Connected family, despite living apart

Family Problem

Have you noticed how you feel drawn to someone when they share their story? Or how interested others are when you share yours? Stories are far more than information. They help us make sense of the world and help us connect with the storyteller’s thought process. We place ourselves in their shoes and in doing so learn about them and connect with them.

However, when families live apart there is no obvious channel for swapping stories. An email is too formal. A message app is for chats not stories. Discussing on a call is best, if time allows… So even those with the will to share their stories, often fail to do so. And over time, family members know each other less and less.

Simirity Solution

Simirity is your family’s channel for stories. Custom designed for you to create timeless stories that family can view and listen to, and respond to when they have free time. Creating a connected family as people learn about each other’s lives and viewpoints.

Family Problem

Even within families who are physically nearby, it’s common for everyone to communicate with the mother who relays the message to others if needed. Research shows that in thriving families, the lines of communication are flexible and everyone talks to each other directly. When families live apart, it’s harder for everyone to communicate freely. Typically, remote families use message apps and video calls, but usually not everyone is included. So families lose open lines of communication.

Simirity’s Solution

Your whole family, including your extended family, are all privately connected on a platform where you can share family history, day to day happenings, learnings and thoughts in multimedia stories, with the option of limiting who sees each story. Children, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, all with their own account and connected as one happy family.

Family stories stimulate conversations, either using the commenting functions within the app or on your next call.

Everyone, from grandchildren to grandparents, are kept up-to-date with the latest news and everyone can share their comments and thoughts on stories, photos and videos.

And every day, everyone is prompted about family stories from that date in the past. Reminding you of past times and igniting new conversations that involve everyone.

By connecting your entire family in a private and healthy family environment, the lines of communication are open for all. Building a connected family, using stories as the driver of conversation.

Family Problem

Children want to be a valued part of the family, with their opinion heard. But when families live apart, it’s hard for them to communicate with their extended family. If their cousins and grandparents don’t play a regular part in their lives, children get the impression that their family has shrunk.

Simirity Solution

Children can, with their parent’s permission, have access to their own Simirity account (age 13+). They have an equal footing to the adults, with story writing capabilities, access to family stories and comments, and can even request stories on topics they would find interesting. They are empowered to play their part in the family and can enjoy the family’s recognition of their contributions. And the feeling of being connected to family gives them a greater sense of identity and belonging.

Family Problem

Spending quality time with your family is vital, but hard when you live apart. Is a catch-up call really the best option available to a family living remotely?

What does ‘quality time’ really mean? According to the Macmillan Dictionary, quality time means ‘time that you spend with someone, usually your partner or child, doing enjoyable things together so that your relationship remains strong’. The problem with a call to family is that often it’s more about the sharing of information rather than actually ‘doing enjoyable things together’. So it’s not always ‘quality time’.

Simirity Solution

Simirity provides something you can enjoy doing together, even when you live apart. A shared venture that involves everyone. Co-authoring stories about your shared past and reliving good times in the process. Brainstorming topics for stories and suggesting stories to each other. Commenting on and talking to each other about each other’s stories. True ‘quality time’ – doing enjoyable things together that strengthen relationships and build a connected family.

Family Problem

Life has its setbacks, and families need to be resilient and support one another when things don’t go as planned. But it’s hard for families to help resolve a conflict or challenge when they’re apart. In fact, family members might not even be aware that a problem exists if it’s not shared. The will to help is there, but message apps and the weekly call don’t seem to be the ideal way to share our challenges.

Simirity Solution

Simirity is not like traditional social media where people put on a brave face, hide their vulnerabilities, and present an unrealistic view of their life to the whole world. With Simirity you get to be yourself and share your challenges and concerns. This is your family that you are communicating with. The people who matter most and want the best for you.

If you are having a problem, share it so that your family can help. Take the time you need to get your story just right using written word (far easier than face to face). Then share it with the people who might be able to help. Even if they can’t help, a problem shared is a problem halved.

If you don’t want to spell out your specific challenge in a story, send a Story Request to family members about the topic that’s troubling you. Perhaps they can share their experiences and these in turn might lead to conversations.

