During this technological era when people are sliding their fingers across iPads, managing most of life’s necessity’s on Smartphones, typing on keyboards with the intensity of a concert pianist, Liesel Pollvolgt has harnessed technology so that -– in an electronic world -- we can turn our paperless memories, such as those on Facebook, into a perfect-bound book. Liesel has developed JotJournal, a Facebook application that collects your Facebook content (pictures and commentary) with a mere click of the mouse to create a book for you . . . a personal memoir, so to speak, for years to come.

Liesel is a strong proponent of our technological evolution: “Something meaningful has occurred over the past few years -– something that I think signals a fundamental evolution in human interaction.  As much hand-wringing as there has been over the bad that can result from social networking or  . . .  the loss of face-to-face contact . . . , my personal experience with these technologies (as an adult and particularly as a woman) has been overwhelmingly positive.”

According to Liesel, capturing one of the many funny, day-to-day moments with her children on her iPhone and sharing it on Facebook with her sisters who live far away, or with other mothers in similar child rearing trenches right here in Scituate is a brilliant outlet.  And discovering the posts that unleash dry senses of humor is a gift. These posts often elevate what might be an acquaintance to a friend. Facebook is instant access to a wider support group and advice system.

On the contrary, Liesel also sees the value of making these chronologies tangible, and thus the birth of JotJournal. Fully embracing the electronic world, for Liesel, does not mean making obsolete the album or memory book with pages we can touch and turn with our children and ultimately our grandchildren. Tangible recollections are our window back in time.

How many people consistently print the images they take with their cameras or cell phones? And – to go one step further – how many people actually print the photographs and put them in albums? We live in an electronic world, and the nuances of many lives unfold on Facebook. With JotJournal, we have the option to stop time so we can relive our lives as stories told on Facebook.

Liesel left her job as a program manager with Hewlett-Packard to pursue her vision. Deciding to found JotJournal was a function of simple readiness. It is an idea that was relatively inexpensive to develop; she was mentally ready to start; and was in a position to quit her job to spend a year launching the idea, which was to “build a meaningful product for real people.”

To log in and try JotJournal, go to: www.myjotjournal.com

By Erin Heffernan

Erin Heffernan is a photographer in Scituate. Her Wink South series, "Shutter to Think", explains how looking at life from a different angle, even if it's via the viewfinder, can offer valuable lessons (and sometimes comic relief!).