Making a Family Website - 6 Tips to Wow

With some innovative thought and flare, family websites can be more that just family history.  Yes, you can provide some historical linkage, but for flare, you can start with these 6 tips to WOW them.

Give the family website something unique 

Write a little in depth info about each person something that makes each one unique.  It may be a detail from childhood, an interesting story, an amusing tale of Great Grandpa as a little boy, who danced with nothing but a shirt and beads around his neck, atop the bar in his Mothers' old time saloon.  Or maybe a sons' first encounter with a cat who slipped into the apartment, and was asleep in his bassinet with him, when he weighed 5 pounds and the cat weighed 15 pounds.  Never tell stories to embarrass, only endearing tidbits of personal charm.

Make a family events page

Make an events page, for announcements, births, wedding events, and ill health too.  Do not get into personal medical conditions, privacy issues, or any in-depth exposure of family business, feuds, or discord.  Keep personal heartaches, as they should be, private.  Everyone is aware, that pain and sickness is part of life, but  make the framework for the site a celebration of life.

Share the family photos

Include a variety of family photos, by time frames, at various stages and family events.  Remove any photos, that any member does not feel comfortable about, as any family member request should be honored.  Replace a removed photo with replacements, to keep an inclusion of  the family. 

Keep the family website fresh

Stay in tune with the family pulse, with frequent updates, news, additions and even trivia.  Keep the site open, light, and inviting.  Skip the bouncing objects, flashing lights, harsh music, and dark, depressing color schemes.  Take sunshine, where you can make it.

Avoid family drama

Above all, keep the site newsy, innovative, add some humor, and personal touches, to bring the family together.  Stay away from couple affairs, matters of personal faith, personal challenge, and reflections of regret, and loss.  Some things are best said, in person and in a personal message.  The web should not impose upon every human emotion, and privacy.

Include family pets

For true personal charm, include photos of each family members' pets. Ask about their pets, get photos from family members, share stories about their pets.  All will enjoy the stories, the pet news, pet photos and the extra effort you have taken to include their pets' special place in the family website.

A family website is not for everyone, but for those up to the involvement, to gather everyone into the circle, making a family website to WOW them is a worthy endeavor.  And do include the family pets.  Even family that does not have pets of their own, may be aptly charmed.