Forget about the whole cryogenic freezing thing. You can now live forever, thanks to social media.
Today we’re looking at life after death. Turns out you can be even more social than Casper. Let’s dive in.
Facebook has created a new feature called Legacy Contact. What this feature does is allow you to select someone to:
- Write a final post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline. Usually about when and where the memorial service will take place.
- Respond to new friend requests from family members and friends who were not yet connected on Facebook.
- Update the profile picture and cover photo.
Your legacy contact can't:
- Log into your account.
- Remove or change past posts, photos and other things shared on your Timeline.
- Read messages you've sent to other friends.
- Remove any of your friends.
Cool. Helpful. But not exactly the mess with people factor we were looking for. Let’s move on.
Google also has a system set up for when you pass away. It has a much more generic name than Facebook does: Inactive Account Manager. You can set the account the delete the data from all your Google accounts including e-mail, Google+, YouTube, and Blogger. You can change your account settings to delete either after three, six, or 12 months after being an inactive user. If you want someone else to receive all your Google data you can do that too. Before Google deleting your data, Google sends a warning message to a secondary e-mail address or phone number if you provide one. Clearly, this doesn’t do much for you if you’re dead, but you could provide a loved ones e-mail or phone number to get that warning.
Now, if you’re creative enough, you could always schedule out emails for the future if you know your time is short. For example…that client that just never seemed to pay up. Imagine getting a VERY personalized email from you demanding he pay up to your estate or you’ll haunt him forever. That might just be the motivation needed. Let’s move on.
Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Vimeo
These four social media platforms are a bit more complex when it comes to getting rid of a deceased person’s account. You can’t simply let someone deal with your account through your account settings. Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Vimeo will only deactivate your account if contacted by someone authorized to act on your behalf. There needs to be some kind of evidence that you are authorized to deactivate the account. Contacting the social media platforms usually happens through email but can also be done by fax. The person needs to provide a death certificate or an obituary of the deceased. Many times they also need to provide a brief description of the user to prove that it is their account since a lot of people use fake names on these platforms.
Using some of the scheduled posting services like Hootsuite, you can continue with your creepy legacy for years to come. But your most utilized social media platforms aren’t the only way to keep the messages coming.
Check these out – thanks to The Digital Beyond.
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Now on to the goods.
Afternote
Founded: 2013
Afternote is an online service that allows you to plan for the unexpected and ensures your unique life story lives on. It gives you the opportunity to make your funeral wishes known, manage your digital legacy and leave goodbye messages to loved ones.
Afterwords.cc
Founded: 2012
Afterwords.cc is a secure online tool for leaving posthumous messages. The free version allows up to 3 messages to individuals or groups, while a small subscription enables unlimited messages. Invite two or more trustees to activate your account when you die, whenever that happens to be.
Boxego
Founded: 2013
Boxego is a private journal that can be shared privately and socially, now and in the future. the unique Future Share options allow Boxego users to capture and keep the moments that matter to them and choose when to share them – if they want to share them.
Dead Man’s Switch
Founded: August, 2008
Dead Man’s Switch is a simple posthumous email service. Users can create an account or log in via OpenID. Once logged in they can create messages to be sent after their death. Dead Man’s Switch asks that users log in periodically to verify that they are still alive.
Dead Man’s Switch (.org)
Founded: 2009
The service is simple. Type an email and optionally attach a few files. Every few days we will send you an email with a link that verifies you are still alive. If something does happen we will send your emails 30 days after we last heard from you.
Dead Social
Founded: 2012
DeadSocial provides a range of free tools and tutorials. The service helps users plan their digital death and have an active influence in their digital legacy. DeadSocial launched their initial ‘goodbye’ tool at South by South West (SXSW). This enables users to create a series of messages consisting of videos, text and images.
Deadman
Founded: 2012D
Deadman is a service that will contact you by phone, email, or text-message to make sure everything is OK. If you don’t respond, Deadman will email, call, or text any number of people that you define and send them documents, photos, or any other electronic file.
Death Switch
Founded: 2006
Death Switch sends out emails after you die, or at least after it stops hearing from you. You get one email with no attachments for free, or 30 emails with attachments for $19.95 a year.
Eterniam
Founded: 2013
Eterniam enables you to create your digital estate. It preserves all your digital assets: photos, videos, documents, your content from other services (such as Facebook) and more to come. You can bequeath each asset to chosen beneficiaries. Security and privacy are integral to the service.
Knotify.me
Founded: 2014
Knotify.me is a free application that answers to your question “What happens to all my online accounts if I get amnesia, Alzheimer’s or if I leave from this world?” You can set future notifications to be sent to your family and beloved people or to yourself, ensuring that nothing of your digital life will be lost.
My Wonderful Life
Founded: 2010
My mywonderfullife.com is a planning, messaging and memorial site with loads of features that will help you plan your own passing. You can leave letters, document your wishes, make sure your pets are taken care of, write your own obituary and even design your own headstone.
MyGoodbyeMessage
Founded: 2013
MyGoodbyeMessage is an online, interactive service that gives you the opportunity to write beautiful personal letters to be delivered either after a predefined period of time, or after you passed away. We could say that it sends your words and emotions to your family and friends after you are no longer able to.
Perpetu
Founded: 2013
Perpetu is a prize-winning and innovative service that allows you to control what would happen to your online accounts upon your ‘departure’. We carry out your last wishes without asking for your passwords or requiring you to upload any document.
The Voice Library
Founded: 2008
Record, save, and share the sound of your voice through The Voice Library, a secure online archive that you can use by phone and online. Record a story as soon as you hear it – listen anywhere, even without internet. Guarantee that your voice will be preserved for future generations.
ThoughtsBeyond
Founded: 2010
ThoughtsBeyond provides individuals with a cloud-based solution to email text and/or video emails your loved ones after they die. Imagine if your grandchild could get an email sent directly to them from you?
ToLovedOnes
Founded: 2013
At ToLovedOnes we specialize in delivering your letters to the right person at the right time after your passing. Our comprehensive scheduling system allows you to schedule your letters for any conceivable date even those yet to be determined life event dates like the birth of your first grandchild.
Vuture
Founded: 2013
Vuture is an iOS application that allows you to capture priceless memories, thoughts, or secrets today, which can be shared at a specified time in the future. The Process is easy: Record, Schedule, & Save. It’s that simple.
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