Death of Social Media

What happens online when you die? Do your online friends find out? What happens your FB profile? Your Twitter? Your LinkedIn?

You may not know when or how you will die but you can control what happens to your digital legacy.

You can remove a loved one’s account. This will completely remove the profile and all associated content from Facebook, so no one can view it. OR you can alert FB to the fact that someone has passed away and their profile will be frozen and will act as a memorial page where loved one's and friends can leave wishes and thoughts and memories.https://www.facebook.com/help/contact_us.php?id=305593649477238

Recently WGRZ reported that Facebook will also allow family members to download the account contents of the deceased, if prior authorization or a court order is present.

So.....What should you do?
If you want to have a say in what happens, you should leave instructions in your will. You can grant your heirs the right to a download of your data or leave instructions to close the account entirely.

On the other hand if you want to go a step further and leave a goodbye message for your friends, there’s an app for that. ifidie allows you to leave a text or video message behind, which it will automatically post upon your death, after three friends or “trustees” agree that you’ve passed away. Might spook some people out though.

Remember the passwords, songs you download and communications you write are YOUR property. Like any other property you own, it’s important to consider what will happen to it when you die. Do you want others to see or have your digital property? Would you like it to be deleted? Make sure you state your wishes clearly!

The Elephant in the Room

June Rogers took to the stand as a Christmas tree!

We had our stand at the Over 50's Show at the weekend and it was a great success! We have loads of pictures but these were our favorites.

A nun adds her piece to the board

The Elephants in the Room were:

Liam Keane
Liam Keane and Partners

Joanne Smith
Secure Financial

Jennifer Muldowney (me!)
Farewell funeral planners







Joanne Smith of Secure Financials, Jennifer Muldowney of Farewell Funeral Planners and Liam Keane of Liam Keane and Partners Solicitors joined forces as ‘The Elephant in the Room’ for Ireland's only dedicated event for older people - the Over 50's Show. The aim was to get those attending the 2012 show talking about the elephant in the room, which in this case refers to end of life planning.

The Before I die wall

Exclusive to the show this year The Elephant in the Room stand included a global interactive art project called ‘Before I Die’ where people shared their hopes and dreams for the future.

For more info see www.elephantintheroom.ie

Joanne and Liam - Elephants!

Apple's Tribute To Steve Jobs

Funeral Trade Exhibition Mullingar

 

I was at the Funeral Trade Show in Mullingar last week and apart from my car breaking down en route (and thank you to that fabulous gentleman from Cork who helped me!) it was a fairly average experience. The funeral industry in Ireland definitely needs a shake up. The most exciting things was the hearse trailer pictured above and the fabulous ladies from Mourning Cross. I will fill you in on what they do a little later in the blog when I have more time. Other than that, there was not much happening. What should be in a Trade Show for the funeral industry? Well having been to many a trade show before in different industries there definitely is more pep that can be brought to the table in my opinion.

Irish Jokes part 2

His wife had been killed in an accident and the police were questioning Finnegan.
"Did she say anything before she died?" asked the sergeant.
"She spoke without interruption for about forty years," said the Irishman.

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Paddy was rather sad after viewing the body of a dead atheist.
"There he was. All dressed up and no place to go."


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Brenda O'Malley is home as usual, making dinner, when Tim Finnegan arrives at her door. "Brenda, may I come in?" he asks.
"I've somethin' to tell ya."
"Of course you can come in, you're always welcome, Tim. But where's my husband?"
"That's what I'm here to be tellin' ya, Brenda. There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery..."
"Oh, God no!" cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me..."
"I must, Brenda. Your husband Seamus is dead and gone. I'm sorry."
Brenda reached a hand out to her side, found the arm of the rocking chair by the fireplace, pulled the chair to her and collapsed into it. She wept for many minutes. Finally she looked up at Tim. "How did it happen, Tim?"
"It was terrible, Brenda. Seamus fell into a vat of Guinness Stout and drowned."
"Oh my dear Jesus! But you must tell me true, Tim. Did he at least go quickly?"
"Well, Brenda... no."
"No?"
"Fact is, he got out three times to pee."


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Stephen Gately 17 March 1976 – 10 October 2009

Originally from Sheriff Street in Dublin, Stephen Gately was one of five children and interestingly also one of five members of Irish boyband, Boyzone.

• With Boyzone, Stephen enjoyed a record-breaking 16 consecutive singles which entered the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart including 6 number ones. 
• He was first to release a solo album in 2000, after the group disbanded. He also went on to appear in various stage productions and television programmes. 
• In 2008, Boyzone reformed and produced the video 'Better'. 
• Stephen wed Andrew Cowles in a commitment ceremony in Las Vegas in 2003 and again in a civil partnership ceremony in London in 2006. Stephen was a patron of the charity 'Missing People'. 
• His book, 'The Tree of Seasons' which was in progress at his time of death in 2009, was written in collaboration with June Considine and Jules Williams but based on Stephen's original handwritten notes. On the day that he died he had just worked out the ending. 

 Ronan Keating's Eulogy to Stephen Gately:

Irish Joke about Wakes

Why does an irishman's wake last for three days?
To make sure he's really dead and not just drunk.





(and this is a true story!!! No joke!)

An Irish Wake

A wake is the process of laying out the body of a departed relative in the house and watching over them from the time of death until the body is conveyed to the care of the church. The body will usually be laid out in the parlour or living room of the deceased’s home. Family, friends and neighbours attend. Typically a large amount of food and drink is consumed over the period of mourning.

So where did it all come about? Well the true origins of the wake are foggy but it appears to date back to an ancient Jewish custom of leaving the sepulchre (burial chamber, vault, tomb, or grave) of the deceased open for three days before finally closing it up. This time allows family members to visit, which they typically did in the hope of seeing signs of a return to life.

Of course the Irish have to throw their own slant on it and it usually involves drink. A story that is more than likely a myth is also doing the rounds as to the origins of the Irish wake. Often drinkers who drank from pewter tankards would suffer (frequently) from lead poisoning and a symptom of this poisoning would be a catatonic state causing the person to appear dead only for them to recover or awaken a few hours or days later!

Typically a wake is a time for celebration of the deceased’s time on earth and an opportunity to say farewell to loved ones. It can be a sad affair but also an uplifting service marking the deceased, their life and sending them onto their next journey with goodwill and love.