I never really considered myself to be a creative type. I?m not a great writer and my sense of design leaves a lot to be desired. All it took was an important upcoming anniversary celebration, a little inspiration, and a lot of help from an online photo sharing service to get my creative juices really flowing.

Let me explain.

A few weeks ago, I was planning for my father?s 75th birthday bash. I got the idea to make a beautiful scrapbook, filled with a lifetime of precious memories. I even found a few photos of him when he was about two years old that would make a perfect collage. I knew that Dad would really get a big kick out of it, but I was just a bit intimidated. And to make matters worse, the photos were frayed and yellow. No amount of creative spark could brighten up these photos.

A great idea was about to go sour. But then a friend of mine suggested I try one of the easy photo sharing services. And it made all the difference in the world!

Right off the bat, I realized there was no better or easier way to share your photos. After uploading all my old family favorites to the site, I realized they were safe and secure forever. And I was able to get other family members, some of who lived in hundreds of miles away, to include their special photo memories in my budding scrapbook too. And it was done instantly. So I saved an enormous amount of time!

But here?s the really good part.

The online photo sharing site had all sorts of quick tips and suggestions on how to make my presentation come alive. In no time, I added a border here, a banner there, and ?- voila -- I created a fantastic slide show!

And here?s one more thing. I was able to add my own voice recording along with a few poignant words to add a whole new dimension to my trip down memory lane. Just search ?free online photo album? and you?ll find a site that does audio.

As for the slide show, it was big hit! Everyone shared some laughs and some tears. And Dad, tough on the outside but always the big softie, well, he cried like a baby. It was beautiful!

So here?s my advice: The best way to share fun memories is online. Don?t be scared away form online photo sharing just because you?ve never used a computer or because you?re intimidated by new technology. The fact is, they do all the work for you. Just upload your photos you want to share, then use their automated sharing feature to send the link to our family or friends.

And a little imagination goes a long way. Easy photo printing also makes for a thoughtful gift. You?ll be surprised how easy and how much fun it is to create a photo album or a photo story book you?ll be proud of.

So throw away that old shoe box. Take down your favorite photos from the fridge. Start saving and start sharing your precious memories online.

You?ll love it!

CJ Carroll writes for a variety of clients, including Hoorray, a photo sharing website that offers a free online photo album to new members and is the easiest place to create a digital photo album, calendar, and more.