Storing up all those memories

Jan 23 2008 By Adrian Sudbury

"WHERE did I put dad’s old photo album? Whatever happened to that cassette of Claire’s first laugh? … and the cine clip of Chris’s first steps? …..and the video of that great holiday in Crete?" "I’d have put money on finding the printout of the family tree at the bottom of the wardrobe."

Recognise any of this? Mike Hardy, his son Chris and friend Paul Gallaher believe they have perfected the solution to stop precious memories from going missing.

They have built a website called Tizmy.com which is an online time capsule, allowing users to post their stories, photographs and videos.

It’s a project they are hoping will take off with the public after being two years in the making.

Mike, of Edgerton, and Paul, who is from Batley, are market traders in the Kirklees and Calderdale area while Chris is the computer man.

"We don’t have Harvard backgrounds and unlike many of today’s websites we really did build Tizmy on a shoestring, but without compromise," says Mike.

The germ of the idea came from Paul one day when they were talking about the internet and he said there had been a report on genealogy on GMTV.

Mike explains: "This corresponded with my having just discovered that my grandfather, who died 14 years before I was born, was teetotal and a staunch churchgoer.

"I found this surprising as all his five children enjoyed alcohol; in fact, one of my uncles became an alcoholic.

"However, the main point was that I realised just how little I knew about grandfather. Sadly, now both my parents are dead, there isn’t anyone left to ask for more details.

"If only he had left some tangible records, like letters, photos and other memorabilia. I do have a few untitled photos, but they aren’t dated and I don’t know who all the other people shown are or what event prompted the taking of the picture.

"I’m sure he wrote lots of letters, but have no idea what has happened to them."

Today things could be very different. We can use computers to store word-processed documents, scanners to capture paper documents and old photos, digital cameras and mobile phones to capture and store still and moving images and sound.

However, it is just as easy to mislay this data as it was to lose letters and photos in the past.

Also much of it is spread about in such a haphazard and disconnected way that its value is quite limited.

That’s where Tizmy.com comes in, giving the capacity to record, store and organise information in a way which makes it really easy for anyone to search.

One area where the website’s team hope to score is in the changing nature of our family relationships.

More and more people are opting out of marriage and living in informal relationships, leaving it difficult for future generations to trace their family tree.

This becomes even more critical if there are children from the relationship, as links between family members can very easily become confused.

The site could also come in handy if a doctor ever asks if there is any history of a particular type of illness in the family.

Mike says: "We think Tizmy.com will appeal to people from all age groups and walks of life who will find areas of interest to explore.

"It will be of interest to silver surfers who have time available to document their lives for their family and descendants, as well as genealogists, diarists and ethnic groups wanting to record their roots.

"It’s also great for keeping in touch with friends and family who may be apart."

Son Chris, the main technical developer, says: "It has been a hard slog, but I am very pleased with the results. As with all good web sites, development is ongoing and it will certainly evolve as we respond to members’ feedback."

Visit www.tizmy.com to see the site.