FTDNA | Family Tree DNA Results

Want to Understand Your Results? Take the FTDNA’s Family Finder Tour with Your DNA Guide

The Family Finder autosomal test at Family Tree DNA can give valuable insights into your heritage, whether you test there or transfer your results. But SO many people don’t fully understand their test results or how to navigate them.

The FTDNA’s Family Finder Tour with Your DNA Guide has answers. DNA expert Diahan Southard personally escorts you through the essential components, settings and concepts for using your DNA to explore your Family Finder (autosomal) test results at FTDNA. Our series of prerecorded video instructions, hands-on experience, workbook activities and a research log will help you apply what you learn to your own test results.

Take your DNA test results from confusion to clarity

Everyone deserves to know who they are and where they come from. DNA testing can help. But when you don’t understand your results, it can be disappointing and frustrating. Instead of gaining confidence about your origins, you may feel more confused. Instead of being excited to share with family and friends, you hesitate. You may even feel like you wasted your money.

It’s not just you! With DNA, there’s a learning curve.

That’s why we created the FTDNA’s Family Finder Tour, to help you understand those Family Finder results. It’s an online learning experience that takes about 2-3 hours (you set the pace!). You’ll watch a series of short, easy video tutorials. You’ll fill in a colorful, interactive PDF workbook. These exercises and activities will help you understand the DNA concepts and apply them to your own results.

When you finish your Tour, you’ll FINALLY better understand what your FTDNA results are telling you about your roots. You’ll be more confident in your results and be better able to explain them to others. You’ll even see how, over time, your results may continue to help you connect with unknown relatives and ancestors.

Your instructors

Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard is a globally-renowned genetic genealogy educator. She designed these self-paced modules with activities that reinforce your learning to give you a progressive, confident and thorough learning experience. 

Lori Napolitano is a retired forensic investigator who created a statewide Investigative Genetic Genealogy program. She loved bringing her genealogy ‘hobby’ to work and solving cold cases, and now she brings her expertise to a step-by-step learning experience for you.

What comes with the FTDNA’s Family Finder Tour

  • More than 2 hours of engaging video instruction, divided into short, easy-to-learn segments so you can start, stop, and rewatch as needed to learn each key concept
  • A colorful, 15-page, interactive, printable PDF workbook you can fill in as you go along–and which becomes a useful reference guide
  • A total on-demand Tour experience of about 3-4 hours (videos+exercises), where you will learn at your own pace, at your convenience
  • Indefinite access to your Tour, with occasional updates as MORE exciting new tools or features are added to FTDNA, so you can KEEP learning MORE of what your DNA can tell you
  • BONUS: A handy digital edition of the Family Tree DNA Quick Reference Guide, with at-a-glance reference for the important tools and features you’ll want to visit on the site

What you’ll learn

Welcome: Course Description and Resources

Unit 1: Getting Started with FTDNA: An Overview

  • Testing vs. Transferring
  • Add a Family Tree to FTDNA

Unit 2: Ethnicity Estimates at FTDNA

  • Dig into your DNA : Ancient Origins
  • Navigating myOrigins
  • Let’s Explore myOrigins : Deep Ancestry
  • Implement Your Ethnicity
  • Ethnicity Updates

Unit 3: DNA Matches at FTDNA

  • An Introduction to DNA Matches
  • Family Finder Matches : Navigation
  • Family Finder Matches: The Match List Part I
  • Family Finder Matches: The Match List Part II
  • Family Finder Matches: Compare Origins
  • Implement Your DNA Matches

Unit 4: Next Steps: You’ve Only Just Begun!

  • Other Family Finder Tools
  • Additional DNA Testing at FTDNA
  • DNA Testing Plan
  • Do Genealogy!

Unit 5: Set Your Settings (Settings are Boring, But They Matter)

    What technical requirements are necessary?

    Your Tour takes place entirely online. You’ll need a reliable internet connection for streaming the video learning sessions and for additional learning on your own time. You’ll need access to Family Finder autosomal test results at Family Tree DNA, which do not come with this Tour.

    Why take your Tour now?

    The sooner you learn to understand your results, the sooner you can use them to make meaningful discoveries about who you are and where you came from. Our low price makes it SO much easier to say YES!

    Customer Reviews

    Based on 7 reviews
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    J
    June Butka
    FTDNA Tour

    The tour helped me better understand and use the tools at FtDNA. I tested full mtDNA, and Family Finder for myself, and YDNA 67 and Family Finder for my brother. Using Diahan's tips I was able to find "cousin' matches that aided me in finding my potential 2nd great-grandfather.

    W
    Wayne Whitson
    Tours Are So Helpful

    I recently finished my FTDNA tour and learned so much more about the website I had never used. This is my second tour and being able to stop and start and revisit the lessons is extremely valuable. It is great to have a way to refresh my memory when I am away from genealogy for a time. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because I associate FTDNA with Y-DNA I was expecting that topic to be included. Maybe another tour could cover Y-DNA and mtDNA? Count me in! Thanks for all you have taught me about DNA.

    Y
    Yvonne K
    Excellent!

    I loved the FTDNA Tour. I learned so much and really enjoyed the Workbook with all the forms. I have had Diahan's book Your DNA Guide since it first came out and whenever I see a video of webinar of hers I can't wait to sign up!

    B
    Brena Jock
    Wonderful Resource!

    The FTDNA Tour was so helpful. I'm feeling more confident knowing where to go and what tools to utilize through FTDNA. I thoroughly enjoyed the Tour. Thank you!

    L
    Lindell Johnson
    Enjoyed every minute

    I learned soooooooooooooo much more about FTDNA than I even knew was there. I'm having fun using the tips and finding/identifying more family. Thank You.

    Thanks Lindell! We're so glad to hear how much you've enjoyed the FTDNA Tour!