Tips for Hosting a Virtual Family Reunion

If you are planning a family reunion and face the challenge of how to gather everyone in the same place at the same time, this blog post is for you! In his 2016 RootsTech Video Presentation, Joseph Richardson offers a solution to the issue of families being spread far and wide: host a virtual family reunion! The Family History Guide Activities Section contains a myriad of ideas for successful family reunions, including F2-09 Family Reunions Across The Miles to help in planning a virtual reunion to fit your needs. For families who live away from each other and find traveling difficult or impossible at any given time, F2-09 links to Strengthening Family Bonds through Virtual Reunions. In this FamilySearch blog post, Miryelle Resek quotes Richardson:

One of the powerful advantages of a virtual family reunion, or this kind of a virtual event, is that you can re-experience it over time…when I have a normal, on-the-ground, traditional family reunion, we experience it. We’re done. If we’re lucky, somebody remembered to take a picture or two, and we can share the picture. But it’s over, and we can only remember…virtual family reunions are a way to overcome the roadblocks that come with planning traditional reunions, such as cost, timing, and distance…by connecting virtually, family members can still interact with one another and share stories from the convenience of their home or office.

Richardson explains that virtual reunions aren’t necessarily meant to replace traditional ones (after all, some things just can’t be done except in person), and virtual reunions should be planned with a “completely different strategy:”

To have a successful virtual event it’s best to re-conceive it as something different, not just an imitation of some on-the-ground, traditional, everybody-get-together family reunion. It’s something new, it’s something different, and when you look at it that way, you discover some really interesting benefits…These benefits include: Interacting regardless of not being in the same area, meeting at different times using online tools, and preserving the experience for the future.

Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers.com shares his experience of creating posts with family photos on Facebook and the reaction from cousins he had never met when they discovered his posts. He writes about searching for additional photos of his great-grandparents, but being unable to find them until he had reached out to his cousins. My own experience in creating Facebook pages or groups for different family lines has also provided new connections, enabled our “cousin crew” (new and old) to help each other label and digitize photos, share stories and ideas, and collaborate on reunions, get-togethers, and writing family histories. Great relationships can begin and be continually nourished on Facebook and other social media platforms. It is so rewarding!

Miryelle Resek suggests using Skype (a free tool that helps with virtual reunions) and quotes Richardson: “…another advantage of virtual family reunions is the option to preserve them for future generations. Many of these online get-togethers can be recorded and stored online or in the cloud to watch in the future (or to show those who were unable to make it to the reunion). For example, storing Skype calls will allow future generations to participate and listen to Grandpa’s stories told by Grandpa himself.”

Resek also suggests using the following FamilySearch partner options for making family connections:

FamiCity

Famicity provides a platform to helps you connect with your family and tell your story and the stories of your children. With Famicity, your family is your social network, so you will never miss out on those important moments.

Family.me

Family.me combines the real-time and collaborative sharing capabilities of social networks with the latest tools in family tree-building and record search to help families sustain their legacies. Family.me empowers users to discover their legacies and share past and present memories through building a family tree, searching historical records and adding present memories.

She also lists additional options and explains that “some are free or have free versions, some are inexpensive, and others are quite expensive.” However, Richardson notes that by “viewing the tools as an investment, you’ll find that they cost less than a traditional family reunion.”

Blogs and websites are also options that Richardson mentions, “where relatives can come to talk about their experiences for other family members to read, comment, and share.” He counsels to “Involve teenagers to build a website specifically for your family where you can play online games together or share videos and pictures,” and adds:

You can involve teens in your family by inviting them to contribute by using their natural strengths and familiarities with digital technology…digitally connecting and recording your family life is the best gift you can leave your children and posterity. The kinds of things that you can create alone and with your family can really be powerful and can create long-term memories that can be shared over and over and over again—long after you’re gone or long after the family is dispersed. Your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can have a very rich offering in which you share your own experiences and the experiences that you had with ancestors or family members who are now passed on. And that will be a blessing to them for generations

Check out the following ideas from The Family History Guide Activities Section for Families:

	F2-06: Reunion Video Check out this video (photo to the left) to see how one family incorporated family history into their family reunion. See this blog post for details.
	F2-07: Family History Reunions Here are 10 great ideas for planning your next family history reunion. See these resources as well: (FS AN MH FMP)
	F2-08: More Reunion Ideas Here are 10 more ideas, courtesy of the Lisa Louise Cook website.
	F2-09: Family Reunions Across the Miles Check out this blog: Strengthening Family Bonds through Virtual Reunions.
	F2-10: Adding a Bit of DNA Learn how to introduce DNA testing to the conversations at reunions. For details, see this FamilySearch post and this blog post from The Family History Guide.