GenealoGee.com Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the Questions below to expand or hide the Answers.

General Site Use FAQs

How do I Vote for a story that I like?

1. Click on the blue up arrow (Vote) button next to the story you wish to vote for.
2. Your vote will be added to the vote total and the up arrow button will now be green and the down arrow will be grey .
3. Only one (1) vote per user and/or IP address (computer or network) per story.

How do I place a negative vote for a story that I dislike (Bury)?

1. Click on the red down arrow (Bury) button next to the story you wish to vote for.
2. Your negative vote will be subtracted from the vote total and the down arrow button will now be grey and the up arrow will be red .
3. Only one (1) bury per user and/or IP address (computer or network) per story.

How do I Submit a New Story to the site?

1. Use our search box at the top right of any page of the site to search for the Title or some sample text from the original story you wish to submit.
   • Avoid duplicate submissions by searching to make sure someone else has not submitted the story already.
   • After performing sufficient searches to convince you that the story has not been submitted yet go to the next step.
2. Click on the "Submit a New Story Now!" button at the top right of any page of the site.
3. Read the instructions thoroughly.
4. If your account on our site is linked to your Facebook account you can choose to allow our site to submit the story to your Facebook Wall for you.
   • Read the "Facebook Integration" instructions carefully.
   • Click the "Submit Stories to Your Facebook Wall" button.
     • A Facebook "Request for Permission" screen will pop-up to allow our site to publish posts or comments without prompting you.
     • Click "Allow Publishing" to grant permission.
       • You will be able to change this permission from the Applications Settings page at Facebook.com.
     • The Facebook pop-up will close.
     • The "Submit Stories to Your Facebook Wall" button will not appear on the Submit page again unless you remove permission in your Application Settings at Facebook.com.
5. Enter the "Unique News URL" for the "News Source" you wish to submit in the text box provided.
   • Include the prefix to the URL, http:// or other.
     • Error message will be displayed if you forget this: "URL is invalid or blocked: (www.TheUrlYouSubmitted.com)"
   • Avoid submitting the home page URL for a site.
     • Example: submit http://www.genealogee.com/static/faqs/ instead of http://www.genealogee.com/
     • Link Directly to the Source: Save people time by linking directly to the original news story.
   • Avoid submitting URLs that redirect to another URL.
     • Example: submit http://www.genealogee.com/genealogy-news/nelson-mandela-famous-ancestor-feature-of-the-week/ instead of http://www.genealogee.com/story.php?id=428 which redirects to the previous URL
     • Error message will be displayed if you forget this: "URL is invalid or blocked: (www.TheUrlYouSubmitted.com)"
6. Click the "Continue" button to continue to step two (2).
7. Upload an image to represent the news article you are submitting.
   • This is not a required field.
   • Click the "Choose File" button.
   • Select the file from your computer you want to upload and "Open" it.
   • Click the "Upload Image" button to upload the image.
     • Minimum dimensions of 30 pixels by 30 pixels.
     • Maximum dimensions of 800 pixels by 800 pixels.
     • Maximum file size of 100 kilobytes.
   • The image will display on the site at a maximum of 80 pixels by 80 pixels.
8. Enter the "Story Title" in the text box provided.
   • The "Story Title" should automatically be imported. You do not have to edit the "Story Title" if you think it is accurate already.
   • 120 total characters maximum.
9. Select the "Category" that best describes the story you are submitting from the dropdown menu provided.
10. If you have joined any "Groups", you can choose to "Submit to a group" by selecting the group from the dropdown menu provided.
    • If you have not joined any "Groups" skip to the next step.
    • This is not a required field.
11. Enter the "Description" for the article you submitted in the text area provided.
    • It should be two (2) to four (4) sentences long and no more than the total number of characters specified in bold type in the instructions.
      • The "Total Characters" is displayed below the text area.
12. Click the "Check Spelling" button.
    • "Ignore" or "Replace" the suggested spelling changes as needed.
    • Click the "Close" button if you wish to skip the suggestions.
    • After completing the Spell check, click the "OK" button to close the window.
    • The changes you made will be updated in the "Description" text area.
13. Enter any "Tags" you feel best describe the story you are submitting in the text box provided.
    • Short, generic words separated by ',' (comma) Example: genealogy, family, tree, history
    • 100 total characters maximum.
    • This is not a required field.
14. If the page you are submitting allows trackbacks the "Trackback" text box will detect it automatically.
    • This is not a required field.
15. Click the "Preview and Submit" button to continue to step three (3), the final step.
16. A preview of what the story will look like on our site will appear.
    • You can choose to edit any part of your submission by clicking on the "Modify" button.
      • Do not click your web browsers "Back" button.
    • You can choose to "Submit Stories to Your Facebook Wall" by selecting the checkbox provided if your account on our site is linked to your Facebook account.
      • This will automatically post this story to your Facebook Wall.
      • This is not a required field.
17. Click the "Submit Story" button if you are satisfied with your submission.
18. You will be taken to the "Upcoming News" page and you should see your new story at the top with your one (1) vote tallied.

