How It Works - Record Your Legacy in 4 Simple Steps - About Me Archives
How It Works - About Me Archives

How About Me Archives Works

A simple, step-by-step guide to preserving your story for future generations

It's Easier Than You Think

You don't need to be tech-savvy to use About Me Archives. If you can video call with your family, you can record your legacy. Everything happens right in your web browser, and now on your phone too with our iPhone app (an Android app is coming soon).

We've designed our platform specifically for people who want to preserve their stories without dealing with complicated technology. Large, clear buttons. Simple instructions. And support every step of the way.

Your story matters, and we've made it simple to share.

See how About Me Archives works, in about a minute.

Getting Started: 4 Simple Steps

From creating your account to recording your first video

1

Create Your Free Account

Click "Sign Up Free" and fill in just a few basic details: your name, email address, and a password you'll remember. That's it. No credit card needed, no trial periods that expire.

What You'll Need:

  • Your email address
  • A password (we'll help you create a strong one)
  • About 2 minutes of time
Important:

You'll receive a confirmation email. Click the link in that email to activate your account. Check your spam folder if you don't see it within a few minutes.

Creating your free About Me Archives account
2

Set Up Your Profile

Add a profile photo and some basic information about yourself. This helps your family recognize and connect with you on the platform. You can always add more details later.

Optional But Helpful:

  • Upload a recent photo
  • Add your birth date and location
  • Write a short bio (a few sentences)
Privacy Note:

You control who sees what. You can keep everything private, share only with family, or make it public. It's completely up to you.

Setting up your About Me profile
3

Record Your Legacy Snapshot

This is the heart of About Me Archives. Your Legacy Snapshot is a collection of 10 short videos, each just 2 minutes, where you answer thoughtful questions about your life. Record them one at a time, at your own pace. There's no rush to finish them all at once.

How Recording Works:

  • Click "Allow" when your browser asks to use your camera
  • Pick any question you'd like to answer first
  • Click "Record" and answer in your own words (2 minutes per question)
  • Come back anytime to record more. Do one today, another tomorrow
  • Don't worry about being perfect. Authenticity matters more
Don't Stress:

You can re-record any individual question if you're not happy with it, without affecting your other recordings. There's no pressure to get it perfect the first time, and no need to do all 10 at once.

Recording a Legacy Snapshot video
4

Explore More Features

Once you've recorded your first Legacy Snapshot video, a whole platform opens up. Build your family tree, connect with friends through The Tapestry, send messages into the future, and appoint someone to protect your legacy after you're gone.

What's Next:

  • Build your family tree. Add up to 20 members free, unlimited with Premium
  • Invite friends to The Tapestry, your friend network that shows how lives connect
  • Record more videos with our 140+ guided questions (Premium)
  • Create Time Vault messages for the future (Premium)
  • Appoint a Legacy Steward to protect your archive (Premium)
  • Explore stories from the community and discover wisdom from real people

Feeling ready?

You can create your free account now and set up the rest whenever it suits you.

Create Your Free Account

Understanding the Core Features

What each feature does and how it helps preserve your legacy

Video Legacy

Your voice, your face, your stories, preserved forever in video format. Future generations won't just read about you; they'll see and hear you talking about your life.

Free Legacy Snapshot:

Answer 10 essential questions about your life with 10 short 2-minute videos. Questions like "Tell us about your family" and "What would you like future generations to know about you?" Each question is its own recording, so you can do them at your own pace. Free forever.

Premium Unlimited Videos:

With Premium, you can record as many videos as you want using our library of 140+ questions across 10 categories:

  • Childhood & Early Life
  • Family & Relationships
  • Career & Work Life
  • Life Philosophy & Lessons
  • Love & Romance
  • And 5 more categories...
The guided questions gallery

Living Family Tree

Build a visual map of your family connections. Add parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren, as many generations as you know. Each person can have their own profile and videos.

How It Works:

Start by adding yourself, then add family members one at a time. Connect them with simple relationship labels like "mother," "son," "sister." You can invite them by email to join and create their own profiles, and when they register, their tree connects to yours automatically.

Why It's Called "Living":

Your tree grows as more family members join. When your cousin creates their profile, they connect to you, and suddenly their side of the family appears on your tree too. This bidirectional linking means everyone gets a complete view of the entire family.

It's a living tree because it grows naturally as your family grows. The more people who join, the more complete everyone's family tree becomes. No one person has to know or enter everything; it builds itself as each family member contributes their own branch.

Free & Premium:

Free accounts can add up to 20 family members. Premium unlocks unlimited members, giving you room to map every branch and generation you know.

Building your living family tree

The Tapestry, Your Friend Network New

Your life wasn't shaped only by family. The Tapestry maps the friendships and chosen connections that made you who you are, the people you chose, not just the people you were born to.

