26 Feb 09 Family Blog? Just Do It!

Why not? Just think of how that once a year a holiday letter is going to be a thing of the past. Hallelujah! So now those of us who really don’t care to hear about little Timmy and Lassie (names changed to protect the innocent), don’t have to. And there will no longer be the dreaded “home movie nights”. Yeah, I hear you out there saying, “Thank you, internet angel!” I even imagine you high-fiving, stirring the martini! It’s a brave new day!

Ooops! What I meant was, here are some great reasons why you would (or should) start a family blog:

A family blog is an easy way to post family news, share pictures, and have a family calendar. You could also have an address book online for all your family and friends to review at their convenience. It will keep everyone up to date with what’s going on in your life. And everyone in the family can post to it easily and quickly. News can be posted just as easily as sending an email, photos can be uploaded and shown as a slideshow (hence the no more “home movie nights” part), the calendar can remind you of all the birthdays, anniversaries, etc., and the address book will have all those important numbers handy for when you need them.

So what if you have a family reunion coming up? Or a wedding around the corner? Or a new baby arrival? A family blog can be a very helpful when trying to coordinate that family event.

Or just for those everyday happenings, like keeping tabs on family who are spread all over the country, or to keep up with births, deaths, illnesses, special projects, accidents, awards, promotions, unemployment, graduations, anniversaries, and birthdays!

It will make you feel closer to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. You could get to see and hear about milestones, vacations, thoughts, struggles, concerns and senses of humor.

You may find that this is the best way to stay in touch with your extended family. And think about all the money on postage you will save. Don’t stress about it, your family blog doesn’t have to be only about family stuff, or on the other hand it doesn’t need to be a piece of art, it is your blog, so make it your own. Include information about your favorite sport or hobby, a great new recipe, the book you just read, or absolutely anything that interests you, or even just talk about what you did today. It’s your blog and you are the boss. Have fun with it.