If you think about it, many of our childhood and youth memories are related to school. Even our young adult life, for many of us, is related in some way to academia. School is where we meet some of our closest friends, some of whom we remain close to for life. School memories are filled with joy, self-discovery, growing pains, and fondness. We learn some of the most important life lessons during our school years, especially during high school and college. You might have even met your now-life partner in school.
Yes, the academics are important, of course. However, some of the greatest lessons we learn in our lifetime are the ones that aren't in textbooks and lectures. That's why the memories of our school years, rather than just school itself, are worth keeping close to our hearts, even if you're already deep into adulthood.
Back in the day, we might record and keep our school memories in photo albums, both the physical and online kind, or in yearbooks. Nowadays, teens and college students post every aspect of their life on social media, especially on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. But an online memory book is a better place to publish, store, and share your precious memories than any social media site. Your photos and videos of friends, classmates, and favourite moments at school could easily get buried in a social media page, especially if you're the type who posts constantly. A memory book will be more special than that, because it will focus mostly on that certain period of your life, if you choose to make it a school theme.
An online memory book is essentially just the digitized version of a traditional, physical scrapbook that your grandma loves to organise. It's an online scrapbook or photo album that securely archives and organizes your photos, videos, audio and text. All of these various media are presented online in a dedicated web page that is much more safe than social media platforms. It's also much easier to share since it's on the internet.
With an online memory book, such as a Memories Timeline, it's up to you to choose who is allowed to view and comment on your precious memories, and add their own if you wish. This not only eliminates random online trolls and creepy strangers, but will also protect your data from hackers and malware. As you can see there are numerous benefits to an online Memories Timeline.
So, how do you create a memory book for your school memories? Here are some of the steps in creating an online school memory book .
1. Collect memories
First things first. Gather the materials you would like to include in your school memory book, such as photo and video files. Remember, this is not your grandma's old-fashioned scrapbook, although you're making this memory book in the spirit of that tradition. Don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box. For example, add GIFs, VR videos, 3D pictures, and play around with creative filters. An online memory book will allow you have more creative freedom since you won't be limited by physical dimensions of objects. For instance, you can't fit a graduation poster or artwork into a traditional memory book, but you can upload and share a high-resolution photo of it in an online memory book.
Collect any film photos, graduation pamphlets, paper ephemera like high school football game tickets and greeting cards, and scan them. If you were featured in a local newspaper, that is something definitely worthy of inclusion in your school memory book. Other memorabilia include ticket stubs from concert you went to (or performed in!) in high school with friends. You can even scan dried flowers from graduation bouquets. Read our guide on digitizing memories here.
Think like a museum curator. What "artefacts" from your life would you like to display in your personal museum? By viewing your online memory book like a digital museum of your personal history, because that's what it essentially is, you'll be able to come up with creative ways to tell stories.
2. Choose a host
One of the most important aspects of the memory book is where it should be hosted on the web. You particularly want a host that is secure and has a user-friendly content management system. Of course, you can simply post photos and videos on Instagram, Facebook, or a blog. However, keep in mind that there are many downsides to posting on social media, or even a trusted blog service like WordPress. One example is data privacy concerns. Many major social media platforms like Facebook have had years of controversy over data privacy, and privacy in general. With a dedicated and secure web host for your online memory book, like a Memories Timeline, your data will be safe and protected.
3. Make creative layouts
As we said earlier, the memory book is not just any old-fashioned scrapbook. You have the freedom to get creative not only with the content you choose, but with the design as well. You don't need to be a web design expert: go with a clean minimalist style to direct focus to the content itself, or make complex collages to tell a unique story about family members or special events from the past.
The important thing to keep in mind is that each piece of content, whether a photograph, video or audio recording, should shine as if it's the superstar. This means you should avoid overlapping materials too much if you're trying to make a multimedia story on your page. In order to tell a coherent story, the sentences must be clear. So, visualise the story you want to tell before arranging the content on to the pages.
4. Tell your story
Once you've figured out your layout, think about how you want to present your school memories. Earlier, we suggested making your memory book into a Timeline in which you create the narrative in chronological order. You don't have to include every minuscule detail in your school memory book — just the most memorable moments, like group photos with your close friends and classmates, or your high school and college graduation photos. Be sure to incorporate media other than photos, such as videos, moving pictures like GIFs, and even standalone audio.
Back in the day, my friends and I used to record ourselves freestyle rapping or singing songs with a guitar late at night. They were embarrassing, for sure, but they are still awesome memories worth cherishing and laughing about with friends as adults. The point is: stimulate different senses. That way, you don't just end up with a boring photo gallery.
5. Collaborate!
Since your school memory book is on the web, collaboration is easier than ever. Ask former classmates your were close to and friends to contribute to the online memory book. This way, they can share their own personal memories. This will give everyone a multi-perspective view of your school days, especially since they were a part of it. In fact, this school memory book could become a group memory book if you use Memories. You can easily assign different administrators and allow members to contribute to your Memories Timeline.
You can even take this further by creating a memory book for your whole class — the online version of a class reunion.
6. Publish and share
Once everything is organised, edited, and finalised, you can now publish your school memory book for the world (or just your loved ones and close friends) to see! The great thing about an online memory book is that it's easy to share, and looks beautiful on a large computer or TV screen.
However, each Memories Timeline is also designed to be optimised for mobile layouts. So, anyone can view your wonderful memories and, in turn, share them with others as well.