Eternal Electronic Epitaph

Are you worried about your spirituality and have you ever thought about your life in the hereafter?  Are you concerned you haven't been such a good person and may be reincarnated as one of Paris Hilton’s canine fashion accessories as punishment for bad karma?  But what about what you may leave behind for all eternity...on your Facebook page?

A few years ago Facebook announced the company's policy of "memorializing" profiles of users who have died.  The accounts are taken out of public search results, sealed from any future log-in attempts and the walls left open for family and friends to pay their respects.  This puts a whole new spin on what type of legacy you leave behind.  Posts such as "should really not have drunk that 18-pack last night…TG for Waffle House coffee." could be your eternal electronic epitaph.  That picture of you tagged on your wall by a friend...you passed out on the floor, body outlined with baked cheetos like a homicide crime scene...your tombstone.  Is that how you want your friends and family to remember you?  Your last wall post being "is sniffing glue, going to the zoo, gonna free all the kangaroos. Suck it Dr. Seuss!"  Or by posting "is going to get this stupid cat out of the tree even if it kills me."

Facebook decided to publicize the policy because of a backlash caused by a updated version of the site's homepage that was rolled out, which includes automatically generated "suggestions" of people to "reconnect" with.  Within days of the launch, users complained that some of these suggestions were for friends who had died.  Nice going Facebook.

"We understand how difficult it can be for people to be reminded of those who are no longer with them, which is why it's important when someone passes away that their friends or family contact Facebook to request that a profile be memorialized," stated a Facebook spokesperson.  I know that would be the first thing I would remember when making funeral plans for a family member.  "is deleting Karen's Facebook page so no one sees her pictures from the bachelorette party.  OMG, what was she thinking?!"

To discourage pranksters, Facebook does require proof before sending a profile to the pearly gates.  Family or friends must fill out a form, providing a link to an obituary or other information confirming a user's death, before the profile is officially memorialized.  Once that's completed, the user will cease showing up in Facebook's suggestions.  And status updates won't show up in Facebook's news feed. "is currently arguing with Saint Peter about that thing he says I did in college.  Did sooo not do that...I think."  If relatives prefer not to have the profile remain as an online memorial, Facebook says it will delete the account entirely.  "is being deleted due to an untimely death."  Facebook's hopes their attempt to clearly state its policy will finally put the privacy issue to rest.

So if you don't want to look like a moron for all eternity, don't let "is going to a speed dating session tonight.  How bad can it be?" be the last thing your friends see...