I accidentally voted for a story and I want to remove my vote. How do I Unvote a story?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Voted" link at the top right of any page of the site.
3. A list of all of the stories that you have voted for will be displayed.
4. Find the story you want to remove your vote from and click the orange up arrow button link where the total vote count is displayed.
   • Your vote will be removed and the vote count will reflect the change.
   • Note: You cannot remove a vote from a story that you submitted.

I accidentally buried a story and I want to remove my negative vote. How do I unbury a story?

1. There is no unbury feature at the present time.
   • This may be a feature that we implement in the future. Until then, be careful to not Bury a story accidentally.

How do I Comment on a story?

We always encourage our users to comment on the original news story website, however, some sites do not facilitate discussion on their sites and some users prefer to not have to create more usernames and passwords to be able to comment on a site. Here are instructions on how to comment on our site.

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Find the story on the Published News, Upcoming News or Search Results pages that you would like to comment on.
3. Click on the "Discuss this Story" link for the story you wish to comment on.
   • If there are already comments posted to the story, the link will read, "1 Comment" or "# Comments" where # is the number of total comments.
   • You can also click on the "Read More" link that is displayed after the short summary of the story.
     • In "Expanded" view only.
4. You may "Reply" directly to another user's comment by clicking the "Reply" link displayed to the right of their username and above their comment.
   • Another "Submit a Comment" text area will appear to "Reply" directly to the other user's comment.
5. Enter your comment in the "Submit a Comment" text area provided.
   • 1,200 total characters maximum.
6. Click the "Check spelling" button.
   • "Ignore" or "Replace" the suggested spelling changes as needed.
   • Click the "Close" button if you wish to skip the suggestions.
   • After completing the Spell check, click the "OK" button to close the window.
   • The changes you made will be updated in the "Submit a Comment" text area.
7. Click the "Submit comment" button if you are satisfied with your comment.
8. Your comment will now be displayed on the page.

How do I Edit a comment I made on a story?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Find the story that you would like to Edit the comment for.
3. Click on the "1 Comment" or "# Comments" link where # is the number of total comments.
   • You can also click on the "Read More" link that is displayed after the short summary of the story.
     • In "Expanded" view only.
4. Click on the "Edit" link displayed below your username and above your comment.
   • You will be taken to a page where you can edit your comment.
5. Enter your changes in the "Submit a Comment" text area provided.
   • 1,200 total characters maximum.
6. Click the "Check spelling" button.
   • "Ignore" or "Replace" the suggested spelling changes as needed.
   • Click the "Close" button if you wish to skip the suggestions.
   • After completing the Spell check, click the "OK" button to close the window.
   • The changes you made will be updated in the "Submit a Comment" text area.
7. Click the "Submit comment" button if you are satisfied with your new comment.
8. Your new comment will now be displayed on the page in place of your previous comment.

How do I delete a comment I made on a story?

1. You cannot delete a comment, but you can edit it.
2. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
3. Find the story that you would like to Edit the comment for.
4. Click on the "1 Comment" or "# Comments" link where # is the number of total comments.
   • You can also click on the "Read More" link that is displayed after the short summary of the story.
     • In "Expanded" view only.
5. Click on the "Edit" link displayed below your username and above your comment.
   • You will be taken to a page where you can edit your comment.
6. Type "Comment has been removed by the user." in the "Submit a Comment" text area provided.
7. Click the "Check spelling" button.
   • "Ignore" or "Replace" the suggested spelling changes as needed.
   • Click the "Close" button if you wish to skip the suggestions.
   • After completing the Spell check, click the "OK" button to close the window.
   • The changes you made will be updated in the "Submit a Comment" text area.
8. Click the "Submit comment" button.
9. Your new comment will now be displayed on the page in place of your previous comment.

