MeM Help Topics

General Information
  • Making Everlasting Memories® (MeM) is a progressive publishing company that utilizes the latest technology to help people share the stories of their lives and preserve them for generations to come. Established in 1995 in Cincinnati, Ohio, MeM distributes its products through e-commerce as well as more than 1,500 intermediaries in North America. MeM is globally accessible at www.MeM.com.

  • MeM products may be purchased either from a MeM affiliate or through our company directly via www.MeM.com. To order a product from MeM, go to the "Purchase a MeM Product" box to the right, and click on the product you would like to order.

  • Yes. If you wish to upgrade to another product, you may do this either by contacting the affiliate from which you made your purchase or by clicking the gold button located at the bottom of the life story at www.MeM.com.

  • If you are unable to find the answer to your question here, we encourage you to get in touch with us by submitting a Contact Form.

Searching for and Viewing Life Stories
  • To locate a loved one’s life story, simply type in the first and last name in the appropriate search fields located on the left side of the MeM homepage. If you prefer to conduct a more specific search, click on “Advanced Search” at the top of the page and type in the necessary information.

  • The most common reason people can’t find the life story they are looking for is because it was a short-term publication and it has expired. Another reason you may not be able to find the life story you are looking for is if the person in charge of the site has temporarily unpublished it. Also make sure you have the correct spelling. If you are unsure of the spelling, try typing just the first few letters of the last name.

  • MeM strives to make its site usable by the widest range of viewers. But for the best possible experience we recommend that you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0. If you are using an older version of these browsers, you can download upgrades at www.microsoft.com/downloads
  • The information contained in a life story comes directly from the organization or family member that created the product. Because we are therefore not the originating source, we typically do not make changes. We will, however, forward the suggestion to the person or organization in charge of the life story. You may submit a suggestion via our Contact Form.

Guest Book Messages
  • Simply click on the gold “Sign Guest Book” button while inside your loved one’s life story. (Please note that not all MeM products allow messages to be published on the Web site.) This will take you to a page where you may enter your message. After entering your name, e-mail address and message, click the “Submit for Approval” button. Your message will then be sent to the family. If the product includes online message publication, the family may choose to publish your Guest Book message to the Web site.

    If you have submitted a message but have not seen it published on the site, keep in mind that it may take some time for the family to review the message and provide authorization for publication.
  • Some MeM products do not include the ability to display Guest Book messages online. Rather, these messages are forwarded to the family to keep after they are submitted. Please be aware that Guest Book messages submitted to other MeM products are not usually published immediately, as they must first be approved by the family.
  • Once a message has been submitted, it can be changed by the family member in charge of the life story or by a MeM employee. If you’d like to make changes to your message, please get in touch with us by submitting a Contact Form.
  • The family member in charge of a life story may publish messages once the Member Account has been set up. To do so, log in to your Member Account at www.MeM.com, and click on the “Guest Book” tab at the top of the screen. Next, click on “View New Messages.” When the new message appears, click on the sender’s name to read the message, make any changes, and then click “Save.” To publish the message, click the drop down menu in the “Status” column and select “Publish.” If you would like to keep the message, but not publish it to the Web, select “Hold.”

Audio Guest Book Messages
  • Simply click on the blue “Audio Guest Book” button while inside your loved one’s life story. (Please note that not all MeM products have the Audio Guest Book capability.) A small box appears on this page which gives you instructions on how to submit an Audio message. Dial the toll-free number listed. When prompted, enter the numeric code provided in the instruction box. Simply leave your message as if you were leaving a message on someone’s voicemail or answering machine. Please note that there is a three-minute time limit on all Audio Guest Book messages. Once finished, quietly hang up your phone.
  • If you have submitted an Audio Guest Book message but have not seen it published on the site, keep in mind that it may take some time for the family to review the message and provide authorization for publication.
  • Family members in charge of a life story may publish Audio Guest Book messages (once they have set up their Member Account). To do so, log in to your Member Account at www.MeM.com, and click on the “Audio” tab at the top of the screen. Click on the “Play” button in order to listen to the message. To publish the message, click the drop down menu in the “Status” column and select “In Movie,” “On Web,” “In Movie and On Web,” “Private,” or “Delete.” The message will not be heard by the public if you select “Private.” The message will be accessible in the Movie or on the Web (or both) depending upon what you select.

