can choose what you like best.  Personally, I love using the "click-and-drag" feature to view different parts of the tree.  Adding a family member is as easy as clicking on an arrow and typing in the basic information.  Details can be added at any time.

Be aware that this site is currently in beta mode; this means that Geni is not yet a fully developed website.  They are constantly adding new features based on user input, and there is a small possibility of being bought by another website in the future.  I have not had problems with using beta sites that were bought or fully developed, though, so this isn't a concern for me.

If you're looking for a simple, private and cost-effective way to publish your family tree online, take a look at Geni.  It's a powerful and versatile tool, and I believe you won't be disappointed!