Two ways to look someone up:

• Family Tree tab — use the search bar at the top. Start typing a name and matching members are highlighted on the tree.
• All Members tab — every member appears as a card. Use the search box and filters to narrow by name, generation, or relationship.

Click any name or card to open their profile.

Only signed-in family members with an approved account can see the tree, photos, videos, stories, or any other content. The site shows a sign-in screen to everyone else — no part of the family information is visible to the public web.

When you request an account, an admin reviews and approves it before you get access. If you've signed up and haven't heard back, it usually means your request is still in the approval queue.

Open any member's profile by clicking their name on the tree, or their card on the Members tab. You'll see their bio, photo, location, contact details, stories, and how they connect to other relatives.

To explore the tree visually, use the controls in the top-right of the Family Tree: zoom in/out, expand or collapse branches, and switch between left-to-right and top-down layouts.

The bio is the longer life-story paragraph on each member's profile.

1. Open the member's profile from the Family Tree or All Members tab.
2. In the profile panel, click Suggest edit.
3. Fill in the new bio text. You can also update location and contact from the same form.
4. Add a short reason so the admin knows where the info came from — e.g. "Confirmed with Aunt Priya".
5. Click Submit for review.

Profile photos appear on each member's profile and on their card in the Members tab.

1. Open the member's profile.
2. Click Suggest photo (or the camera icon next to their avatar).
3. Choose a photo from your device — JPG, PNG, or HEIC all work.
4. Add a short reason and submit.

Same rule as everything else: goes to the admin first, appears on the profile once approved.

Stories are short remembrances or memories — anything you'd like recorded alongside someone's profile. They appear in the Stories tab and on the member's profile.

1. Open the member's profile.
2. Click Add story.
3. Type your memory. No length limit, but a few paragraphs is the sweet spot.
4. Submit for review.

Once approved, your story is permanently added to that member's record.

The Videos tab holds short clips: speeches, blessings, songs, birthday messages — anything you'd like preserved in motion.

1. Open the Videos tab from the top navigation.
2. Click Add a video in the top right.
3. Choose a video file from your device. MP4 or MOV works best.
4. Pick a thumbnail — three frames are suggested from the video automatically, or upload your own.
5. Add an optional caption (e.g. "Aji's blessing on Diwali, 2024") and tag any family members who appear in the video.
6. Click Submit for approval.

If someone is missing from the tree — a newborn, a spouse, an uncle we never recorded — you can submit them.

1. Find an existing relative they connect to (parent, sibling, or spouse) and open that relative's profile.
2. Click + Add a relative in the profile actions.
3. Fill in their full name, plus anything you know — date of birth, location, a short bio.
4. Submit for review.

When you submit a new member, the form asks you to specify:

• Father — pick from existing members, or type the name if they're not yet in the tree.
• Mother — same.
• Spouse — link to a spouse so they appear connected on the tree.

If a parent or spouse isn't in the tree at all, mention them in the reason field — the admin can add them separately and link them properly during approval.

All edits use the same Suggest edit form:

1. Open the member's profile.
2. Click Suggest edit.
3. You'll see fields for Bio, Location, and Contact — change any or all.
4. Leave the fields you don't want to change as they are.
5. Add a reason and submit.

The admin can approve all changes together, or approve some and reject others.

Fixing parent or spouse links works through the same review process, but it's more sensitive because it can affect siblings and descendants too.

1. Open the profile of the member whose links need fixing.
2. Click Suggest edit.
3. In the reason field, clearly state what should change. Example: "Mother should be Lakshmi Naidoo, not Saraswati Naidoo — confirmed with her son."
4. Submit for review.

Every change — bio edits, photos, stories, new members, link changes — goes into the admin queue. Here's the flow:

1. You submit a request from a profile page.
2. It's added to the admin queue with your name, the change, and your reason.
3. An admin reviews it, then either approves (the change goes live and is recorded in History) or rejects it (with a reason).
4. You'll see the outcome the next time you open the Latest updates tab.

Most requests are reviewed within a few days. If yours has been sitting a long time, mention it to an admin.

Admins reject changes when they can't verify the information or when something looks off. Common reasons:

• No source given. If the reason field is empty or vague, the admin has no way to check.
• Conflicts with existing records. Different info already on file — admin will pause to reconcile.
• Ancestral links don't match other relatives. Changing a mother also affects siblings; admin holds off if the change creates inconsistencies.
• Sensitive personal info. Contact details and locations for living members are reviewed carefully for privacy.
• Duplicate. The change is already pending or was just made by someone else.

If your change is rejected, you'll see the admin's reason in the Latest updates tab. You can resubmit with more context.

The Latest updates tab shows a timeline of every approved (and rejected) change, grouped by day. Each entry shows:

• What changed (bio, photo, story, new member, link)
• Who submitted it
• Who approved or rejected it
• When the decision was made

Use it to follow up on your own pending requests or track recent additions to the tree.

Pending means an admin hasn't reviewed it yet. This is normal — most changes wait at least a day, sometimes several.

If it's been more than a week:

• Check you're signed in to the right account — requests are tied to whoever submitted them.
• Make sure your reason field is informative. Vague requests go to the back of the queue.
• Reach out to an admin directly — they may have questions.

Click your name in the top-right corner. A small menu appears with:

• My profile — view your account and the family member you're linked to.
• Take the tour — the same guided walkthrough as on this page.
• Sign out — logs you out and returns to the sign-in page.

To change your email or other account details, contact an admin — those aren't editable from inside the app yet.