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Social Networking in the Afterlife

by Terrence O'Brien on July 27, 2009 at 05:31 PM

Web Services for the DeadYou can do almost anything online at this point -- pay taxes, order food, even "eat" virtual BBQ. So it only makes sense that we'll be able to maintain our presence online after moving on from the land of the living.

Whether you want to make sure your soul ends up in the proper place, your last wishes are honored, or that your estate is properly divvied up, there are now online services that make sure your transition from life to death (and beyond) goes as smoothly as possible. We previously covered MyWonderfulLife, a service that lets you plan your own funeral and select "angels" to carry out your last wishes, but that's just the beginning. For more legally binding options you can fill out a proper will online with the help of sites like LegalZoom and DoYourOwnWill, which provide online guidance and forms for making sure your death doesn't result in a scramble for your worldly possessions.

Of course, there are options for those with creepier ambitions, like sending personalized e-mails to friends and loved ones after you've passed. Or sites that pump out birthday wishes on your behalf every year. Some are even using such services to hand over the digital keys to their online accounts so family members can turn MySpace pages into virtual memorials.

We're more than happy to let our Twitter accounts die with us, just as long as our funerary plans are carried out in full. [From: Daily Mail]

Facebook Crime and Punishment

    Blackmail
    Sending any personal info or incriminating pictures to someone on Facebook is a huge mistake for many reasons. One of the worst possible outcomes is getting blackmailed for money, sex, or, well, anything these sickos dream up. Really, whether they're using a fake profile or not, it's a horrible idea. Read up on the story of an 18-year-old who blackmailed 31 male classmates after he posed as a girl and asked for nude pictures. That's lesson enough.

    Impostors
    Sure, it can be harmless to impersonate a celeb online or create a fake profile for a movie character. But seriously, there's a definite line you shouldn't cross when pretending to be someone else and it can lead to dire consequences for you. Maybe it's not as extreme as the Moroccan man who was jailed for 43 days after creating a fake Facebook profile of a prince, but you never know. Just steer clear of it.

    Self-Incrimination
    Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.

    Suicide
    Social networking sites has been blamed for a lot of things, fairly and unfairly, but in our opinion, the worst offense has been their indirect involvement in suicides. Obviously, there are a lot of factors responsible in each case, but there does seem to be links between social networking and a rash of suicides, and obviously tehre's the case tragic of Megan Meier, who killed herself after a classmate's mom impersonated a teen boy and harassed her over Myspace.

    Murder
    We've reported on numerous incidents of people getting in trouble because of their online behavior. Now, people are becoming victims because of what they're doing on the Web too. In England, a man was convicted of murdering his estranged wife after she changed her relationship status to "single." So, be careful of who can see your profile and what you're doing, no matter how harmless it seems.

    Nigerian Scammers
    Oh, you thought this only happened via poorly worded emails, right? WRONG. Once people got wise to their old ways, these con men are turning to social networking sites for new targets. This time, they're hacking into people's accounts and impersonating them to ask for money, usually with some weird sob story. You can check out a transcript of one of these conversations here.

    Cooperation
    Even if the law isn't on a case, a victim, his friends, or empathetic strangers might be. Since it's easy to get word out for anything online, people are using blogs, forums, and social networking sites to help track down criminals. In one such case, a vehicle thief was tracked down by a bunch of anonymous car enthusiasts after the victim posted his story on a forum. In the end, they identified the guy through his Facebook profile.

    Self-Incrimination
    Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.

Tags: death, facebook, top

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