Over at Facebook’s official blog, Max Kelly has written about what happens to a Facebook profile when its owner passes on. Facebook offers a service called memorializing which leaves the account in place but mostly freezes it in time:

When an account is memorialized, we also set privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search. We try to protect the deceased’s privacy by removing sensitive information such as contact information and status updates. Memorializing an account also prevents anyone from logging into it in the future, while still enabling friends and family to leave posts on the profile Wall in remembrance.

Sounds like a good idea to me–I like the idea that when someone passes on, he or she won’t disappear altogether from the online world. (Actually–this may sound creepy, but I don’t think of it that way–I’ve been known to leave departed acquaintances in my address book as little reminders of our friendship.)

As far as I can remember, my only deceased Facebook friend  is sci-fi legend Forrest J. Ackerman, but he doesn’t really count–I was a fan of his, not a friend. His account’s still very active, but as far as I know it was maintained by friends of his even when he was still with us…

 
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