Are you afraid of losing your family stories?

Every life is worth remembering!!

"It is (our life story) after all, the only treasure, the only heirloom we have to leave -- our own little grain of truth. Truth that is locked up in the heart -- or in a diary is sterile. It must be given back to life."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"You are our living link to the past. Tell your grandchildren the story of the struggles waged, at home and abroad. Of sacrifices made for freedom's sake. And tell them your own story as well -- because [everybody] has a story to tell."

Former Pres. George H.W. Bush, State of the Union address, 1990

Don Canaan's true crime book is now available on Kindle for only $2.99

A Sample Contract for the Web-Biographer

Terms of service for your web biography site

I the client hereby give permission to you, the videographer, and www.blankblankblankblank.com to record to audio,, the Internet and/or DVD or CD my biography given during an interview conducted on ____________

You, the customer grant full production and editorial control of all aspects of editing and creating your biographical website to ____________. You agree to work with the videographer to create a website and DVD video of that web site. The videographer agrees to make every provision possible to incorporate your suggestions and ideas into your website and DVD video.

The videographer will retain one copy of the completed web biography, all audio recorded, and transcripts made from the interview, I understand, the transcript will be made available to the client at the producer's cost.

I understand the videographer offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for this work; however the client cannot keep any copies of the work, except for the website or DVD if the client does not pay for it.

The cost of having a web biography written is dependent upon various things such as complexity, length, amount of transcription, time spent scanning photographs, etc. there is a $_____fee for a basic website which includes a one-year domain registration and one-year web hosting. Most basic biographies cost about $__________ per additional Internet page.

Servicing the site is available at a nominal monthly charge. We will also register your domain name for one year. We will bill you annually after year one for maintenance of the site.

The fee is due as follows: One half is due when work commences; One quarter is due when first draft is finished; One quarter is due when second draft is finished; All expenses are due at the time incurred.

In addition to the Internet published biography, I would like to order ____ additional copies of the DVD video at $____ each, postpaid, the total amount is $____ dollars.

Please do not send us your irreplaceable items. We cannot be responsible for items lost in the mail. Please make copies of any one-of-a-kind items and send the copies to the videographer.

Specific photograph colors may not appear to be the same on-screen. Therefore, the videographer is not responsible for photographs that appear to be slightly darker or lighter than the original prints. However, all attempts will be made to produce an accurate representation of each photo.

You are responsible for numbering each photograph and for specifying the order in which they are to appear in the website. This can be done by writing on the back of each photo in light pencil. If sending photo files on a disk, send a separate sheet listing the file names in the order in which they should appear. The videographer accepts JPG. Gif and TIFF file formats only.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all information provided is correct prior to submission. All selections are final once customer has viewed the unpublished website, unless otherwise agreed upon with the videographer. In the event that the incorrect information is included on the site or accompanyingt DVD video (playable only on a computer) as a result of incorrect information provided (e.g. misspellings, incorrect information, music, etc), it is your financial responsibility for purchase an additional copy with the correct information and to pay shipping to and from the videographer.

Payment:

Full payment is due, along with your photos and materials. Work will not commence until complete payment is received and confirmed. Payments can be made by check, PayPal or money order to the videographer. Any bank charges incurred due to returned checks will be charged to the client along with a $________insufficient funds fee. All personal checks must clear before work commences, with no exceptions.

Your website and DVD is to be considered a work for hire. The copyright belongs to the client. However, the client grants the videographer the right to use your completed website and/or DVD for advertising, marketing, display, or any other appropriate purpose.

Extenuating circumstances:

The due performance of this agreement is subject to alteration or cancellation by the videographer owing to any cause beyond the contract's control; In the event the DVD video is damaged during shipping, the videographer will ship a new DVD video to the client at no additional cost, upon the return of the damage video.

Customer agreement:

It is mutually agreed that the above-mentioned terms form an integral part of this contract and that no variation or modification of this contract shall be effective unless accedpted by the videographer or successors writing.

This following signature page pertains to the contract attached,

This is an example of a web site that tells about a man's 100+ years of life

Please click photo

Why should you tell your story?

If you would like your life to be preserved for your grandchildren and their grandchildren, then you have already taken a first step by coming to www.web-biography.com and its award-winning journalist and author, Don Canaan.

Canaan's news background covers four decades of history -- from 1960 until his retirement in 2005. From 1961-1984, Canaan edited news film and documentaries for NBC News in New York and ABC News in Washington DC, as well as managing the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center's TV Production facility.

At Ohio State University's School of Journalism in Columbus, Ohio, Canaan earned a master's degree in journalism and started working at various newspapers and United Press International.

At the American Israelite. Canaan enterprised stories that brought kudos from the community. The State of Ohio Bar Association awarded his four-part series, "Jews in Ohio's Prisons: Does Anybody Care?" first place for best weekly journalism in Ohio.

And every weekday, Canaan compiles and edits www.israelnewsfaxx.com, a daily publication containing vital news from the Middle East. The searchable text archives, dating to 1994, is available without charge at www.israelnewsfaxx.com.

Every life is worth remembering

The gift of immortality can be yours with a professionally-written, illustrated web biography. A free one-on-one interview will be placed on a web site. Interviewee-supplied photographs will be scanned for use in the biography. A CD-ROM or DVD copy of the web site can be made available.