Why not anticipate challenges and create stories to help? Family members with experiences to share can proactively create stories about the challenges they’ve faced. Stories about relationships, health, money, career, parenting, mental wellbeing and so on. These precious stories act as beacons of light for others experiencing similar challenges. They know they are not alone and have someone to turn to for help. By sharing such stories, authors are saying that it’s OK to have problems and that they are there to help.

The ultimate goal would be a library of stories covering all types of life challenges, so new generations become accustomed to turning to family for help instead of search engines or internalising their problems. Creating a connected family by helping each other through life’s challenges.

Family Problem

The knowledge of a family was traditionally passed on by word of mouth. Stories of family experiences and the life of ancestors being discussed at the dinner table – passing on the knowledge and wisdom to new generations. But when families live apart, there are less opportunities to share knowledge, and slowly it’s forgotten.

Simirity Solution

All family related information and knowledge can be privately saved in media-rich stories, available to the entire family and passed onto future generations. Nothing will get forgotten, even when family members pass on.

In addition, short snippets of wisdom can be captured in Life Lessons that are added to stories. These short paragraphs offer your family a streamlined way to view everyone’s lessons from life. They can even be organised using tags such as #hard-times-and-disapointments, #growing-older and #enjoying-life. So family members can easily find help on topics that are meaningful to them.

Sharing knowledge is an invaluable way to support each other, start conversations and create a connected family.

Family Problem

The knowledge of a family was traditionally passed on by word of mouth. Stories of family experiences and the life of ancestors being discussed at the dinner table – passing on the knowledge and wisdom to new generations. But when families live apart, there are less opportunities to share knowledge, and slowly it’s forgotten.

Simirity Solution

All family related information and knowledge can be privately saved in media-rich stories, available to the entire family and passed onto future generations. Nothing will get forgotten, even when family members pass on.

In addition, short snippets of wisdom can be captured in Life Lessons that are added to stories. These short paragraphs offer your family a streamlined way to view everyone’s lessons from life. They can even be organised using tags such as #hard-times-and-disapointments, #growing-older and #enjoying-life. So family members can easily find help on topics that are meaningful to them.

Sharing knowledge is an invaluable way to support each other, start conversations and create a connected family.

Family Problem

Connected families talk about the topics-of-the-day. What’s happening at work, ideas they had, plans for the future, the latest news stories and so on. Everyone is involved, including children (on age-appropriate topics). But living apart makes this hard. And without discussing such topics, families live increasingly separate lives.

Simirity Solution

With hundreds of inspirational ideas for stories within the app, and more delivered through social media, your family will never be short of ideas for stories. Keeping conversations flowing and encouraging people to share their opinions and insights. Engaging the minds of the young while connecting them to family elders. Creating stories you’ll look back on with fond memories, and giving future generations an insight into your lives.

Family Problem

Happy families have inside jokes, secrets that only they know, and nicknames for each other. There is an intimacy to these family secrets, and people in-the-know feel like a trusted part of a group. Where do jokes, secrets and nicknames come from? They are born from shared experiences. But families who live apart have fewer shared experiences, so there is less shared knowledge to unite the family.

Simirity Solution

If you can’t be with family, the next best option is to share your experiences. Simirity provides a private platform where you can safely share stories and then add comments, enabling the creation of family secrets despite living apart.

Family Problem

An important part of a family’s culture is the family routines that develop over time. Each family is unique, and habits range from watching favourite TV shows together to preparing their own special meals. We even have annual family traditions such as specific activities for holidays and new year celebrations. Rituals and traditions are used by religions, countries and even businesses to bring people closer together. But when families are apart, they can’t participate in traditions together. And some traditions might even get forgotten over time.

Simirity Solution

You might not be able to share traditional activities together, but you can follow them as separate families and share your experiences. Document your traditions in stories, from favourite dinner recipes to exercise routines. By doing so, you are cementing that tradition into your family’s history, enabling others to follow your lead and encouraging future generations to keep up your family traditions.

You have a choice. Parts of your family may live elsewhere, but that does not mean relationships will suffer.

Society generally accepts that relationships weaken as a natural consequence of living apart. But as we have shown, Simirity brings a connected family within everyone’s reach. For those who truly care for one another, no journey, sea or time-zone difference can stop your family from staying connected.