Build a family history website
A family history website is a great
way to gather and share the family stories, genealogy and photos. You don’t
have to have a degree in computer science to build one. There are a number of
web hosts geared specifically for family historians. They make it easy to build
and maintain your site. Or you can build your own custom website. A successful family
history website requires ongoing monitoring, however it's built.
 Sharing Information Responsibly
Publishing your
family history on the internet for all the world to see requires you to be
careful not to offend or endanger anyone. The National Genealogical Society has
provided the guidelines for website
publishers. Please read this document and follow the standards and guidelines..
What
do you want from a family website?
Family websites have a variety
of purposes and features. Assess technological skills of family members who you
expect to participate in your website as part of your planning. To encourage
participation, aim to make it comfortable for the least skilled.
What do you want to accomplish with a website?
- Genealogical search—connect with unknown family members
- Share photos and stories with known family members
What features do you want?
- Interactive
- Secure—require password entry
- Photo gallery
- Allow family members to post images and text
- Discussions with thread tracking
- Genealogy data—family tree
- Separate pages for family members
- Inexpensive or free hosting
Genealogy
search website
If your primary goal is to search for relatives, gather
genealogical material and swap family stories, a web hosting service that
specializes in family history is the best option. Many of them offer genealogy
search tools as well. There are many such sites. Here are a few to get you
started:
The Family Post
Features:
- Website templates; family
newsletter; media storage;
- photo editor; add photos, family tree and video
- Cost: $4.95 -11.95/month
My Family
Features:
- Stays active whether there’s activity or not,
- private access
- Cost: Free (with ads) $29.95/year (no ads) personalized URL
Family in History
Features:
- Build a family tree, GEDCOM upload,
individual
- Ancestor pages,
upload photos, online genealogy charts, family blog
Family Tree Guide
Features:
- Build a family tree, GEDCOM compatible
- Cost: Free (GEDCOM upload required, has banner ads)
- $39.95/Year (no GEDCOM requirement, no ads, email support)
Family Web Host
Features:
- Includes web hosting and domain registry,
- SitePro
website builder
- Cost: $20/Month
Family
participation site
Perhaps you want to just provide a site where family members
can work together to build your family history. Build a wiki into your site so
others can add information as well as edit what’s already there. The down side
is that there is a risk your site could be mischievously hijacked. Jotspot is a family website service with wiki capabilities that has password
protection. It’s free and allows you to post photos. Facebook is excellent for communicating with family, either by messaging by text or on-line chat.
12 Next Custom-built website
Back to top
Copyright September 2009 Family History Coach All rights reserved Last updated April 27, 2010
|
|
