Connecting with Family When You Can’t Be There in Person

(ARA) - When time, geography or financial constraints keep you from being with family, a little old-fashioned imagination combined with some of today’s technological conveniences can keep you connected and make you feel ... almost as if you’re there.

According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, well over half of Americans utilize the Internet for communicating via e-mails and passing along photos. And, while only one in six have created a family Web site, nearly 40 percent of us are interested in the possibility. Family Web sites, instant messaging and digital cameras, including digital camcorders and Web cams, are quickly taking their place along with the telephone and postal service as popular methods for communicating from afar.Web sites -- an exciting answer to sharing news. For the Kiechle family of Valbonne, France, the family Web site plays an important role in maintaining connections with family and friends in the United States.

"When we first moved here [France], all our relatives, friends, and acquaintances went into mild shock, wondering what in the world we were doing," comments Daniel Kiechle, who created his family Web site in 1995, five years after his job transplanted him, his wife and two sons from Huntington, Long Island. "The responses have been great. Grandma even learned how to use a Mac and subscribed to Earthlink when she found out that this enabled her to receive photos of her grandchildren the day they were taken!"

According to Joshua Weinberg, spokesperson for Homestead Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif. company, which was rated No. 1 for family Web site design by "PC Magazine" in 2001, the tendency for today’s families to live long distances from one another and the "busy-ness" of our lives has people turning to new solutions for staying in touch and significantly boosted the use of personal Web sites.

For example, children, in particular, find the Internet exciting. Now they don’t just bring their artwork home and hang it on the fridge, mom or dad scans it in and they can see it on their Web page for grandpa and grandma and all the rest of their family to enjoy.

While software for creating Web sites from scratch is available, for most people a more convenient and affordable route can be found. Hosting sites, such as www.MyFamily.com, are free and enable you to have your site up and running in a matter of hours. The best bet may be companies, such as Homestead Inc. (www.homestead.com), which provide a happy medium between the do-it-all-yourself software and the cookie-cutter templates of the free sites. These companies provide easy-to-use, flexible Web design software, as well as the host space.Real-time exchange. While Web sites, e-mail and other holiday communications help foster long-distance relationships, many people are also looking for methods of live communication. Actually hearing a voice or seeing a face in real time can make all the difference during the holidays. While the pre-planned, after dinner, pass-the-phone call is still popular, there are some higher-tech options.

Instant messaging allows you to send messages to any person on a designated buddy or contact list as long as that person is online. Sending a message opens up a small window where you and your friend or family member can type messages that both of you can read. People who use this feature frequently create custom chat rooms which family and friends can access.

For the Gould family of Fort Collins, Colo., instant messaging, including voice and video chatting, have enabled them to keep their children connected with family in far away places at Christmas and throughout<