Scrapbook Pros and Cons

There is a lot of work putting together both kinds of memorabilia (online and offline physical memories) together, but it is totally worth it! If you ever choose to do anything similar, here are the pros and cons for both kinds of creations. And don't be shy to share your own scrapbooking or memory making ideas below if you have made your own kind of memory book or website too. I can always learn from others, and I am always willing to share my own ideas and experiences. 

Physical Scrapbooks

Pros:

1. They help keep everything together, so you then don’t have to have any loose items get lost as easily, even if everything is kept in a box or drawer. I literally have every nostalgic item that I have inside my books now, but they used to be kept in drawers and boxes. Everything is neatly and chronologically organized inside my books that never move or get misplaced. The only items I don’t have in them are my diploma covers and yearbooks.
2. They help you organize materials. Not much else needs to be explained here.
3. They help you choose what is important to keep and what is not (at least sometimes). Sometimes I tossed items away if they did not fit in the books that I had, or if I found the books getting so large where I could not close them, it made me sometimes toss things too. 
4. They help cut down storage and space. Even though I have a lot of books, and they take up a good amount of room, they do not take up as much space as all of my stuff did before when I had them in drawers and boxes or just laying on shelves etc. However, because I knew I was going to eventually put everything inside my scrapbooks before I did put anything inside them, I did save a lot of items incase I did want to save something to place inside my books. 
5. They are easier to transport. They are easier to carrier around when everything is in one book or several books. 
6. It is easier to find things. It is easier to find and go back to certain memories if the books are labeled well. 
7. They are a great resource tool to go back to whenever you do need to remember something. It was not until after I started my own scrapbooks that it made me realize that if I ever have memory issues later on, I can go back to my scrapbooks to help remind me about events that happened in my life, who I am and where I came from etc. 
8. It’s your own creation and your book. You can put in as much or as little information as you want in it and decorate and design it to your own liking. 
9. There is a feeling of accomplishment. There is often a feeling of accomplishment with it after you complete any part of it. 
10. Your loved ones and friends won’t have to create or put anything together once you pass away. I did not create my own scrapbooks for my family or friends to use for my own funeral, but the thought came up later as I was working on them. Because I have everything already made and put together, nothing else really needs to be done. I made it more simple for them when I do pass. 
11. You can pass on your own memories to those you are close to. After one family member passed away, it left several questions that I and some of my other family members had on just about the history of our family. Because some things were never talked about, we never got to learn as much as we could have. By passing on your own life books, you allow the later generations to learn more about the earlier generations. However, it will vary in how much information is put into the book(s) as well. 

Cons:

1. It’s work! And the more you add to it, the more work it becomes. However, when you keep updated on it, then it really isn’t much work. Now that I’m completely updated on mine, it only takes a few minutes to no more than maybe 30 minutes to update it. 
2. It’s costly! Scrapbooking materials are expensive, and the more products you use to decorate it or protect it, the more expensive it is. I don’t even want to know how much I have spent, but it is for sure well into the hundreds or more. However, and luckily, I don’t have many things to add to mine. When I add just a few things here and there, it’s pretty reasonable. But if you do look over the entire cost, it is expensive. However, if you do make more of your own decorations instead of buying decorations already made, that can help cut the cost, but then it adds more work, or you can just make it less fancy, which is okay and sometimes better too. 
3. It takes space. It definitely took some space in actually making the books just because I work better when I can lay everything out, so I can see things easier, but it also takes space in storing the books. One or two or a few books won’t take up too much room, but many books will require more space.  
4. There is no protection if any damage happens: water (like floods), fire, tearing, or just normal wear and tear or getting too much sun will cause the books and anything inside to lose their sharp colors or form. To help with some of this is to keep them stored in places where there is less chance of a fire starting or a flood occurring. Keep them up and away from the ground, as well as away from kids and pets. Also store them in a location that does not get too much sun. 
5. Certain memories you may want to remember, but you don’t want others to know about it. If this is the case, maybe store some memories in your scrapbook(s) that is okay for anyone to see if you share them at all with others, while then keeping more of a journal or diary or something else for other memories which can be kept in there. Or have more than one kind of scrapbook. One can be a more ‘public’ scrapbook and the other one can be a private one. 
6. They can be hard to cary or transport if there is a lot. With this I guess bring a wagon then or have extra helpers or just make a few more trips. 
7. They can get lost or stolen just like anything else. I guess here you may just want to try and locate them, though I don’t know anyone who would want to steal such a thing, unless to get revenge or to get money selling someone’s information. 

