Create A Family Inter-Active Website ....Kim K.

Q. I remember you giving instructions on creating a family Website. At age 58, I am the current president of our family. Next summer will be our 60th family reunion. I would like to do something special for the occasion. I was hoping to make an economical and secure Website. I'd like to let family members upload photos, stories, recipes, etc. That way, we can share all of these things and even print them out. Thanks. A. What a great idea, Tom. Creating a family Website is an excellent way to share and store priceless memories. Of course, there are a number of tools out there to get your family's Website going. The trick, as you wisely pointed out, is finding one that's secure. Sites like Wordpress and Facebook have made it extremely easy to have a Web presence. But neither of these sites is a really good choice for a family Website. These sites were created to broadcast information all over the Internet. That's certainly not what you want to do with personal, private family data. But don't worry. I've found a perfect solution for you. It's called Chattertree. You can create a free, private social network just for your family. It's a bit like Facebook. You can chat, send messages, and upload photos and video. The major exception is that only certain people are allowed to view these. Chattertree lets you create customizable forums. These forums are called rooms. You can make as many rooms as you want. And each room has its own settings. For example, you can choose to make a parents-only room or an immediate family room. These rooms add a great deal of security. You can be certain that the information you put in a room stays in the room. Only the people you choose to be there can access your rooms. In a room, users can upload photos and video and talk about upcoming family events. For example, you could make a room dedicated to your upcoming family reunion. Speaking of your reunion, Chattertree is also great for keeping track of events. There is a calendar feature as well. You can enter birthdays, family outings or vacations. You name it. As the date approaches, a reminder is sent to everyone involved. It's an awesome tool to coordinate special events. Chattertree even includes a built-in video chat feature. This lets you video conference with up to six different people. You don't have to install and set up a separate program. All you need is a Webcam. Haven't talked with your siblings on the other coast in a while? Want grandma to see the new baby but don't have time for a vacation? Video chat is perfect for situations like these. You can also use an Alerts feature. This is a quick way to send urgent messages to either your whole family or selected groups. The site can send alert messages via e-mail or text message. It's a great way to get your whole family up-to-speed in a hurry. One last neat feature of Chattertree is the Chattertree Store. This is a marketplace of over 300 online stores. You can purchase gifts for birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. Chattertree even gives each family member a personalized Gift Corner. In the Gift Corner, family members can make wishlists of things from the store. Is your nephew graduating soon? Just head over to his Gift Corner and you can see exactly what he wants. You'll never have to worry about buying the wrong gift again! Tools like Chattertree are extremely helpful for creating a safe family space. But maybe you want the satisfaction of building your own site. I can help with that, too: Building a Website doesn't need to be difficult. In fact, it can be a lot of fun. Click here to get started. If you're building a site, make sure you've protected it as well. Learn how to add a password to your family site. Creating a Website from scratch requires some advanced software. Download a good, free alternative to expensive programs.