The other day, a relative of mine who is planning our family reunion forwarded a family tree spreadsheet via e-mail to every member of the family with a request to update any missing or incorrect data and to verify addresses for the customized party invitations she created on our site.

As soon as the e-mail arrived, I thought to myself, “There has got to be an easier way.” Imagining each person making changes and returning the document, I wondered how all the information could be merged into one cohesive family tree.

A quick search indicated there are several products available to help categorize this kind of information, but the problem was that she wasn’t just interested in the family tree–she wanted current e-mail, phone numbers and mailing addresses as well.

In this case, a spreadsheet makes sense because it can be converted to a document that most contact software can read and convert to mailing labels. But, instead of an e-mail attachment, the ideal solution would be to use a relatively new product called Google Documents. Her existing spreadsheet could be uploaded and shared with all of the family members at once. Since they would all be editing the same document, no merging of the data would be necessary. Even better, everyone can access the document through a simple web portal, so no additional software is required. Voila!

Since Tiny Prints is in the business of helping people keep in touch, we’re always interested in hearing your techniques for keeping friends and family connected. If you have something to share, please let us know!