Posted on: 29.03.2019.
Life is busy. People have careers, children, and other engagements that keep them tied up. Because job and schooling opportunities move people far and wide, the internet has been a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. While social networking sites are beneficial for those who want to stay up-to-date, there is something that can help extended family connect on a whole new level.
Many people are looking for a family website to help keep those lines of communication open. It can be a perfect solution for those who are starting over in a new place, parents who have to spend a great deal of time away from their kids, and for everyone who wants to stay in touch with relatives living far away.
Family websites give you an opportunity to share pictures and videos, set up calendars online so you can stay up to date on all family happenings, or find long-lost cousins. The best part about a family website is that you can have a blog area that allows you to interact with members on a daily basis. Having a dedicated website can bridge the gap and keep you linked with those that mean the most. Here are 10 reasons why you need a family website.
There are just not enough hours in the day. You probably have relatives spread all across the country, which makes connecting with them increasingly difficult. A family website allows you to have an area where relatives can post their contact information, so you’ll never have to wonder about aunt Suzie’s phone number again.
Also, you can make your homepage a family news portal where everyone can post news from their lives. What if your kid has just won a huge game? You can post the pics and details for the family to see. Are you or someone else in the family about to have a new baby? Relatives from coast to coast will want to see the tiny tot. As the administrator, you can give permission to all members to post news, stories, and photos.
Most kids couldn’t care less about interaction with family events. They have way more important things on their mind. They would rather be playing the latest video game or hanging out with their friends. A family website will give them a platform to connect with their relatives. They can interact with cousins they already have a relationship with, but also meet others who live far away. Every child needs to know their cousins. They can become close friends that will help through all of life’s difficulties. By finding and developing relationships with them, your kids will anticipate the next family gathering.
You can help nurture relationships and fun on this site by including some games. Most kids love word scrambles, crossword puzzles, and memory games. Have a game based on remembering their cousins’ birthdays. Post some funny stories or jokes that only the family will understand.
Unlike games on the internet, you can control this site and the influences on it, so make sure it is safe. When creating a website, lock it up, so only you and your family can access it. For extra safety, you can choose not to submit your site to search engines.
Most social media sites require children to be at least 13 years of age to have an account. Family websites can have some of the same features as social media, but the environment is way more controlled by the administrator. You can incorporate photos, online discussion boards, personal profiles, and calendars. It is a better way to share your history with those who matter most. Plus, it can be a kid friendly place that requires no age limits.
Social media sites have become all about advertising. They try to create more traffic for marketing purposes. Your site doesn’t have to be cluttered with all those ads. Also, you have more freedom in designing it visually - you can choose the template you want and customize it. Change the template for seasons to ensure your site is enchanting. Remember to make it simple, so that grandparents and other less technologically savvy members can use it.
It can be overwhelming with a busy schedule to keep up with all of your family’s important dates. With a personal family website, you will never miss a birthday, anniversary or family function again. By creating a shared calendar, you can receive reminders when a special date is fast approaching. Some events can be auto-filled so that you always have them on hand. You can receive these reminders or send them to everyone connected with the site.
Once the calendar reminds you of an event, you can plan it together. Use the open message board section for brainstorming about party location, time, theme, decorations. Discuss a menu for a pot-luck event. Adjust the menu to people who need gluten or sugar-free items and avoid having double dishes.
If a special birthday party is coming up, you can allow a boy or girl to post their gift list online. Forget trying to text everyone and returning duplicate gifts to the store. The message board makes repeat gifts a thing of the past. To plan a surprise party, you can close the message board and allow other family members to organize the event of a lifetime. If a loved one is getting married, you can make sleeping arrangements for out-of-town guests on this site and use it for gift lists. It’s like having a personal secretary for the family.
We all know that a picture says a thousand words. If you don’t feel like writing a story about an important life event, just upload some photos and videos and your relatives will have instant access to them. You can upload multiple pictures at a time or you can choose to do just one. That way, you and your family can track what is going on in each other’s lives by simply clicking a button.
Another advantage to the site is storage. If your computer crashes, you have your precious memories in a convenient, online location. Plus, should you ever decide that you need to make a scrapbook or some other project using pictures, you will have a plethora of them at your disposal.
There are times in life when you need some advice. Whether you are redecorating a room or choosing a new hair color doesn’t matter; the input of others can be beneficial. Sometimes, family members will be brutally honest and that’s exactly what you need.
Make the feedback organized by setting up a poll. Ask your family members to help you decide the birth name of a child, the location of the next family reunion, or if that rug goes with your new sofa. Offer several answers and those that actually matter can offer their opinion by simply clicking on one of them.
A lot of people want to know their background. Oftentimes, it is an easier process if relatives help. The older generations seem to have valuable knowledge that can make the journey less stressful. Living relatives can write short stories about their lives and make them interesting by adding photos.
If you open the page for visitors, you can find out about distant relatives that you may not have realized you had. Share historical documents, like photos and letters, and keep them in one spot for future generations. Doing school projects will be so easy when you have information at your fingertips.
Do you have famous recipes that you want to share? What about the mouth-watering pie that your grandmother makes? You can customize the site to your preferences. It can be changed around too as the months go on. Under a miscellaneous section, you can add things that are interesting to your family. It doesn’t matter if your family loves pets, has the desire to cook, or is into art; you will now have an outlet to share and gather ideas on those hot topics.
All of these wonderful things may sound really difficult to do. The fact is that you don’t need to have any programming skills to create this website. There are numerous free templates that utilize simple point and click building tools. You can grasp the basics of how to build your site in under five minutes. You don’t have to do the whole site in one sitting either. You can do it slowly when you have free time. It helps you put all your connections in one convenient place.
Family websites are the perfect solution for those who have a busy schedule and little time. No matter how hectic life is, you don’t want to lose touch with the people that mean the most. There is nothing more important than family. When you build a family website, you can easily share memories, photos, and recipes with your children and the generations to come and you are in control of all of it. So go ahead, connect!
