The wide reach of the Web has its downside—especially if you don’t want the whole world to see pictures of you doing the Electric Slide at cousin Mabel’s wedding. Several sites offer password-protected online gathering places for your family. That means you can still share your family stories and photos, but with a more limited audience.
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MyFamily.com: This sister site to Ancestry.com gives you space to post your family tree and family history stories.
- MyHeritage.com: Build a genealogy-oriented family website where you can create a family tree, upload a GEDCOM and post family photos. Basic sites are free; paid plans offer enhancements.
- Geni.com: This service lets you build a private family tree, invite relatives to add to it, share family photos and stories and record important dates. Sites are free, though you can upgrade to a Pro account for advanced GEDCOM exporting and site support.
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FamilyDetails: Create a private website where you can share photos and video, hold live chats, keep a family calendar and more. Basic plans are free; paid plans offer more storage and design options.
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Family Buzz: Everyone who participates gets a free e-mail account, but you can’t access a pre-existing account from your Family Buzz site. Extensive shopping area.