Registration FAQs

How do I register for your site?

1. Click on the "No Account? Register Now!" link at the top right of any page of the site.
2. Select the Username you want to be associated with on our site and enter in the "Select a Username" text box.
3. Click the "Verify" button next to the "Select a Username" text box to check the availability of username you have selected.
   • If the username is available it will say, "(the username you selected)": OK
   • If the username is already taken it will say, "The username provided already exists"
4. "Enter your secure password" in the next text box.
   • Five character minimum.
   • All characters are allowed, except quotation marks and apostrophes.
   • Please make sure your password is not easily guessed. Combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are best. An example would be: mYp@5sW0rdisSecUr3.
5. Repeat the same password you just entered into the "Verify your password" text box.
   • This is for your convenience, not inconvenience, just in case you typed your intended password incorrectly.
6. Enter "Your Email address" in the next text box.
7. Click the "Verify" button next to the "Your Email address" text box to check if you have already registered and to avoid duplicate accounts.
   • If the email address is valid and unique to our site it will say, "(the email address you entered)": OK
   • If the email address is invalid it will say, "The email address provided is not valid"
   • If the email address is already used it will say, "Another user with that email has registered"
     • This means you have already registered on our site or somebody else entered your email address instead of their own.
8. "Type the two words" found in the CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Human Apart).
   • This is to protect our site from registration SPAM and hackers.
9. Click the "Complete Registration" button.
10. You will then see the "Registration Complete" screen.
    • An activation link is sent to the email address that you provided while registering.
    • Check your email Inbox and click on the activation link or copy and paste it into your web browser.
11. Your registration for membership to our site is now complete. You may now log in and enjoy the additional features and benefits of being a registered member of our site.

How do I register for your site using my Facebook account?

1. Click on the "Connect with Facebook" button at the top right of any page of the site.
   • A "Facebook Login" screen will pop-up if you are not already logged in to your Facebook account.
     • Notice the web address (URL) is http://www.facebook.com, not our site address.
   • If you are already logged in to your Facebook account you will be directed to the "Register" page on our site.
     • Skip to step number six (6) below.
2. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Email" address that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this email address.
3. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Password" that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this password.
4. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window click the "Connect" button.
5. You are now logged in to Facebook and ready to link a member account on our site to your Facebook account.
6. Read the instructions on the "Register" page you are taken to.
7. Select the Username you want to be associated with on our site and enter in the "Select a Username" text box.
   • This will automatically be entered with your Facebook username.
   • You can use a different username if you want to by replacing the automatically entered username with another username of your choice.
8. Click the "Verify" button next to the "Select a Username" text box to check the availability of username you have selected.
   • If the username is available it will say, "(the username you selected)": OK
   • If the username is already taken it will say, "The username provided already exists"
9. Enter "Your Email address" in the next text box.
   • This can be the same email address you use to log in to your Facebook account.
10. Click the "Verify" button next to the "Your Email address" text box to check if you have already registered and to avoid duplicate accounts.
    • If the email address is valid and unique to our site it will say, "(the email address you entered)": OK
    • If the email address is invalid it will say, "The email address provided is not valid"
    • If the email address is already used it will say, "Another user with that email has registered"
      • This means you have already registered on our site or somebody else entered your email address instead of their own.
11. "Enter your secure password" in the next text box.
    • This does not have to be the same password you use to log in to your Facebook account.
    • Five character minimum.
    • All characters are allowed, except quotation marks and apostrophes.
    • Please make sure your password is not easily guessed. Combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are best. An example would be: mYp@5sW0rdisSecUr3.
12. Repeat the same password you just entered into the "Verify your password" text box.
    • This is for your convenience, not inconvenience, just in case you typed your intended password incorrectly.
13. Select the checkbox provided if you would like to automatically "Follow Facebook Friends" who are members of our site.
    • This is done automatically at this time only. You will need to add your Facebook friends as friends on our site manually from this point on.
    • This is not required to complete the registration process.
14. Select the checkbox provided if you would like to "Set Facebook Photo as Avatar" that will be used on our site.
    • This will copy your Facebook profile photo as the Avatar (photo) used on our site to identify you.
      • This photo will replace the default Avatar assigned to new members of our site.
    • This is not required to complete the registration process.
15. Click the "Complete Registration" button.
16. You will then see the "Registration Complete" screen.
    • An activation link is sent to the email address that you provided while registering.
    • Check your email Inbox and click on the activation link or copy and paste it into your web browser.
17. Your registration for membership to our site is now complete. You may now log in and enjoy the additional features and benefits of being a registered member of our site using your Facebook account or the username and password you selected while completing your registration on our site.

