By 2009 started on a particularly somber note for my family and friends. A good friend and wantok passed away in the prime of his youth on New Years day. Even more ironic that today is also his birthday. Life throws us a whole lot of things and I guess in the end it all boils down to what we do with it. Its so frustrating yet sobering to realise how fragile life is. I don’t want to talk too much about my friends death but as I was sitting at the haus krai over the weekend a thought came to mind as to what exactly happens to a facebook page when someone dies?
As I expected his facebook page now has several messages of sorrow on it, but as time goes on I would not want to delete him as a friend because that would seem a bit cold and although I want to remember him it seems a bit creepy to keep having a decased friend as a Facebook friend. Maybe there should be a system where if 2 family members or 10 friends can vote that a person is dead then the page could be deleted or there could be a unique Facebook page for decased friends where we could still remember them. So it becomes like a virtual graveyard where we can go to visit to tell them what we are thinking and feeling at the time.
Sorry if all this sounds abit morbid but if the internet is where we now rejoice life each day, why cant it also be a place to remember loved ones and the happiness they brought to each and every one of us.
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January 5, 2009 at 6:52 am
Solo
Manu the thought actually occured to me when I first signed up on Facebook! Thanks for writing my mind.
On another note, my sincere condolences to Tim’s family. May his family find peace and solace in this time of bereavement!
January 5, 2009 at 8:05 am
illaine
Such a sad thing to happen to someone so young, my condolences to his family.
I think maintaining someone’s facebook/myspace/bebo page after they’ve passed on kind of keeps a part of that person alive (as surreal as that may sound). Its a good way of keeping that persons memory
January 11, 2009 at 6:21 am
ccholai
Hi Manu… We discussed this the other day between friends, i think it was at Andrew’s house where we were all meeting to put together our contributions for bro Timmy…. I visited Tim’s page on my return back from POM and it was just too sad… all the condolence messages and tributes to Tim… had to put mine also… I miss him so much.. it was good going through his page again and looking at his pics though – Tim had a great life!
We also have another friend on Facebook also that passed – and her profile still there and I visit it sometimes…
but yeh, what happens to these profiles?…. i agree they should still be kept there … so many great memories….!
January 19, 2009 at 5:19 am
ccholai
Hey Manu… Just letting u know… unless u already do … Tim’s profile’s been removed from FB already – I go to it everyday since I got back from funeral…and just today decided to go again – and its not there anymore… its sad it no longer there –
So I gess your blog was read and actioned… I checked our other friend who has also passed but her page is still there .. gess it was requested to be removed?
RIP TIMMY! Missing you every day!
January 19, 2009 at 5:46 am
Emmanuel
Thanks ccholai, no I didn’t know that. Interesting to see how quickly they acted, someone must have emailed them I guess.
April 30, 2009 at 5:51 pm
James
I recently had a friend pass, and facebook can memorialize the page or take it down by request. Here is the link I found.
http://www.facebook.com/help.php?mail_sent
If you type in deceased, they will ask you some questions and take action.
April 30, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Emmanuel
Hi James,
Thanks heaps for that, I guess that pretty much answers the question for us all now.