Everything seems to be moving online so why should telling your life story be any different? People always want to share their memorable experiences with others and until now, an autobiography has been the most common way to collect them. Story Of My Life aims to change that by creating an online storage space where your life stories can be kept forever. Just as we take delight in finding our grandfather’s old journal, future generations will be able to take the same pleasure in finding our stories online.
When you sign up to the site, you’re provided a landing page from which you can manage your stories and journals. You can use the free space available or purchase ‘Forever Space’ which gives you additional storage capacity. The site allows you to create networks (such as family, friends, alumni, and so on) and join groups based on particular interests.
While promising to keep your data “forever” seems unlikely, the Foundation behind the site has pledged to keep up with the latest technology so you can always get access to your data. In addition, you are able to name Guardians who can access your space if you become unable to do so. Story Of My Life is an interesting concept, with lots of stories already available for browsing.
Practical Uses:
- Connect your story to your family tree to make it come to life
- Tell your grandchildren about the major events of your life as they happen
- Stay in touch with family and friends
- Connect with others who have had similar experiences
- Write a letter to your daughter that she can read when she turns 18
Insider Tips:
- Create a personal network where family and friends can share information privately
- Join an interest group for all your old college buddies and find out how they’re really doing
- Upload your home videos to your network to share those special moments with loved ones far away
- Make a time capsule with a story that you wish to release on a particular date
What we liked:
- You can add a range of media (pictures, video, etc.) to your story
- The ability to schedule when stories appear is fantastic
- Privacy levels are customizable, so you can choose who sees which stories
- There is no limit to the number of stories you can create
What we didn’t like:
- The free storage limit is just 250mb
- Use of HTML (for added personalization or styling) is very limited at the moment
- Your data is only stored forever if you purchase additional space
- Forever is a big promise – we hope the site can fulfill it (it may make sense for the site to offer backups on DVD as well)
Alternatives:
Company Info:
- Launched: June 2007
- Privately Held
- Headquarters: Pleasant Hill, CA
- Founded by: Story Of My Life Foundation
- Web site: http://www.storyofmylife.com
Costs:
- Free
- Forever storage costs $19-$399 depending on the amount of storage needed
Comments