Because every life is worth remembering,

We'll tell your story in your own words. But we will make it come alive on the web site, making your life a great read. Preserving your life or that of a loved one may be the best gift you can ever give.

No one will ever know that you utilized a professional journalist unless you tell them. Life's victories, challenges, lessons and passions need not be lost forever

wheelchair

	Your grandchild asked you, "Grandma, what was it like when you were growing up?"
	Your teenage granddaughter asks, "How did you and grandpa meet and what did your parents think of him?"
	Your 70th birthday is coming up. and lately you've been feeling as if you haven't really accomplished anything worthwhile.
	The values and principles that you were brought up with seem to be disappearing nowadays. You've decided that you want to record and pass to your descendants what is important to you.
	It seems as if so many momentous events have taken place during your lifetime and that younger members of your family don't have any clue about how your life or theirs was impacted by those events.
	Years ago, an "incident" may have taken place with an old friend and you never spoke with him or her again. Now you would like to clear the air and reconcile those differences before you die.

man and woman

Those who do not have power over the story of their lives, power to retell it, rethink it, reconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts.

Salman Rushdie

What do I do now?

Having a web biography written is dependent upon various things such as complexity, length, amount of transcription, time spent scanning photographs, etc. A free, basic web site includes web hosting for one year. An award-winning, published author will devote a considerable amount of time to your project.

Be among the first to have your own biographical web site

sunset

All it takes is one generation to wipe out the values, memories and traditions that we inherit.

How well do you remember your parents or grandparents?

	Where were they born?
	Where were their parents from?
	What were their family traditions and beliefs?
	Where did they attend school?
	Who were their friends?
	How did they meet their spouse?
	Were they in the Service?
	Where did they work? If you would like to have this information, so would your descendants.

Your life is your story but it is also for your grandchildren and their grandchildren.

We all possess memories. An award-winning journalist will meet with you, jar those memories loose and create an affordable web site to house those memories.

We have compiled a list of more than 350 questions to provoke your memories, thoughts and ideas. Before your interview, we will send you this list to help you recall memories about family, career and other important milestones. This list will also help you prepare for your interview.

What are your favorite authors, movies and music? What about your favorite times of the year? Think back to your school days and to the day you first saw your spouse.

Leaving your life story is leaving a mark…a mark that shows our successes and failures…our struggles and our hardships. Those marks have defined us and it is a way for others to remember us. Sharing who we are, what we are about and what we believe can provide a valuable personal history for our descendants.

Your biographer will make sure that the interviewee is comfortable and relaxed before starting. This will result is an ensemble of personal remembrances and memorabilia that will tell the subject's story.

You can tell him/her about your life in the form of an inspirational story, lessons learned, observations or just plain bragging. And of course photographs or audio recordings can be included in the web site and its accompanying CD or DVD (that you can use as an electronic book). And you can inexpensively create, by yourself as many copies as you want to present to living relatives.

Throughout history, stories were preserved and transmitted orally. But now, in the 21st century, we can preserve your story digitally to your own web site. Digital recordings won’t fade with use or wear out because the web site consists only of zeros or ones. It can be saved to CD-ROM, DVD, a computer hard drive or later may be transferred to any newly-developed technology.

The biography will be tailored to your wishes and, if desired, will depict you in a positive, uplifting and memorable manner.

So tell your story for generations yet to come.

What if your ancestors had left you a biography, providing you with a glimpse of their life that would be available for generations yet unborn?

Biographies can describe life events, a specific topic (war experiences, career, travel, family, achievements), or a tribute to a friend or loved one. Biographies need not contain every memory. Its primary purpose is to allow future generations to catch a glimpse of grandparents or loved ones describing their lives in their own words.

And what about a loved one who is still with us, but who is forgetting who he is? Record his biography before Alzheimer's takes over that beautiful mind. He will be able to see and hear not only his life story, but also those of his loved ones and caregivers. They can show it to him to assist him in remembering who they are.

Biographies are also ideal gifts for:

	Birthdays
	Weddings
	Graduation
	Anniversary
	Bar/Bat Mitzvah
	Corporate events
	Retirement parties
	Tribute or Special recognition It is one of the most thoughtful and memorable gifts that a person could leave behind for future generations.

To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.

Chinese proverb

Don't leave us with your story still inside you.

Do something big

while there's still

time to put it

in your biography.

Just email

dcanaan@israelfaxx.com

To see a completed web biography,

please click 1943-1965

Yes, we can be very discrete. Read this story:

The Smiths were proud of their family tradition. Their line had included senators, pastors and Wall Street wizards.

They decided to compile a family history. They hired an author. Only one problem arose: how to handle Uncle George, who went to the electric chair. The author said not to worry, he could handle that tactfully.

When the book appeared, the family turned to the section on Uncle George. There, they
read, "George Smith occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution. He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties. His death came as a great shock."

For the latest news from Israel, click here

And for news from heaven, click here



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index


◦	The Early Years

◦	The Later Years

Site Map

Inspirations

A 1938 trip to a New England fishery

Sample prices in 1938

Sample biographical questions

Who is Don Canaan?

My name is Don Canaan and I live in The Villages. I am the owner of Everything you wanted to know about jeans...and MORE