Abstract: A method may include: receiving a trusted list containing electronic contact credentials for a plurality of members of a group; sending one or more electronic messages to one or more members of the group using the electronic contact credentials for each such member of the group; receiving an account provisioning request, the account provisioning request associated with an electronic messaging address; authenticating the account provisioning request as being associated with a member of the group by determining that the electronic messaging address corresponds to one of the electronic contact credentials in the trusted list; and configuring a threshold for an account associated with the account provisioning request to allow a first threshold, the first threshold being a higher threshold than a second threshold which is in effect for an account that is not associated with one of the members of the group.

Abstract: A method of constructing family trees wherein users access a web site of an online social network and interactively contribute information to the family tree. The ability of the user to add or edit the information in that user's family tree depends on whether the user is active within the system.