Family history videos can captivate the non-genealogists in your family. In this step-by-step video series I’m going to show you how to create them quickly and easily!
If you’ve spent some time researching your family history, your discoveries probably look like this: old documents like census records and death certificates – not exactly exciting stuff to your kids and grand kids. And yet they are the ones you hope to pass your family’s history on to.
The truth is that the non-genealogists in your family may not be all that captivated by the same things you are. You can solve the “boring genealogy” problem with a tech tool that will help you create fabulous and captivating family history videos. It’s called Animoto. It’s super-fast and incredibly easy, and no special skills are required.
(Full disclosure: The links I provide in this article are affiliate links, but if you follow me then you know that I only recommend and provide links for services I use myself and think are “Gems.”)
There are many wonderful opportunities to share videos:
Birthdays, Weddings, & Anniversaries
Family Reunions
Holidays
Facebook and other social media
Your own genealogy website or blog
Riveting Family History Videos
Creating digital video can be intimidating. In the past I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on video editing software, and then invested hours trying to learn how to use it. When my eldest daughter got married, I offered to create a short (5 minute) video to show prior to the ceremony. My goal was simple: create a heart-warming look back at the bride and groom and how they found each other, including old photos, nice fading transitions, a few home movie video clips, and a favorite song. That short video took 3 days to create! It’s that kind of financial and time investment that keeps so many of us from attempting family history videos.
…you can use Animoto to create family history videos.
I want you to see what Animoto can do to help you share your genealogy research through riveting family history videos. In this first video we’re going to lay the groundwork for the story you’re going to tell in your video. In fact, you’ll probably find that this step takes longer than actually creating the video! Click the video below to watch Episode One of my series Creating Captivating Family History Videos. Then click here to head to my Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. Click the SUBSCRIBE button to get all new upcoming free videos.
How can you share family history stories and memories without boring your relatives? Catch this free video preview of a new Premium video class that inspires YOU on how to inspire THEM!
If you are researching your family tree but haven’t shared it with your family in a way that sparks their interest, then you are only experiencing half of the joy of genealogy! And if your descendants don’t grasp the importance of their heritage, your hard work may tragically find it’s way to the city dump when you are gone.
New Video Filled with Inspiration
Don’t just collect your family history and store it away in binders and files! In her newest Genealogy Gems Premium video, Lisa Louise Cooke shares several projects–displays, multimedia shows, crafts–even a sweet treat to eat! The World War II display shown here is just one of her ideas.
She’ll inspire YOU on how best to inspire your family’s interest in your heritage.
Watch the free preview below on how to share family history with the non-genealogists in your life. ( Genealogy Gems Premium website members can watch the whole thing here (along with more than 2 dozen videos) as a perk of their membership. Premium website members also have access to our monthly Premium podcast and all archived episodes. Click here to learn more! And keep scrolling down to click on more blog posts with great ideas for sharing your heritage.
Thanks for sharing this post with others who will want a little more inspiration on how to share family history with loved ones. Just email the URL or post this article on your favorite social media channel.
Do you have old home movies, footage of oral history interviews or any other type of family history video to keep track of? I recently heard from Ricky with this question:
Q: How do I add video to Evernote?
A: Thankfully, it’s easy on your computer:
Open Evernote.
Click New Note button.
Open Windows Explorer and resize so you can see both the window and Evernote.
Locate the desired video on your hard drive.
click on the video and drag and drop it on to the new note.
That’s it!
From your mobile device when you have the Evernote app installed:
Locate the video (ex. on the iPhone open Video app).
Tap Share icon.
Select Email.
Start to type “ever” and your unique Evernote email address associated with your Evernote account should auto-fill.
Send.
This will send the video to Evernote as a new note.
Keep in mind that video files are very large so take up a lot of your monthly upload limit. If you are a Premium Member, that’s not so much of a problem.
My Evernote for Genealogists quick reference guideis available for both Mac and Windows users (purchase the one that goes with your computer’s operating system, not your mobile device). Click to download it!
Genealogy Gems Premium members can also access exclusive full-length videos on how to use Evernote for family history, like:
Not a Premium member yet? The Evernote video series alone makes Premium membership worth the low annual fee, but you get SO much more! Learn more here.
Last weekend at Midwestern Roots, I debuted a new talk on technology tools for family history. One thing I mentioned was harnessing YouTube to share your family history. YouTube is now one of the top search engines – period! That means people may be looking for your common heritage on YouTube. Share what you know with them (and bring what they know to you) by creating and posting a family history video.
So what goes into a family history video? What technology tools will help you create one? How do you post it online?
Genealogy Gems Premium members can now access the answers to these and more questions about making your own family history videos. This is a great project to do as a family or with your grandchildren! There’s an audio-only podcast on the topic and a video version as well:
Family history videos can captivate the non-genealogists in your family. In this step-by-step video series I’m going to show you how to create them quickly and easily!
Thanks for sharing this post with others who will want a little more inspiration on how to share family history with loved ones. Just email the URL or post this article on your favorite social media channel.