Login FAQs

How do I log in to your site?

1. Find the login form at the top right of any page of the site.
2. Enter your "Username" associated with your membership on the site into the text box provided.
3. Enter your "Password" into the text box provided.
4. You can allow our site to "Remember" that you are logged in by checking the checkbox provided.
   • This is not a required checkbox to click.
   • This sets a simple browser "cookie" to your browser indicating that you have already logged in.
   • "Cookies" must be enabled for this to work. They are enabled by default, so if you haven’t changed that setting it should work correctly.
5. Click the "Login Now!" button.
6. You will be returned to the page you were on before logging in to the site.

How do I log in to your site using my Facebook account?

1. Click on the "Connect with Facebook" button at the top right of any page of the site.
   • A "Facebook Login" screen will pop-up if you are not already logged in to your Facebook account.
     • Notice the web address (URL) is http://www.facebook.com, not our site address.
   • If you are already logged in to your Facebook account you will be directed to the "Register" page on our site.
     • Skip to step number five (5) below.
2. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Email" address that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this email address.
3. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Password" that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this password.
4. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window click the "Connect" button.
5. You are now logged in to both Facebook and our site.

How do I log out of your site?

1. Click the "Logout" link at the top right of any page of the site.
2. You will be returned to the home page of the site.
   • If your account on our site is linked to your Facebook account you will be logged out of Facebook as well.

How do I link an existing account on your site with my Facebook account?

1. Log out of our site if you are logged in.
2. Click on the "Connect with Facebook" button at the top right of any page of the site.
   • A "Facebook Login" screen will pop-up if you are not already logged in to your Facebook account.
     • Notice the web address (URL) is http://www.facebook.com, not our site address.
   • If you are already logged in to your Facebook account you will be directed to the "Register" page on our site.
     • Skip to step number seven (7) below.
3. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Email" address that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this email address.
4. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window enter your "Password" that you use to log in to your Facebook account.
   • We do not capture this password.
5. On the "Facebook Login" pop-up window click the "Connect" button.
6. You are now logged in to Facebook and ready to link a member account on our site to your Facebook account.
7. Read the instructions on the "Register" page you are taken to.
8. Find the Login form title, "Log in to GenealoGee.com" below the Registration form.
9. Enter your "Username" associated with your membership on our site into the text box provided.
10. Enter your "Password" into the text box provided.
11. You can allow our site to "Remember" that you are logged in by checking the checkbox provided.
    • This is not a required checkbox to click.
    • This sets a simple browser "cookie" to your browser indicating that you have already logged in.
    • "Cookies" must be enabled for this to work. They are enabled by default, so if you haven’t changed that setting it should work correctly.
12. Select the checkbox provided if you would like to automatically "Follow Facebook Friends" who are members of our site.
    • This is done automatically at this time only. You will need to add your Facebook friends as friends on our site manually from this point on.
    • This is not a required field.
13. Select the checkbox provided if you would like to "Set Facebook Photo as Avatar" that will be used on our site.
    • This will copy your Facebook profile photo as the Avatar (photo) used on our site to identify you.
      • This photo will replace the default Avatar assigned to new members of our site.
    • This is not a required field.
14. Click the "Log in" button.
15. You will be logged in to our site and Facebook and will be returned to the home page of the site.
16. You may now log in using your Facebook account or the username and password you selected while completing your original registration on our site.

Password FAQs

I've forgotten my password for your site. How do I reset it?

