Bringing the rest of the family in

You set up Tell Me. You're the one reading the stories. And right now, your mum has no idea anyone else is listening.

That's worth changing.

Why it matters

When your mum tells a story to the empty void, she's doing it on faith. She's hoping someone, someday, will care. That's enough to keep most parents going for a while — but it isn't the same as knowing.

The moment she finds out someone in the family cried at one of her stories, or sent her a message saying "I never knew you did that", the whole thing shifts. It stops being something she's doing for posterity and starts being a conversation.

That's when stories really start flowing.

Invite family in as viewers

From your dashboard, you can invite family members to view the stories. They get their own login and can see everything you can see — voice recordings, transcripts, the whole archive.

A few things to know:

• Viewers can read but not change anything. They can't edit questions, change the schedule, or remove stories. They just see what's there.
• Editors can do more. If someone in the family wants to write custom questions of their own, you can give them editor access.
• Invitations are by email. They get a link, set up an account in two minutes, and they're in.

Most families end up with two or three people watching the archive grow. Some keep a wider group looped in — uncles, aunts, the cousins who never see Mum any more.

Share individual stories outside the family

Sometimes a story is too good not to send round. From any story page, you can grab a share link or download a small image card with a quote pulled from it. Send them to the family WhatsApp group. Send them to the cousin who hasn't been in touch. Send them to the friend who knew your dad in the seventies.

Sharing one story is the fastest way to get someone curious about the rest.

Why reactions matter — really

When a family member reacts to a story (a heart, a "oh I remember that" comment), your mum gets a small notification:

Sarah loved your story.

That's it. One line. But it lands.

Your mum has spent ten minutes recording a story into a void. The notification tells her: someone heard me. People are reading. People are touched. Her family is listening, even when they're not here.

If you do nothing else from this guide, do this: ask one or two people to react to a story this week. It's the single biggest thing you can do to keep her telling them.

The long game

The youngest in the family may be too young to care about these now. That's fine. The stories will be here in fifteen years when they suddenly do. But for now — while she's still here, still telling — bring in the people who are old enough. Let her know they're listening.

It's the difference between a record and a conversation. And a conversation is the thing that keeps going.