Family eJournal is an interactive website designed to facilitate
communication between parents and teens. Communication can be
direct by writing a memo to a family member or indirect through
the use of the Daily Experience Worksheet (DEW). At a minimum,
users should use the DEW to express their thoughts and feelings
which can be read later by other family members. This way, even
if family members don't communicate directly, they still have
a general idea of how everyone is doing.
Kevin Strauss conceived the Family eJournal idea after watching
an episode of Boston Public on the Fox Television Network. One
story line focused on the poor communication between the principal
and his daughter. Mr. Strauss was extremely frustrated by the
lack of communication and realized it affects our society. His
enthusiasm for the Internet and email provided him with the
solution. Originally FEJ was to be a Personal Data Assistant
(PDA) application but he soon realized that creating FEJ as
a website would have further reaching potential with the hope
of evolving into a PDA application when they become more commonly
used.
FEJ is intended for any family seeking to improve their communication
and connectedness. It is not intended to replace professional
counseling or therapy but may be used in conjunction with such
treatment. In that case, we do suggest seeking the professional's
advice before using FEJ.
Q:
How old do you have to be to use FEJ?
A:
FEJ is intended to be used by family members who are 10 years
of age or older. In the future, we may offer a slightly modified
version so that younger members may participate.
While we do not have any hard data at this time, our partners
and we strongly believe that if family members use FEJ honestly,
openly and regularly, then a family will become more connected.
FEJ works by family member participation. When family members
complete the Daily Experience Worksheet and other family members
read the answers communication is occurring. The more a family
communicates, the more the family connects.
Q:
Isn’t FEJ just like email?
A:
FEJ is not email. FEJ offers guided communication while email
has the free form of the author. By asking questions, FEJ stimulates
a user to think and recognize his or her thoughts and feelings
and provides a place to express them. Our professional staff
has designed questions to help you “open up” to
your family.
Q:
How much does FEJ cost?
A:
FEJ costs only $24.95 for a six-month family subscription. You can
then renew your subscription at a 20% discount.
Q:
How can I be a part of Family eJournal?
A:
Families can join FEJ by simply signing up. A Family Leader
should register a user name for each family member and provide
other important contact information. Each family member will
be given a temporary password that they can modify once they
login to the site.
FEJ has been able to accept membership since January 1, 2003.
Q:
Is my family's information safe?
A:
We take family safety and security VERY seriously especially
since children under 13 will be using FEJ. Our Privacy Policy
details how information is collected and used. Rest assured
that any personal information we collect will only be used internally.
Each user has their own username and password and all members
must login to gain access to their family’s area. All
information collected during registration is performed in a
secure SSL (Secure Socket Layer) environment.
What are the qualifications of the people running FEJ?
A:
FEJ is the creation of Kevin Strauss. Mr. Strauss has a Bachelors
degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Biomedical
Engineering. For the past five years, Mr. Strauss has been performing
biomedical research that has been funded by the National Institutes
of Health. Other staff qualifications can be found on our staff
page.
Family eJournal will work best if it is used voluntarily.
We suggest your family establish some guidelines for FEJ use.
We offer suggested "House Rules" and "Tips"
that your family might consider. Ultimately, asking your teen
rather than telling them to use FEJ should help. One might even
use the argument that by communicating using FEJ will, at least,
help the family stay “in touch” especially if verbal
communication has really degraded.
Q:
How much time will FEJ take each day?
A:
FEJ suggests taking about 10 minutes per day to complete your
Daily Experience Worksheet. Reading DEWs will take approximately
5 minutes for each family member.
Q:
How often should I use FEJ?
A:
Ideally, family members will use FEJ every day. Realistically,
if each family user completes a Daily Experience Worksheet 3-5
times per week, then families should be maintaining a high level
of valuable communication.
The amount of information a user shares is up to that individual.
We expect that sharing will increase over time as users become
more comfortable communicating with their family this way and
as a new level of rapport and trust is established between family
members.
Using FEJ could bring to light some very difficult and serious
topics. If such a topic is initiated on FEJ, we strongly encourage
users to take their time and think about the issue. If time
permits, we encourage users to continue communication on the
topic using FEJ. If users feel comfortable, discussing the topic
face-to-face may be more appropriate. In that case, following
the typical guidelines for face-to-face communication should
be used. For example, discussing the topic at an appropriate
time and setting and using a calm voice. If the issue is extremely
serious it may be appropriate to contact professional help immediately.
Q:
What if I need more help than what FEJ can offer?
A:
If families are sharing openly and honestly
the potential for bringing to light some very serious issues
will become more likely. If an issue is raised that you are
not sure how to handle we strongly suggest you seek professional
help. There is a list of Hotlines on the website most of which
offer 24-hour help.
