Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Saving Memories Forever Review

I have had the chance to check out the new app for my Android phone called Saving Memories Forever. It is more than an app. It is a a way to record, store, and share stories and memories of your family members.

You can check out their website at https://www.savingmemoriesforever.com/ to learn more about it, but here is a quick rundown of this simple program.
  1. Download the app from iTunes (for iPhones) or Google Play Store (for Android phones)
  2. Record some stories using the app.
  3. Store and share your stories with friends and family.
 It really is that simple.

You can use the app and the website for free,which is a good option to try the app out. However, if you want to be able to share with more family and friends, add extra story tellers, and more you will want to take a look at the two subscription options: $3.99/month or $40/year. You can take a look at their free vs. subscription breakdown to see everything you get with the subscription service.


It is very easy to add story tellers to your list.  It prompts you to add their first and last names as well as an email address. You can also add a photo.  The downside is it is a lot to add if you are at a family reunion and you hear stories flying and you want to quickly start recording. I recommend trying to pre-add people before you take it to a get together.
 
There are a ton of categories to chose from when you want to start adding stories. This keeps things very well organized.

Another great idea are the prompts they give you to ask your storyteller. Sometimes people don't have something to talk about right away, but if you ask them some specific questions a memory might spark and you'll get a gem.
I will admit that this app didn't see a whole lot of use in my house. I tried it out a bit. I added some of my stories and checked out the website. The website is easy to use and I would have loved to use it more.  The only reason we didn't use it is because we don't get together with relatives too often, and when we do pulling out my phone is the last thing I think about doing. This isn't the app's fault. This is just because I am not a family historian person. I live in the moment and enjoy the moments of my life as we come. I am not so interested in what my great-grandfather's school was like. Maybe one day I will be, but for now it isn't something I would use.

Let me tell you why I think this is might be a good app for you.
  1. You have been meaning to get some of those great stories from Uncle Frank written down, but you never have a pen with you at Thanksgiving dinner.
  2. You are a homeschooling mom and want to do family history with your kids. Give them this app and have them go to town with your relatives.
  3. You work at a nursing home and cute Betty always has some great stories to tell you when you come to spend time with her.
  4. Your mom has been begging someone to write down the stories from her parents (ahem- Mother's Day is on the way. You could always get a few of those stories recorded by then!)
  5. You are really into genealogy and you want to get stories from multiple sources and see what *really* happened to grandpa's eyebrows during baseball camp in 1932.
  6. You are the family historian and you want an easy way to communicate the stories you have been collecting.
There are many reasons why you might want to use this app, but I can say that it makes it very easy to have a record of memories from anyone you know. It also makes it easy to share those memories with other people.

Want to know something that is going to be fun?  A Facebook Party for Mosaic Reviews and Saving Memories Forever! It will be this Friday, May 3rd at 9 PM EDT As always, it will be a great hour of fun and there will be giveaways. I hope to see you all there!


1 comment:

Lauren said...

I'm not sure I have the use for this at the moment but the concept is really cool - I love cool ideas!