How It Works:

Invite friends by email. When they accept, your stories are connected, and a visual network graph shows how your lives weave together. It's not a social network. It's a map of the people who mattered.

Extended Network:

With Premium, you can see beyond your direct connections. Discover friends of friends, explore degrees of separation, and see just how far your story reaches. Every invitation is also an opportunity for someone new to preserve their own story.

Free & Premium:

Free accounts can connect with up to 5 friends. Premium unlocks unlimited connections and the full extended network view.

The Tapestry friend network

Time Vault Messages

Record messages today that will be delivered in the future, on specific dates, after you're gone, or when life milestones happen. Be present at your grandchild's wedding, your daughter's 50th birthday, or your great-grandchild's graduation.

Three Types of Messages:

1. Scheduled Delivery:
Choose a specific future date, whether a birthday, an anniversary, or a graduation years from now, and your message will be delivered exactly when you choose.

2. Death-Activated:
Your Legacy Steward confirms your passing, and the messages you left behind are delivered to the people you chose. Your voice arrives when they need it most.

3. Event-Based:
Tied to life milestones such as a wedding, a first child, or a retirement. Your message waits for the moment it was meant for, no matter when that moment comes.

What You Can Include:

  • Video messages recorded directly in your browser
  • Written personal messages
  • Advice for specific life events
  • Words of encouragement and love
  • Family stories meant for the right moment

Legacy Steward New

Your legacy needs a guardian. A Legacy Steward is a trusted person you appoint to protect your archive after you're gone, the person who makes sure your wishes are honored and your story endures.

How It Works:

Choose someone you trust, whether a spouse, a child, or a close friend. They'll receive a secure email invitation to accept the role. Once they accept, they're ready to act when the time comes.

What Your Steward Can Do:

  • Trigger delivery of your death-activated Time Vault messages
  • Convert your profile to a memorial, with an "In Loving Memory" banner and your name in gold
  • Ensure your videos and story are preserved and accessible

Why It Matters:

This is what makes About Me Archives work beyond a single lifetime. Your story doesn't depend on a company staying online. It depends on a person you chose, someone who will make sure your voice is heard long after you're gone.

Explore Stories

About Me Archives isn't just about preserving your own story, it's about discovering others. Explore Stories is the public heart of the platform, where you can browse real stories from real people across different times, places, and paths.

What You'll Find:

  • Featured stories curated weekly from the community
  • Browse by theme, generation, or location
  • Public profiles where people share their life on their own terms
  • Memorial profiles, honoring those who've passed with an "In Loving Memory" banner, their name in gold, and their videos preserved as cherished memories

No account required to explore. Just come, listen, and discover that every life has a story worth hearing.

Free vs Premium at a Glance

Start free forever. Upgrade whenever you want more room to grow.

Feature Free Premium
Legacy Snapshot (10 videos)IncludedIncluded
Guided question librarySnapshot only140+ across 10 categories
Family tree membersUp to 20Unlimited
Tapestry friend connectionsUp to 5Unlimited + extended network
Time Vault messagesPremium onlyIncluded
Legacy StewardPremium onlyIncluded

See full details on our Pricing page.

We're Here to Help Every Step

You're not alone in this journey. We've thought of everything to make this as easy as possible.

Personal Support

If you get stuck, our support team is just an email away. We respond quickly and explain things in plain language.

Your Content is Safe

Everything is securely stored in the cloud with backups. Your videos won't be lost, and you can download them anytime.

No Rush, No Pressure

Take your time. Record when you feel ready. Save your work and come back later. There are no deadlines.

Family Can Help

Ask a family member to sit with you while you record, or have them help with the technical parts. Many families do this together.

Common Questions

Is it really free?
Yes. Your Legacy Snapshot, up to 10 videos, is free forever. No credit card, no trial that expires. Premium is optional and unlocks unlimited videos, the full question library, Time Vault messages, and more.
Who can see my videos?
You decide. Every video and profile can be kept private, shared only with family, or made public. You're always in control.
What happens to my videos if the company goes away?
You can download your videos at any time, and your Legacy Steward keeps your wishes and your archive protected. Your story doesn't rely on any single company staying online.
Do I need to be good with technology?
No. If you can make a video call, you can do this. The buttons are large, the instructions are simple, and support is only an email away.
Can I do this on my phone?
Yes. You can record in any web browser, or use our iPhone app. An Android app is coming soon.
How long does it take?
Each question is about 2 minutes. Many people record one or two at a time and come back later. There's no deadline and no pressure to finish all at once.

We believe every life is a story worth telling, and everyone deserves to be remembered. This is how your voice, your face, and your wisdom stay with the people who come after you.

Ready to Get Started?

Your story deserves to be preserved. Let's begin today.