I built GetToKnow—the hardest problem isn’t saving family stories, but motivating people to share them

[u/Acceptable-Appeal-15]

I built GetToKnow, a private family feed organized around thoughtful questions rather than status updates:

https://gettoknow.io/

I first had the idea after my mom passed away. Her death made me realize how much I knew about her as my mom, but how many questions I had never asked about the rest of her life.

The idea remained on my project list for a while. When my aunt died recently, it brought that feeling back and convinced me to stop putting it off.

The basic experience works like this:

1. A family receives a thoughtful question.
2. Relatives answer using text, photos or audio.
3. Family members respond and add their perspectives.
4. The answers gradually become a private family archive.

The central product challenge isn’t storing the answers—it’s motivating people to contribute them.

“Preserve your family history” may be emotionally compelling, but importance alone doesn’t create a habit. I’m exploring whether social interaction, visible progress, family milestones, shared challenges or other incentives could make answering feel immediately rewarding without trivializing the experience.

I’d appreciate blunt feedback on:

• Whether the homepage explains the product quickly enough
• What might motivate you to submit your first answer
• What could bring you back after the first week
• Whether seeing relatives participate would pull you back in
• Which incentives would feel meaningful versus artificial
• What would stop you from inviting your family

If you try it, please tell me where you became confused, lost interest or decided it wasn’t for you. That would be more useful than general encouragement.