‘Online or Digital or Electronic’ ‘Scrapbooks or Nostalgia or Memories’

Pros:

1. You can easily access your memories anywhere. As long as you have access to any computer-like device that is connected to the internet and has power, you can view your memories. 
2. It is very easy to add any updates. However, adding updates are usually easier to do on a laptop or desktop as opposed to a mobile device, and it can depend on the kind of site you are using, as well as what it is you are updating or uploading.
3. It’s relatively cheap. Besides buying a computer-like device, getting the internet provider and possibly paying for any kind of website service (many are cheap or even free), you could be paying practically nothing, especially if you already have internet service and some kind of computer technology. 
4. It’s very easy to share information. You can share your own website, blog, or profile to anyone, to only a select few, or to just yourself. You can also adjust the privacy settings and change them at anytime you want. 
5. You can possibly help others out in more ways than one. If you make your page public or even where a select few can view your page, any information you put on it may help any visitors in recollecting any of the same memories. I know when I have come upon several websites of nostalgia I often was reminded of something from my own childhood or teen years or even years after that sometimes. You can help inspire others to also create their own page as well.
6. It can be a way to meet new people with likeminded interests. Always be cautious, but when someone posts stuff with similar tastes in nostalgia and memories, you will definitely have something to both talk about then, and chances are you will be around the same age too. 
7. It can be a feeling of accomplishment. Just like with the physical books and really anything, each time you complete something in it, it’s common to have at least a small good feeling of completion. 
8. You can get feedback from others. If you go on a blog site and create your own memory page(s) there or create a website that allows visitors to add comments or to message you, you can get feedback from them on about your site, the topics you post about or anything else. You can certainly get feedback with physical scrapbooks too, but there will probably be a higher chance of getting more feedback from others on the internet from others you don’t know. Sometimes it’s kind of nice to get more comments from others who don’t know you than from those you do. You can also learn from others and gain ideas from them, as well as share ideas and experiences. 
9. It’s your own site. You can choose whatever you want to do with creating your own site. You can choose the website address, the layout, the background, the colors, the pictures, the words, the videos, the title for the website and any pages within it or connected to it etc. You are your own website creator, but there can be some limitations with this as well. 
10. Others can contribute to your site. You can be the only person in charge of your site, or you can allow other people to contribute as well. If it's a bigger site, it can make it easier sometimes to split jobs then or to have more than one person add on to it. 

Cons:

1. Nothing is 100% safe, so anyone can hack into your own site. I guess with this, just try to pick hard passwords where no one would be able to guess them, check your site on a regular basis to make sure nothing has changed, and to use safe browsers. You may also want to avoid using wifi in public locations. Even if you are safe, anything can still happen.
2. Your own information can be stolen or shared with anyone. You can make your own page private, so no one can see it or know about it, but even private sites can still be hacked into sometimes. But whether or not it is set to private or not, you may want to avoid putting down anything you would not want others to know about on your site and just keep that information in your physical scrapbooks or some kind of journal or diary or other safe location. 
3. Websites may not last forever. Even though many websites have been around for many years, they may not last forever or the companies or organizations that provide the tools to create your own website may eventually become extinct. So whatever you have on one website, you may want to have some kind of backup information saved on another website or on your computer or somewhere else just incase a website or website service ever becomes extinct. The message here is that you never want to become too reliant on one source. And sometimes warnings will be sent out if any website will eventually shut down. If you do get a warning at all, then you may want to start backing up your information in another location if you choose not to back up your information in the beginning. 
4. You may not be able to access your information if you are somewhere more remote. Because the internet requires internet connectivity and some form of a computer device that is charged or plugged in, you may not be able to access your own information if you are in a  location that does not get internet access and/or you are unable to use a computer device for whatever reason. 
5. Spending too much time on technology is not a good thing. Creating your own website can be fun, but it can also be time consuming. Try not to get too hooked on it as it can sometimes be easy to do. Spending time out in the real world is better.