Member Accounts
  • Membership is included with the purchase of certain MeM products.) A member is the person or organization who creates a username and password and manages the account for the product purchased. You do not have to be a member in order to view a life story.
  • Unless otherwise indicated, there are no annual fees for MeM products. The initial purchasing price of the product is your only cost.
  • To have your loved one’s life story be featured on our homepage, contact us by submitting a Contact Form. Be sure to tell us your name, the full name of your loved one and your preference for dates to be reserved. Requests are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • The duration of your loved one’s life story depends upon the type of product. MeM Announcements only appear on the site for 90 days from the date of entry. Everlasting Memorials and Lifelong Memories have no set expiration limitations, although we reserve the right to change the future availability and pricing of products and services relating to previously posted materials.
Log in Information
  • Confirmation numbers are issued with the purchase of those MeM products which include membership. The method by which you bought the product determines how you will receive your confirmation number. If you purchased a MeM product through a funeral home, you will receive a membership letter in the mail containing the number along with instructions to then create your Member Account; if you purchased a MeM product via our Web site, the confirmation number is located either in your online receipt or the membership letter sent to you in the mail. If you’ve misplaced this information or haven’t yet received your membership letter, you may obtain your confirmation number by submitting a Contact Form.
  • After receiving your confirmation number, you will be able to set up your Member Account. Go to www.MeM.com and click on the “Register as a new member” link in the “New Members” section. Enter your confirmation number in the appropriate field, click on the box stating that you’ve read the terms of service, and click “Submit.” This will take you to a screen where you set up your Member Account by creating your username and password.
  • Go to the "Existing Members" area on the MeM homepage and type in the username and password you created. Be sure to enter your username and password exactly how they were created, as our system is both case and space sensitive. (If you type in capital letters where lowercase letters should be, or type in a space where there should not be one, you will not be able to sign in successfully.)
  • If you’ve forgotten your username or password, go to the “Existing Members” area on www.MeM.com and click on the “Forgot your username and password?” link. If you have forgotten both, you will need to use your confirmation number or e-mail address to retrieve your username. The requested information will be sent to the e-mail address listed for the account. If you have any difficulties or do not have your confirmation number, you may contact us by filling out our Contact Form.
Creating a Life Story
  • We recommend that you use a computer with an operating system of Windows XP or later and Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher. If you will be scanning pictures into the site, you will also need a scanner that is TWAIN compliant in order to use our automated image management tool, Slap-N-Scan™.
  • You must log into your Member Account and click on your loved one’s name to access the editing screens of the Memorial. You will see a series of labeled tabs (e.g. “General Info,” “Contact Info,” “Biography,” etc.) located at the top of the screen. Clicking on a tab will enable you to edit that particular aspect of the Memorial.
    • After logging into your Member Account, click on your loved one’s name to access the editing pages of the Memorial. Click on the “Biography” tab and you will see a text box where you can enter the life story information. We recommend that you type and save the life story in a word processing program first (e.g. Microsoft Word) and then copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) it into the biography text box. When finished, click “Save” at the bottom of the page. Depending on the type of MeM product you purchased, you may see a light blue button labeled “MeM-O-Writer™” above the biography text box. If you click on this button, you will be prompted to answer a series of questions regarding your loved one’s life events and personality. The answers you provide will form the basis of the biography which the MeM-O-Writer will create once you click on the “Finish” link.
    • After logging into your Member Account, click on your loved one’s name to access the editing screens of the Memorial. Click on the “Photos” tab to add photos and other images to the life story. You may be prompted to download some ActiveX controls upon your first visit to the “Photos” tab. Click “Yes” or “Accept” for each of them to download, because they are needed for the system to work properly. These are one-time downloads and are only required the first time you enter the “Photos” area. They will not harm your computer in any way. Once this is complete, you can scan, upload and edit your photos and images.
    • You may add additional photos to your loved one’s life story for $5 apiece. To purchase the extra space, complete our Contact Form and we will respond.
    • After logging into your Member Account, click on your loved one’s name to access the editing screens of the Memorial. Click on the “Guest Book” tab. Click on the “View New Messages” link. When the new messages appear, click on the sender’s name to read or edit the message. If you make any changes, click “Save Message,” then “Back.” To publish the message, click the drop-down menu under “Status” and select “Publish.” If you would like to keep the message but not publish it to the Web, select “Hold.”
    • The “Biography” and “Guest Book” areas of the MeM Web site are able to support a variety of written languages, including Spanish and French. If you are having trouble adding a Biography or Guest Book message in a language other than English, please feel free to contact MeM Customer Service via our Contact Form.
MeM Moving Memories Movie
  • In an effort to provide the best possible viewing experience for watching a MeM Moving Memories™ movie, we recommend that you use a PC with a minimum of an 800 MHz Pentium III processor, 128 MB RAM, sound card and high-speed internet connection for optimal viewing. We also recommend viewing the movie at a resolution of 1024 X 768 or higher. If you have a computer that does not meet one or all of these requirements, you may still be able to view the Movie, but it may experience difficulties in doing so (i.e. long load time, etc.)
  • After logging into your Member Account, click on your loved one’s name to access the editing screens of the Memorial. Click on the “Movie” tab. The Movie is automatically generated with default settings when photos are added to a life story. You can adjust the settings (e.g. length of picture display, background template, music selection, introduction and/or ending text, etc.) of the Movie from this area.
  • The slideshow is a simple presentation of the images of the life story and does not include music. The Movie is a multimedia presentation of the images with music and/or spoken Guest Book messages in the background.
  • When viewing a Movie, make sure that the volume on your computer and/or speakers is turned up. If you have external speakers, make sure that they are on and plugged in.
  • There are a couple of ways to purchase a copy of the Movie on DVD. You may contact the funeral home where the Memorial was originally created and request a copy from them. You may also order from MeM either by clicking on the gold “Purchase Movie” button within a life story or submitting a Contact Form.
  • The slideshow is a feature that presents the images only and does not include music.
  • Make sure that you are playing the Movie from Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher. Other browsers, such as AOL or Netscape, may encounter difficulties in playing the Movie.
  • If you cannot play the Movie, you may not have the most recent version of Flash installed on your computer. (Click here to download the latest version.) If you do have the correct version of Flash installed on your computer, check to see if you have a pop-up blocker installed. If so, some pop-up blockers will prevent the Movie from playing. Please note that the Movie was designed to play on PC operating systems. Macintosh users may therefore experience difficulties viewing the Movie.
Privacy
  • The family member in charge of a Memorial may choose to limit access for privacy reasons. A password is therefore required to view these Memorials.
  • MeM places the utmost importance on protecting the privacy of our users. Please read our privacy statement.