Ancestry Updates: New Info Request Feature!

Ancestry Updates: New Info Request Feature!

Ancestry Updates: New Info Request Feature! 

Ancestry has a new, much anticipated feature that was mentioned at RootsTech! This feature sets collaborating at a whole new level! As mentioned in Ancestry 2023 Updates: New Genealogy and DNA Tools and Features, they have tons of new tools and features coming out as part of their new updates for this year. As of yesterday, May 25th, they released their new Info Request feature (well, at least I have it), with it’s own icon, where you can request info on a family member! You can get help by asking family, by messaging an Ancestry member, or from the Ancestry Community! This makes collaborating with others so much easier, while getting any info you may need even from outside the Ancestry community! 

​How to Get to Info Request:

1. The “quick profile view” in your “Family Tree View”, either “Pedigree View” or “Family View”
2. The ancestor/relative “Profile” page

Get to Ancestry's New Info Request in Quick Profile View from Pedigree"/"Horizontal" View

Get to Ancestry's New Info Request from the Ancestor/Relative Profile page

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature

Ask Family for Help:

Ask family for help with a particular ancestor or relative, by emailing them a link to that person that includes fields to suggest name, birth, and death info!

1. Choose Ask family for help in the dropdown box
2. Copy the link
3. Send link in an email to family
4. Family (does not need an Ancestry account) can add name, birth, and death details, then submit
5. Suggestions for details are submitted
6. Find suggestions…* See notes below...under your notifications from the notifications icon in the top navigation bar/ribbon
   
7. Click on suggestion for suggestion details
   
8. Brings you to person's Family Tree View and their information review
9. Accept suggestions or not​

​*Note: I have tested it out multiple times, but I cannot figure out where you can find the suggestions that are made; I have checked anywhere and everywhere so far. Since this just came out yesterday, they may be working out any kinks in it or still working on that part. When they were talking about this, they were thinking it would go straight into your tree, but I am not sure that is the case. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll update this post when they have figured that portion out. 😉

*Update 5/28/23: This morning I was able to find the emailed suggestions under my notifications. Hopefully they will come up with alternate ways to find them, to make it easier, maybe with a notification icon for those suggestions on the person's profile page or quick view profile in Family Tree View.

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ask Family for Help Option

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Family Suggestion Input Email

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Family Suggestions Under Notifications

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Family Suggestion Review

Message an Ancestry Member:

Takes you straight to your Ancestry messaging center, where you can search your contact list or message them on their profile, etc. 

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Message an Ancestry Member Option

Get Help from the Ancestry Community:

• Collaborate by searching for and viewing Ancestry Public Member Trees
• Finding and contacting other members in the Ancestry Member Directory
• Update your Ancestry Member Profile, so others can find you easily
• Get help with your research from the Ancestry Message Boards

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ancestry Community Option

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ancestry Community, Public Member Trees

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ancestry Community, Member Directory-1

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ancestry Community, Member Directory-2

Ancestry's New Info Request Feature: Ancestry Community, Message Boards

Thoughts about the New Info Request Feature:

I’m still not sure about using a question mark icon for this feature yet; maybe they’ll come up with a better one for it, while they are working out the kinks. 😉

This seems like a great way to collaborate and even get help from outside Ancestry! Maybe one day they’ll even ramp it up so that you can have others see an entire ancestor’s or relative’s profile page without having to make your whole tree public or share your whole tree, to request info. If so, that would be an extremely fantastic feature that is much needed!​

More Ancestry and Genealogy Resources

Learn about more Ancestry features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Ancestry.com and Genealogy Resources categories and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.