Families are your TightKnit “Kitchen Tables”! Places where different groups of people with certain things in common gather to share photos, memories and stories.

Families have administrators and members:

  • Members in a family are all equals when it comes to functionality. They can add stories, add photos to stories and comment to anything in that family. The family is a shared space where people are encouraged to participate! Mutual respect exists - just like around the kitchen table!
  • The Administrator is the person that creates the TightKnit family group. The administrator gives the family a name (and have edit rights) and invites people to be members. They are responsible for keeping the member list aligned with it’s purpose (see below), so members always know what the general nature of the content will be and who will be “sitting at the table”.

Family groups don’t all have to be set up by you. Other people you know may also be doing some set up as well. Over time, you will find that you will be a member of families that you have created (the administrator), and a member of families you have been invited to participate in.  So, if someone already set up a family for a group that is important to you, and you are a member of that group, then you don’t need to create that same group for yourself!

NOTE: It is highly recommended that you create a story that you intend to share with a family, before you create that family. Doing so will ensure that, once invited, those people will have something to look at when they come into TightKnit! Depending on where you are in the TightKnit application, you may or may not be required to do this before you can proceed. Even if you are not required, it is recommended that you have a story to share immediately after you create the family.

Here is how to set up a family or friend group:

  1. Name the family group. For the name, first decide on the purpose. For example, is this for family or friends? What kind of content would you expect to be shared?
    • For family, think in terms of family hierarchy. If it is a place for your spouse and children to connect, name it after you and your spouse. If it is a place for you and your aunts, uncles and cousins to share photos and stories about your grandparents on your mother’s side, name it after them. Avoid using “relative” terms like “grandma and grandpa”, as it may not be clear who’s grandma and grandpa it is! Just use their names such as “Alfred and Edna Norton Family”. Purpose for this family would be to collect photos, memories and stories of Alfred and Edna’s lives – the place to go to learn about who they were and what they did.  For families like this one, keep in mind too that the membership will continue to grow (e.g. your grand-kids) as it is really a place for all of Alfred and Edna’s offspring to gather!
    • For friends, think in terms of who that group is. This would be a place where you and long-term friends can share things about the years you have all known each other and even current activities, since tomorrow’s history is happening today. For example, it could be your high school or college buddies, or friends you made raising your kids. Have fun and use a name that they would all relate to, such as “Oakwood Buddies” where Oakwood is a grade school name.
  2. Invite the family members. These can be done at any time, though you need to invite at least one for TightKnit to create the family.
    • Enter the first name and email address of each person being added.
    • You may find that the person’s name pops up when you are entering their name and/or email. Where did that come from? If the person is already in another family that you participate in, TightKnit will allow you to select it so that you don’t have to re-enter it. Doing so also makes sure you are using the correct email address.
    • When you have the name and members form complete, click on “Add”.
    • Once you click on “Add”, TightKnit will do the following:
      • For recipients that do not have a TightKnit account, TightKnit will send them an email with your invite and instructions on how they can get started. When you view the family members (from the home page, click on “Families” and then click on the family you just created), you will see that they have an “Invite Sent” status. Once they have joined, you will receive a notification that they have “accepted your invite”, and the “invite sent” status for them will be removed.
      • For recipients that already have a TightKnit account, they will receive a “notification” with their other notifications, that you have “added” them to this family.
    • To add additional members, go back to “Families” by selecting “Families” across the top of the home page, then click on the family in question, and choose “Add Member”.
  3. Start sharing stories and encouraging other members to do the same. Enjoy the banter, and while doing so, build the story of your people!