1. Click on the "Forgotten Password?" link at the top right of any page of the site.
2. Enter "Your Email address" associated with your account on our site in the text box provided.
3. Click the "Submit" button.
4. A password change request email is sent to your email address.
   • Check your email Inbox for the password change request email. It will contain your new password.
   • If the email you entered is not in our database the email will not be sent.
5. Log in to our site and change your password to something more memorable, but also secure.
   • Five character minimum.
   • All characters are allowed, except quotation marks and apostrophes.
   • Please make sure your password is not easily guessed. Combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are best. An example would be: mYp@5sW0rdisSecUr3.

How do I change my password?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or the "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you used to log in to our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Find the section labeled "If you wish to change your password enter your new password below" at the bottom of your Profile page.
6. Enter your "Old Password" in the text box provided.
7. Enter your "New Password" in the text box provided.
   • Five character minimum.
   • All characters are allowed, except quotation marks and apostrophes.
   • Please make sure your password is not easily guessed. Combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are best. An example would be: mYp@5sW0rdisSecUr3.
8. Repeat the same password you just entered into the "Verify New Password" text box.
   • This is for your convenience, not inconvenience, just in case you typed your intended password incorrectly.
9. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
10. Your password is now changed.
    • You will automatically be logged out of our site.
    • Use this new password when you log in to our site from now on.

User Profile FAQs

How do I change my email address used on your site?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or the "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your new email address in the "Private Email" text box provided.
   • You do not have to enter anything into or change the "Public Email" text box if you prefer not to.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your email address is now updated.

How do I change my password?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you used to log in to our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section at the bottom of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Find the section labeled "If you wish to change your password enter your new password below" on your Profile page.
6. Enter your "Old Password" in the text box provided.
7. Enter your "New Password" in the text box provided.
   • Five character minimum.
   • All characters are allowed, except quotation marks and apostrophes.
   • Please make sure your password is not easily guessed. Combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols are best. An example would be: mYp@5sW0rdisSecUr3.
8. Repeat the same password you just entered into the "Verify New Password" text box.
   • This is for your convenience, not inconvenience, just in case you typed your intended password incorrectly.
9. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
10. Your password is now changed.
    • You will automatically be logged out of our site.
    • Use this new password when you log in to our site from now on.

Can I change my username?

1. You cannot change your username.
   • This is for security purposes.
   • You can re-register using a different username or email admin@genealogee.com from the email address associated with your account on our site with a request for the change. There is no guarantee the username will be changed.

How do I change the avatar/image displayed next to my activity on the site?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Make your selection from the radio buttons provided under the "Upload Avatar" section.
6. Click on the "Save Avatar" button below that option.
   • If you selected "I want to use the default avatar." in step number five (5) skip to step number ten (10) below.
     
7. Click on the "Choose File" button that now appears.
8. Select the image on your computer that you would like to upload as your avatar on our site.
   • JPG, JPEG, GIF and PNG images are acceptable image formats.
   • Images with transparent backgrounds will automatically be converted to JPG format and the transparent areas will be black in color.
9. Click on the "Upload Image" button next to your selection.
10. Your avatar/image is now updated.

How do I add or change my "Real Name" displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your "Real Name" in the text box provided.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your "Real Name" is now updated.

How do I add or change my "Public Email" displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your "Public Email" in the text box provided.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your "Public Email" is now updated.

How do I add or change my "Homepage" website address displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your "Homepage" in the text box provided.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your "Homepage" website address is now updated.

How do I add or change my "Location" displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your "Location" in the text box provided.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your "Location" is now updated.

How do I add or change my "Occupation" displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your "Occupation" in the text box provided.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your "Occupation" is now updated.

How do I add or change my online "Communication" screen names displayed on my Profile page?

1. Log in to our site if you are not already logged in.
2. Click on the "Logged in as USERNAME" link or "Profile" link at the top right of any page of the site.
   • USERNAME is the username you selected when you registered for our site.
3. Find the "Personal Information" section of your Profile page.
4. Click on the "Modify" button.
5. Enter your online "Communication" screen names in the text boxes provided.
   • If you are not familiar with what one of the Communication methods are you most likely do not use that communication method.
6. Click on the "Save Profile" button at the bottom of the page.
7. Your online "Communication" screen names are now updated.