Today's families are so spread out, having them over for Sunday dinner or even to celebrate the holiday can be almost impossible.

We discovered a new way to gather the clan together, without racking up frequent flyer miles: Family Web sites.

They're necessary. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40 million Americans moved last year. One in five moved more than 50 miles from their old homes, and their families.

Pam Shaffner lives far from home, and had really fallen out of touch with her brother and sister. Then she discovered family Web sites, and bonded with her family -- even with some people she's never met.

"It had been so many years since I had seen my family, and now I've met all kind of people that I didn't realize even existed. We share pictures with each other, we talk with each other, it's almost like we know each other now," Shaffner said.

That's because she shares so much online.

"We can put videos, pictures, we do audio stories, we share everything we're doing each day, we can share recipes, there's not much we can't do," Shaffner explained.

The Web sites are modeled after social networking places like MySpace and Facebook.

Brian Cooley, editor of C-Net, says they're everywhere. "It's definitely one of the major trends out there in this idea of what we do on the web," Cooley said.

Some family sites are free while others charge annual or monthly fees. Most offer a secure spot for invited members only to upload family photos, videos, news, recipes, family-tree entries… even audio recordings!

Cooley says they have all the amenities of other social networking sites - but with a difference. They're safe, clean, no ads or extraneous material.

And Pam Shaffner loves keeping her family close to her heart, even though they're so far away.

"It's very important that people can't just get into our different pictures and life stories," Shaffner said.

As her family Web site's administrator - Shaffner gets to decide who can do what on the site. It's a bit like hosting a never-ending family reunion. And that's a job she's thrilled to have.

"Every family needs a Web site, and this is a wonderful place to go," Shaffner said.

Family Web sites cost around $20 a month. Some offer free versions, which have limited access and do sell advertising.