A Complete Guide to Family Story Preservation: Insights from Remento's 2024 Product Webinar

During a recent webinar, Remento CEO Charlie Greene shared how Remento helps families capture and preserve their stories for future generations. The session provided a thorough overview of their memory preservation service, featuring customer experiences and introducing a new scheduling feature that makes documenting family history even more accessible.

The Story Behind Remento's Development

The webinar opened with Charlie sharing what inspired him to create Remento. After his mother's lung cancer diagnosis nine years ago, he faced the possibility that she might never meet her grandchildren. Having lost his father just days after his tenth birthday, Greene understood firsthand the importance of preserving family memories.

"What blew me away was just how much I learned from those conversations," Charlie reflected about recording his mother's stories. "From moments in her career that she had never talked about, to the stories of falling in love with my dad that just had simply never come up." This experience led him to develop a straightforward way for families to preserve their stories before it's too late.

How Remento Preserves Family Stories

The platform sends weekly storytelling prompts via email and text, developed with input from storytelling experts. Family members can contribute their own questions or include photos as discussion starters. The recording process is designed to be simple - storytellers don't need to create accounts or remember passwords, and can record from any device. They can choose between video or audio recordings, with up to 30 minutes per session.

Once a story is recorded, Remento's Speech-to-Story™ technology converts the spoken words into written text. Users can choose between a direct transcript, first-person narrative, or third-person narrative style. The platform includes editing tools and photo integration options to help families create a complete record of their memories.

The final product is an 8x10 inch hardcover, color-printed book that includes QR codes linking to the original recordings. The standard package, priced at $99, includes a one-year subscription and one hardcover book of up to 200 pages. Additional books are available for $69, and larger books up to 380 pages can be created for an additional fee. Shipping is free within the United States.

Real Family Experiences with Remento

The webinar featured powerful testimonials from two Remento users who have experienced firsthand how the platform preserves precious family memories.

Jeanne Black, who chose Remento to document her mother's story despite her visual impairment, shared a touching example of how the platform captured an important family memory. "My dad's story about meeting my mom was simple - he mentioned she sent him cookies. But when my mom told it through Remento, we learned the whole story of how she won his heart through baking. Remento captured it perfectly, even titling it 'The Cookie Connection.' Within seconds, her spoken words became this beautiful written story."

She emphasized how Remento's thoughtful prompts uncovered deeper memories:

Instead of just asking about childhood, they asked 'If you were giving a tour of your childhood town, where would you take people?' That question revealed so much - my mom talked about the park where they played, the culdesac where they rode bikes, and this special tree in Omaha where they'd escape the summer heat. These aren't just facts - they're the rich details that bring our family history to life.

Katie Leithead, who received Remento as a birthday gift, spoke about using the platform to create a lasting legacy for her eight grandchildren. "What we miss most about lost loved ones is their voice," she reflected. "That's why I'm recording my story - so my children and grandchildren will always have not just my words, but my voice, my laugh, the way I tell a story."

Katie particularly values how Remento helps her pass down family values and life lessons:

I'm sharing everything - from my childhood mischief of hiding in trees with Nancy Drew books, to the serious moments that shaped who I am. I'm recording my beliefs, my values, the tools that helped me through hard times. Now my family will have this gift forever - they can hear my voice and learn from my experiences even when I'm no longer here to tell them in person.

Both women emphasized how simple Remento makes the process. As Jeanne noted, "My mom just talks, and Remento does the rest. For someone with low vision who couldn't type her story, this is priceless." Katie added, "Every Wednesday is my Remento day. I sit down, share my stories, and create something my family will treasure for generations."

New Features and Technical Details

During the webinar, Charlie announced a new scheduling feature that allows users to customize when they receive story prompts. Users can now adjust delivery times, customize their weekly schedule, and send prompts on demand according to their preferences.

Getting Started with Family Story Preservation

Starting your family's story preservation journey with Remento is straightforward. Visit remento.co to learn more about the platform and choose between personal use or gifting options. The setup process is designed to be simple, allowing families to begin recording stories right away.

For the best results, Charlie suggests beginning with early memories and using family photos to spark conversations. While some users prefer audio-only recordings, video can add an extra dimension to the family history. Including other family members in the process can help create a more complete family narrative.

Preserving Tomorrow's Memories Today

As the webinar concluded, Charlie emphasized Remento's mission to help families document the memories that have made each of us who we are today. Through simple technology and thoughtful prompts, Remento offers families a way to preserve their stories for future generations.