Genes Reunited Reviews

Genes Reunited image

 
Editor's Overall Rating:
Average User Rating:
(based on 2 reviews)

Category: Genealogy Sites
Website: http://www.genesreunited.co.uk



Editor's Review User Reviews
 

Genes Reunited Review



by No1Reviews.com.

Editor's Star Ratings:

Search Effectiveness:
Ease of Navigation:
Features:
Technical Support:
Help Files / Documentation:
Ease of Joining / Registration:
Value for Money:
Overall Star Rating:

Membership Costs:

It is free to view the site contents and use the family tree maker software. However if you want to contact other members of GenesReunited.co.uk or take advantage of other site features, you need to upgrade to one of the following membership options:

  • Standard Membership - £9.95 for 6 months
  • Gold Membership - £34.95 for 6 months
For a complete discussion of the differences between the two membership options, see the "Joining Genes Reunited" section later in this review.

 

Features of Genes Reunited:

  • GenesReunited.co.uk is part of the "Reunited" group, including FriendsReunited, FriendsReunited Dating, GenesReunited International and Census 1901.
  • UK-based site, ideal for UK users wishing to research their family history.
  • GenesReunited.co.uk received the 2008 Hitwise award for the most hits on the internet in the family-industry category.
  • GenesReunited.co.uk gives you the opportunity to search through a database of 700 million names to build your personal family tree.
  • Search records or other users' family trees to return the best results.
  • Registering on GenesReunited.co.uk is free. Free membership allows users to use the family tree generating software hosted on-site, though in order to make use of all of the features and contact other members, it is necessary to upgrade.
  • User-friendly family history software allows you to generate, grow and share your family tree easily.
  • The "Lifeline" feature allows you to plot the major landmarks in the life of a particular relative and access this information easily.
  • HotMatches delivers a fortnightly email providing information of potential new matches to your family name, which could provide some interesting new leads for your research.
  • Use Message Board and Forums to chat with other GenesReunited users.
  • Read other users' success stories in an online e-zine.
  • Use webchat with other users to discuss family history and ask for help.
  • Free personal internal messaging service allows other users to contact you anonymously.
  • "Trying to Find" service allows you to ask for information about a particular lost relative.
  • "Ask an Expert" using webchat to help answer the more difficult questions that arise in your search.
  • Comprehensive technical support, answering all questions within 2-3 working days.
Joining GenesReunited.co.uk:

There are two different membership options available on GenesReunited.co.uk, and they provide differing levels of access to the site's features. Both membership subscriptions run for 6 months, but they differ as follows:
  • Standard Membership
    • View the trees of 9 million GenesReunited members
    • Contact members with shared ancestry
    • Join the GenesReunited community and ask others for advice
  • Gold Membership
    • All of the benefits of standard membership, plus...
    • Access to the victorian census record 1841-1901
    • Access to the UK Births, Marriages and Deaths register 1837-2004
    • Access to the British Military records from WWI and WWII.

 

Performing a Search on GenesReunited:

A basic search to GenesReunited.co.uk allows you to search by the following parameters:

  • Forename
  • Surname
  • Birthplace
  • Year of birth
  • Keywords
  • "Give or Take" (Allowing users to enter information which may not be correct)
  • Search Filtering
  • Search Records or Search Trees

 

Editor's Verdict:

GenesReunited.co.uk is a sister site to the hugely popular FriendsReunited.co.uk, part of an international group of sites which dominate the family online-industry market. GenesReunited.co.uk is a UK based site, offering access to a range of research records from UK sources, but unfortunately offers no international records whatsoever. This is a little disappointing, as it limits the search opportunities of UK users to only family members who appear on British records (and thus, eliminates research into family who may have emigrated or otherwise appear on international records). That said, standard (and even gold) membership with GenesReunited.co.uk is some of the cheapest that we have come across in our research for this category, with gold membership costing only £34.99 for 6 months. This, coupled with the friendly approach adopted throughout the whole group of sites, will certainly please a lot of users.

Creating a free account using GenesReunited.co.uk takes a little longer than with other genealogy sites, but still is not a particularly arduous process. Once you have created your free account, you have unlimited access to the free family tree software hosted by the site. This is one of the best features of the site, offering the opportunity to create a professional, flexible family tree with surprising ease. Every entry on the tree can be accompanied by a number of additional attachments, such as photos, documents and audio or video clips. We particularly liked the 'lifeline' feature, which allows users the opportunity to plot the personal history of an individual in the tree and view it along a chronological line. When researching becomes difficult, or you just need a little support, GenesReunited offers the opportunity to get into contact with an expert genealogist using webchat. We really liked this feature and thought it was a really useful addition.

Another excellent element of GenesReunited is the community feel that is generated through the myriad of 'community' related features on the site. Users can contact other users using messaging, forums and message boards and even use chat to get in contact with other members. Another excellent feature is the "Trying to Find" feature, which allows users to post information about a particular lost relative in the hope that other users may be able to shed some light on their history. All in all, we thought the community functions were well executed, and really contribute to a feeling of being part of a genealogical community.

With no international records featured on the site at all, it is unlikely that this site will appeal to an extremely serious genealogist or family history researcher. Even standard membership does not open up access to even the UK records, only allowing users the ability to contact other users and view their family trees. Gold membership does allow users access to some UK records, but these are certainly not as extensive as those featured on other sites. That said, gold membership of GenesReunited is considerably cheaper than other sites, so we would recommend this site if you are new to genealogy and wish to try it out, or simply want to conduct some brief or superficial research into your family history. If this sounds right for you, GenesReunited.co.uk could be your perfect choice!

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