| John Giacchino had been collecting information about | | | | blogs and websites. |
| his Italian American family for years. He had family | | | | Creating a web-site from scratch is beyond most |
| trees, portrait photographs, immigration and census | | | | people. But a blog is easy. Go to Blogger or |
| records, WWII registration cards, historical maps of the | | | | WordPress (Blogger is a little easier to use) and upload |
| Philadelphia streets where his grandfather grew up, | | | | your digitized material there. The great thing is that it's |
| photographs from a family visit back to the villages, | | | | free, can be accessed anytime anywhere in the world, |
| silent film (converted to video) of his Dad in high school | | | | and can be updated by you or anyone with your log-in |
| and in the army, detailed biographies of most of his | | | | details. (You can even make it like a progressive |
| ancestors - and he had audio of his grandmother - | | | | banquet around the family, each branch of the family |
| now deceased - talking about her trip to America as a | | | | adding pages relating to them.) |
| little girl. | | | | You can look at a whole bunch family digital |
| John also had relatives spread across the United | | | | scrapbook style websites by browsing |
| States, as well as back in Italy. And he knew it was | | | | There are also some vendors who will host |
| time to do something with all this stuff for all these | | | | biographical material for a fee. But with what a blog |
| people. But what? | | | | can deliver, for free, I don't see the need myself. |
| The answer was a digital scrapbook. Not the kind that | | | | The Digital Presentation |
| puts pretty borders around digital photographs - | | | | Most folks in business are very familiar with Microsoft |
| although there is nothing wrong with that. No, he | | | | PowerPoint. You can use it to compose personal or |
| needed a bigger solution. Something versatile enough | | | | family biography page slides with pictures and text and |
| to contain all his material. For John, he had four main | | | | you can embed video and audio and even hyperlinks. |
| choices. But first, he had to make sure his stuff was in | | | | The program is kind of expensive - but what a lot of |
| the right format. | | | | people don't know is that you don't need the program |
| Digital file formats | | | | to view a PowerPoint presentation. Just burn a CD |
| In all cases, material must be digitized. It must be in a | | | | using the "package for CD" button and any computer |
| form that a computer can read. That means you may | | | | will play it. |
| need to scan your photographs (JPEG format should | | | | If PowerPoint is out of your league, why not try the |
| do, scanned at no less than 300ppi) and digitize your | | | | new open source equivalent - Open Office? It has |
| documents (I like the PDF format). Audio should be in | | | | much of the functionality (including the ability to embed |
| the uncompressed AIFF format and video should be | | | | images, audio and video) and can be downloaded for |
| converted to Quicktime. | | | | free from OpenOffice.org. |
| Will these formats last forever? Probably not, but if the | | | | John Giacchino didn't go with the Website option or the |
| future is anything like the present then there will be | | | | Digital Presentation. Both can be run from a computer |
| people and programs around that will enable your | | | | but not the TV. John wanted a DVD he could send |
| descendants to convert these file formats lickity-split. | | | | around to the relatives. |
| Digital Scrapbook Options | | | | The Video Biography |
| In digital scrapbooking, there are four main options: | | | | Video biography is scrapbooking gone wild. You can |
| What I call the Digital Briefcase; the Website; the Digital | | | | combine all your media - images, documents, text, |
| Presentation; and the Video Biography. | | | | music, video and audio into one continuous family |
| The Digital Briefcase | | | | biography presentation that will play on TV via DVD as |
| This is the simplest form of digital scrapbook. It is a | | | | well as all of the new digital devices like iPods and |
| virtual briefcase with virtual pockets. You might have | | | | iPads (and other cell phones) as well as the web. |
| one with all your scrapbook files right now in your | | | | You do need video editing software to make a video |
| computer - although it might not yet be as tidy as it | | | | biography digital scrapbook. Apple offers iMovie and |
| should be. If you don't, then it is easy to create. All you | | | | PC offers MovieMaker that are both more than equal |
| need to do is create a master file and a number of | | | | to the task. And there is nothing quite like watching all |
| sub-files. Then just slot all your material in. | | | | your hard work coming alive in a multimedia |
| Naming is important. John would name the top file "The | | | | extravaganza delivered in wide screen on a TV near |
| Giacchino Family" and he would have sub-files | | | | you! |
| covering each of his grandparents' biographies. Within | | | | Creating a video biography digital scrapbook is |
| each of the sub-files, you might create new files | | | | especially suited for video memoirs, life story |
| according to the material - photographs, video, audio, | | | | documentary, tribute video and personal history videos |
| and so on. It's a good idea to include a "read me first" | | | | Which is best? |
| document in the top file (maybe in PDF or plain text) | | | | The great news is that for the ardent scrapbooker |
| setting out what you have done and what you have | | | | there are 4 great options to go digital and to elevate |
| included. | | | | your creativity to new levels. As well as containing all |
| Once that file hierarchy is established and you have | | | | your material, the other great benefit of each of these |
| filled the bins, you can copy the master file to a CD or | | | | options is that they can be reproduced in endless |
| a DVD or an iPod or a flash drive or any other | | | | numbers and shared all around the family! |
| storage device and you can sent it or even email it all | | | | Ultimately, the right choice will depend on your needs. |
| around the family and all around the world. Extra large | | | | John Giacchino wanted something that his folks could |
| digital files can be sent by vendors like YouSendIt. | | | | play using existing TV and DVD technology so he |
| The Website | | | | went for the video biography. If your audience is more |
| This is not as crazy or as hard as it sounds. A web | | | | computer-literate, then the Website or Digital |
| page - along with its sub-pages - is a marvelous | | | | Presentation may suit best. And if you just want to |
| container for biographical information and holds and | | | | share the information without too many bells and |
| plays video and audio and displays text and | | | | whistles, think about the Digital Briefcase. And have |
| photographs with ease. You can easily link to other | | | | fun! |