The following is a sponsored post for Family Ribbon- The faster, easier, and safer way to keep family connected.
Family Ribbon was created as a solution for tech-beginner and family communication. Our goal is to provide an app that is easy-to-use, long-sighted, with multimedia and easy setup and support.
There is a broad need for a family oriented, beginner-friendly communication suite that would also be safer to use than most common tools that has been developed with business and “power” users in mind. Family Ribbon lowers the barriers for beginners to start using most common online communication tools and encourages them to expand their online tools use to videoconferencing, multimedia mail messages, online albums, joining social networks and online communities and browsing extensive selection of sites.
In our research developing the application, we realized:
– A lot of people in the U.S. and internationally are not yet online, not using social networks and online resources. A new PEW study suggests significant gaps in online use – i.e. email and search are “light” use. In most cases, this gap includes our parents – people over 65 are particularly prone to be late adopters – are not online.
– Over 40% of women and more than 20% of men over 65 years old live alone – combined with limited mobility and loss of friends this leads to isolation. Being connected and engaged are vital for health and happiness.
– There are great online tools for connecting that could benefit our parents whose vital needs include:
- Staying connected with families and friends
- Being engaged – personally and professionally in online communities. They are missing out on our vibrant life online, communities – and could be a great resource for them.
- Being able to control their life – including navigating vast online resources.
Most common tools are business and power user targeted – not optimized for family communication. Family Ribbon has been designed for family with beginner users in mind. In reaching our senior audience, we stress the following:
– Optimized for functionality
– Provides easy access to popular services
– Rich media
“I also had a personal reason for creating Family Ribbon. When my father needed to go to the hospital in 2010, I quickly realized that while I wanted my father to stay connected with his family, there wasn’t an easy solution. How could my father see his 2-year-old granddaughter thousands of miles away from his hospital bed? iPads, Skype and email all existed but how could a “technology shy” beginner set up accounts and navigate through complex software? It was at this time when I started to create software for families to communicate that didn’t require a lot of training or onsite support.
In early 2011, along with Mykola Komarevskyy, another ex-McKinsey consultant and programmer with experience in creating IT startups, I started to develop easy-to-use software for checking e-mail, having a video chat, posting on Facebook, creating online photo albums and browsing the Web. The result is Family Ribbon.” – Ivan Osadchiy, Founder & CEO
Some of the key benefits that can be experienced by seniors are:
Ability to unite all the key features needed to connect with family members and explore Internet such as:
- Easy Family Facebook (Beta) to engage with family and friends
- Medication and Appointment reminders
- Easy launch Skype and Facetime video calls
- Simple Online albums viewer for Picasa, Flickr and Facebook
- Video emails (or emails with integrated audio, photo, video or drawing)
- Illustrated step-by-step user guides
- Screenshot sharing and remote administration tools
- Intuitive browsing of websites and much more
Family Ribbon is easy to master
- Intuitively designed
- Illustrated user guides can be printed
It’s easy to support
- Intuitive remote administration by design
- Screenshot sharing
- Tips, guides and advice
Is more secure than regular online tools
- Email security – “white list” feature
- Direct Facebook albums (not via Facebook application/site) access for publicity-shy
- Detailed Facebook privacy instructions
Family Ribbon makes it easy for adult children to get their senior parents online with step-by-step guides, remote administration and screenshot share tools. They can set up their Family Ribbon account in 15-20 minutes and then their family members don’t need to invest a lot of training time to show them how to use computer applications.
In minutes, seniors and young children are online doing video calls, sharing photo albums, connecting on family Facebook pages, and staying connected with their grandparents, grandkids and other family members. Easy web browsing provides a lot of room to grow as user confidence and skills increase and they start exploring the wonders of the web.
For more information about Family Ribbon, check out their home page:
Official site: https://www.familyribbon.com/
To download the Family Ribbon app:
Family Ribbon Full Version iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/family–ribbon/id481118335?mt=8
Family Ribbon Lite Version iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/family–ribbon–lite/id527234541?mt=8
*This post sponsored by Family Ribbon. This is not a product review. I have not tested this product as I do not have the devices to try it out with. Please check out Family Ribbon for more information to see if this product will work for you!
