If you have put a lot of work into building your family tree, you may decide to share it with others by posting it on your own website.
There are some simple things that you can do to make sure that it all goes well.
First and foremost, respect the living.
Never post the names of living relatives.
Protecting privacy is more important than ever because of the potential for identity theft.
Full name and dates of birth are just the things that an identity thief is searching for.
Maiden names, especially that of your mother or another living relative are also a boon to an identity thief because of their use as passwords so don't post them where they can be seen by anyone.
In order to keep your site attractive and easy to read, it's best to follow standard grammatical rules.
Be careful about using odd fonts that are difficult to read and always use a font size that is easy to read for any aged eyes.
If you are writing a lot of text, be sure to break it up into smaller paragraphs.
This is standard now for any online writing because the eye has difficulty tracking large bodies of text.
It puts the reader off and many simply choose not to try to get through it.
Avoid dancing graphics - even if you had fun creating them.
They take a long time to load which puts many people off.
Typically they leave instead of waiting for the page to load.
Music is another thing to avoid posting on your family tree website.
Remember - not everyone shares your taste in music.
Some even find it very annoying.
(Myself, I keep my computer on mute to avoid the noise.
) Choose your colors carefully.
Do not try to post light colored text onto a light colored background.
This is just too difficult to see.
A light colored background is great because it is easier on the eyes, especially older ones, but select a darker color for your font color.
Be sure that you add footer on each page of your website with your contact information.
I don't usually recommend that you post your home address because of all the crazies out there.
Try using your business address or a post office box if you can.
Email addresses are a good, safe way to let others reach you.
You don't want someone who may be related to you, or may have critical information to have no way to contact you.
Putting it on each page is important so that is very easy to find your contact information.
Make sure that you keep the information up to date if you move or your phone number changes.
Keeping these tips in mind will help make your family tree website a comfortable place for your visitors and increase the chances that folks will stay on your site and find that common link.
There is always the possibility that you will discover an entire branch of the family that you were unaware of if you make your site a place that people want to spend some time on.
Building your family tree online is a low cost way to share all your hard work with the world.
Who knows who is out there waiting to connect with you?