With just over a year of exploring ideas as Projectkin.org, it seemed time to circle back and share the larger picture about the storytelling hook that has motivated the endeavor. As the
, we’re on a campaign to get families to share their stories.Big or small, family stories are important to capture and preserve for future generations, adding our stories to those we’ve inherited from generations before us. Your stories may only be contained in artifacts with little context or identifications, or they might be published in a written narrative arc. As you work to share your own stories today, you uniquely have an opportunity to share your stories in ways our ancestors never dreamed of.
Today, your stories might be biographies of family members dating back generations — but they might also be modern, interactive, digital projects. This talk attempts to reframe how we look at family history storytelling to encourage everyone to dive in and explore how they might contribute to the storytelling arc of their own family.
Given the nature of this talk, many others outside of the Projectkin community may find it helpful. Please feel free to share it with others:
References & Resources
During the talk, I referred to several tools and terms used in modern platform product design, including:
Hooked by Nir Eyal: “How to build habit-forming products.” This fascinating book has been hugely influential in platform design today. The behavior-based approach can be helpful in thinking about how your project might engage and recruit family members into your shared family history.
Projectkin post about “StoryMagic”
More about the types of programs Projectkin hosts
Kathy’s Corner with
Emma Explores with
Project Recipes with members presenting completed projects
Forget-Me-Not with
All About That Place in conjunction with the UK-based Society of Genealogists.
Learn more about Projectkin Events, including some fun new programs planned for 2025.
Project Recipes mentioned during the discussion:
Activity Book for Kids featuring
Scavenger Hunt for Ancestors featuring
Playing for Ancestors featuring
Private Podcast presented by
During the discussion, I mentioned another project I’m working on for myself and my family related to the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s tour of the United States in 1824-25. Please let me know if you’re personally interested in this; I’d love to involve you as a collaborator.
I hope you enjoyed this program, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m particularly interested in the idea of “small projects” that came up during the discussion. Do you have examples to add?
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