The ubiquity of social networking sites for the younger set - who hasn't heard of MySpace and Facebook? - has inspired a rash of genealogical takeoffs that let you create a profile with the names and places you're researching, then link to other users who share those interests. Some of the largest sites include:

• World Vital Records' FamilyLink <www.familylink.com> was in beta testing with 5,000 members at press time. It has partnered with Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), an online network of 4,000 volunteers who perform genealogy-related good deeds for faraway researchers. RAOGK gets a members' area on FamilyLink; volunteers can add a special graphic to their profile pages