If you are looking for a way to communicate with family members wherever they are, why not consider creating a family website? It can be easy and fun and will help to bring your family closer together. Even better, there are many providers that will help you build a free family website.
You can make your family website as simple or complex as your want. It can be as simple as a space to download family photos and share the latest news, or you can supplement these basic functions with any number of other features. For example, you may want to post a family biography, download family videos, participate in written and voice discussions with family members, leave voice messages, set up a calendar, provide information about upcoming events and important dates (such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, family reunions), arrange email notices to family members about special occasions and events, and post information about your family tree, to name just a few possibilities.
Access to your family website can be as limited as you want, making it a private space just for family members and close friends. Since all family members can contribute to the site, it can be ever changing and always up to date with information your clan’s latest happenings.
Before creating a family website, talk to family members to gauge their interest in participating and what features are most important to them. And make designing and customizing the site a family project so that everyone is invested in its success and to insure that it reflects the individualism of your family alone.
There a numerous web sites to help you create your family website, including myfamily.com, familylobby.com, thefamilypost.com, and mygreatbigfamily.com, to name just a few. Before you start creating your site, visit several of these websites, check out their features and services, and review their sample family websites.
As you make these comparisons, think about what you want to accomplish with your family website, how many family members will use it, and how they are likely to use it. If it is mainly to share pictures and commentary about the latest family news, a relatively simple site should suffice. On the other hand, if you want interactive features, music, and voice capabilities and to download large numbers of pictures and videos, you may need a more complex structure.
Some services allow you to create and maintain a basic site for free. A free family website may limit monthly uploads and have fewer customization features.
Most services also offer paid subscriptions. Depending on the program, these may offer a variety of additional services, such as more (or unlimited) uploads, greater customization options, or a customized URL, to name a few.
A free family website is a good place to start. Then, once you’ve used the site enough to determine whether you want more bells and whistles, you can always upgrade to a paid service.
Sources:
Build your own private family website, www.myfamily.com
Familylobby.dom provides free family websites, forums, message board and community, www.familylobby.com
