The last thing on someone's mind when they're about to die is (or ought to be) what's going to happen to their Facebook account. But with 500 million people on the social network, user deaths are pretty unavoidable. How will you live online after you've passed away in real life?
This is a great infographic found on the new (free) site visual.ly. I'm finding this to be a super resource for quick infographics.
There's A Market
First reported by SmartPlanet.com, a Sweden-based company called MyWebWill allows you to take plan your digital legacy. According to the site, "My Webwill allows you to make decisions about your online life after death. You can choose to deactivate, change or transfer your accounts, like Twitter, Facebook or your blog. At the time of your death we perform your wishes."
Is It Going To Far?
Is planning a digital legacy and announcing death on Facebook one step too far? To be honest, is it so different from announcing a death in the newspaper? In this fast paced world, social media has become a viable source of news. Many announce birth's and marriages on Facebook, so it seems part of the circle of life that the same platform could be used to share bad news as well. Perhaps this is going to replace the tombstone. People will care less about a physical memorial and instead plan an electronic one!
It's Your Choice
Facebook makes it easy to report someone as deceased. If you would like to memorialize the page of a loved one, you can go here: http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=deceased