MyHeritage launched Instant Discoveries(tm)

The following is from MyHeritage.

MyHeritage launches instant experience for introducing family history to the mass market

With Instant Discoveries™ it takes only seconds to discover ancestors and create an online family tree populated with many relatives

TEL AVIV, Israel & LEHI, Utah – December 10, 2014: MyHeritage, the leading destination for discovering, preserving and sharing family history, today unveiled Instant Discoveries™, a revolutionary new experience for people interested in exploring their family’s past. Delivering information about one's ancestors and relatives during the signup process, Instant Discoveries™ provides a free, fun and immediately gratifying introduction to the fascinating world of family history.

Ideal for people who know little about their family history, MyHeritage asks first-time users to provide very basic information about 7 family members: themselves, their parents and grandparents, as they sign up for the service. Powerful technology then automatically searches for information about their family in MyHeritage’s vast databases containing billions of records. Within seconds, users are then presented with an Instant Discovery™, showing a person likely to be their ancestor, together with a wealth of related information including the entire family branch, names, facts, photos and documents. Users can then apply it all to their family tree in a click. 

“We're very excited about Instant Discoveries™”, said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Indulging first-time users with immediate information about their family fulfills our vision to make family history accessible and enjoyable to the mass market. We are firmly committed to creating disruptive technologies that reinvent the way people explore their family history.”

To demonstrate its mainstream appeal, the Instant Discoveries™ experience was successfully tested by passers-by throughout various locations in New York City, such as Times Square and Grand Central Terminal. The reactions of the people who participated, as captured on video prove that family history can be an emotionally rewarding experience for complete beginners.

Instant Discoveries™ are powered by new technology that builds on and enhances MyHeritage’s acclaimed Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies, providing highly accurate results. It respects the privacy of other users and excludes information about living people.

Mike Mallin, Chief Product Officer at MyHeritage added: “Millions of people want to better understand themselves and their roots, and we're committed to making that a magical and easy process. Until now, family exploration has been burdensome and time consuming. Through our new Instant Discoveries ™, users can meet the generations who made them within moments of signing up.”

The success rate of Instant Discoveries™ depends on several factors, such as countries of origin and the level of detail of initial information entered. In some countries it is as high as 35%. With approximately 1 million new family tree profiles and 5 million historical records added to MyHeritage every day, the hit rate for discoveries will constantly rise over time. In the next few months, this new technology will be made available also to existing users of MyHeritage, who will be able to take advantage of it to enhance their family trees with new branches and new information in one click.

With the launch of Instant Discoveries™ and the recent news announcing integration of MyHeritage’s technologies by leading companies such as 23andMe and FamilySearch and other partners around the world, MyHeritage is securing its position as the technology leader in the family history market.

To experience Instant Discoveries™ for yourself, go to www.myheritage.com and sign up for free.

Announcement was also made on Fox News watch "Research uncovers Brian Kilmeade's family history". (Enter code "FOX" for 30% off on MyHeritage.)

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history. As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages.

www.myheritage.com