5 Tips For Making Online Photo Sharing More Meaningful For Family And Friends

It seems like everybody is sharing photos online. But it also seems as if it's less about sharing memories, and more about sharing a funny photo they found on the Internet, or just putting a bunch of photos from a vacation into a file folder for people to view.

That's a little like dropping an envelope of prints on someone's desk and expecting them to understand what's going on in the pictures. If the person wasn't with you when the photos were taken, they'll have no idea what they're looking at.

When you share your photos, be sure to include a story about them. Some sites allow for easy storytelling, some don't. Search "easy photo sharing" on the Internet, and you'll find sites that let you tell stories quickly and easily.

Below are some tips you can use to make your photo sharing a little more meaningful for family and friends. These are ideas you can use to bring the photos you share to life for the people you send them to.

Share memories from your life. This is especially important as parents age and kids grow up. Both are important times filled with milestones you'll want to remember. Without a doubt, there will be people in your circle of friends who will want to see pictures of your mom, dad, or relatives whom you have a significant relationship with. People love stories about people, especially when they have deep meaning.

Share your passions. If you've got a hobby, child, husband or something else you're particularly proud of, be sure to catch a special moment with a photo and then share it.

For example, if you're husband's a woodworker, be sure to capture shots of him working on a project, then get a picture of him with his finished project and show it off! You can document the project start to finish in photos, and then add just a little bit of text to each one.

Share a wonderful moment. With digital photography, it's so easy to snap a quick picture and send it off in an email. So if your dog does something cute, or if you child does something even cuter, capture the moment and send it off to grandma, a favorite aunt, a friend ... whoever you think would love to share the moment with you. This is a really fun thing to do. It engages your friends and family in your every day life, and is a great way to stay connected.

Share a day, a month or even a whole year. Easy photo sharing sites make it easy for you to organize your photos so that you can share magical memories from a day, or the events and milestones from an entire year. That's the beauty of online photo sharing - you can catch people up with your life in an instant!

Plus, you don't have to wait for a special occasion to do so. People love to hear about what's going on in your life, so don't be shy. If you have a particular milestone or event you want to share, or a series of events you want to catch people up on, go ahead and share!

Share memories across the years. This is perhaps the greatest untapped part of online photo sharing. Just think of all those old photos you have sitting in a box or in photo albums. Why not break them out, scan them into your computer and start sharing them with the people in your life in a new and exciting way.

That's right, in this modern digital age, you can connect with the past faster and in ways you never dreamed possible. Imagine reaching out to an aunt you haven't seen in decades with pictures from the summer days you spent with her.

Think of the joy your loved one will feel when they receive photos from days gone by. And you can share this joy with a simple email or you can lovingly create a Photo Album or other printed Keepsake and send it directly to the person you're reaching out to.

There are a lot of different ways you can share photos, but the key is to add enough information so the recipient of the photo will know the story behind the photo - and everybody love's a good story!