When my son was born I was given one of those ‘My First Year’ books that I recorded all of his details and certain milestones. I recorded when he was born, I pasted in the birth notice from the paper, his wrist band from the hospital. I’ve noted when he got his first tooth, when he first started walking, why I called him what I did. I’ll give it to him one day – maybe when he has kids of his own so he can appreciate it.
Now there’s an online equivalent – Jottar.
Jottar was created to write your memoirs and to record and share great memories.
Have you ever tried to recall the date you went on an overseas trip?, Where you lived when you were a kid?, What your grades were for a specific year in school?, What you were doing to celebrate the new millennium?, Do you have a box full of diaries that have built up over the years?
Well this is where you can treat Jottar as your online diary and store these memories. In your ‘Storyboard’ you can add memories from your childhood, teenage years or adulthood. You can add documents, photos and notes to each post. Not only can you record past events but also create future events and invite friends and family to them.
You can choose to stay private or share certain occasions, experiences and events with others.
I also think it’s a great resource to replace, or in addition to, the My First Year book – and the rest.
I’ve always struggled to know what to do with his paintings and craft he was always bringing home from kindergarten and school. Why not digitise it and add it to Jottar? That way your child/children already have an account of their artwork and their special events so far in their life. And when they’re old enough you can hand over the reins so they can continue.
So far I’ve kept all my son’s memoirs private but you can make them public or share with your friends. I’ve heard of quite a few people start a blog to keep their family and friends up to date with their kids progress and this is another alternative.
There’s more to Jottar than recording your child’s first years though. Use it for your memories and you can even write a letter to your future self.
I know about Jottar because my clever friend has recently built it. I think he’s on to a winner. If you’ve got any feedback on using it you can contact him via the form on the site. I’m sure he’d love to hear it – both good and constructive feedback.
Go forth and create your memoir.
