How Do You Relate?

Getting started is easy: first click on the Register link and follow the quick, step-by-step instructions. If you have already completed the registration process, you have received an email requesting you to confirm your email by clicking on a URL included in the email message.

Once you respond to that you are a registered member of Heycuz. Welcome Cuz!

When you login to Heycuz for the first time, you will see an empty avatar photo in the Login box. By clicking on this 'empty avatar' or by selecting the 'My Profile' item in the User Menu (left column of the front page after login) you will

be taken to your very own Heycuz profile on this site. The first thing you should do is select an avatar or upload your own profile image. Just select the Edit -> Update Your Image menu item from your Heycuz Profile and upload your image. Make sure your image follows the size limits stated and the upload should be just fine. After you upload your image, you will see a pending approval status avatar in your profile.  Once your uploaded image is reviewed and approved by a Heycuz moderator, it will show up just fine in your profile (and also in the login module as a thumbnail). You will also see alot of extra tabs on your profile. Click around them and see some of the great features. Also try editing your profile by using the Edit -> Update Profile menu item on your profile. You should see some of the questions you already answered during the registration process and some more (that are part of your profile but were not required during registration).

 

In addition, you will see some more tabs in your Heycuz profile that have extra functionality and feaures. For example you see the articles tab (showing site articles you have authored, when you write any articles), the blog tab, the connection tab, the profilebook tab (once you have activated it - edit your profile and you will see how), the Heycuz Gallery tab, the last visitor tab and many more.

Once you login you can also visit the Heycuz Lists function by selecting the Heycuz Lists user menu item. Once you have selected a list you can just click on a row and see the corresponding Heycuz profile. Once viewing a cousin's profile you will see additional features like the nice integration with their guest-book, links to their articles, and more.

If you wander into The Family Tree area, you'll notice a change immediately. Not only because the look of the individual's information is so different, but also all of the new features that this new format allows. You'll be able to view a couple's marriage document, without leaving their information page. Or, view a descendancy report, or ancestral report, and much more. When your user-level is upgraded to cousin status* you will be able to edit and add information to individuals, cousins, source records, documents and much more.

There are tons of features waiting for you to play with. There are many other features under development that will be added in the future.

All this stuff has probably gotten you very excited by now and (if you haven't already done so) you are about to register for Heycuz and start pounding away. Before doing so please take the time to follow these steps:

 

• Complete Your Heycuz Cousin Profile
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions Section
• Invite a Cousin to Share in the Heycuz experience (A Cousin A Day - That's All We Ask!)
• Write an Introduction in your Blog, telling us about you and your family tree
• Post a message to the Forum about your experience

 

If you have questions--who doesn't--please see our frequently asked questions section first. If your question isn't answered, please post it to our forum. Others may have the same questions you do and can benefit from the answers.

Finally, just have fun. Before you know if you've found another cousin, uncovered another ancestor, and collected a story or two along the way. And remember, there is no formal support team - (See We Are All Volunteers) -- its up to each one of us to help out!

Welcome again to Heycuz, where here, you're always family!

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Access to the edit feature for the Heycuz Family Tree Database is not instantaneous. I have to manually change each registered cousin's user level, so if you cannot access the edit feature when logged in, please try again later. The delay is in place to protect the quality of the information in the database from would-be pranksters. Thank you for your patience.