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The internet has become the place for social interaction, purchasing and online banking. With all of these online accounts, it raises an important question, what happens to accounts when an individual dies?

Most financial accounts and bank accounts are either closed when the account is closed, or access is granted to the deceased’s executor.

Email accounts are regulated by each service provider’s own policies. For example, Yahoo! Mail does not grant access to anyone, unless it is court ordered. While Gmail and Hotmail will grant access to their email accounts upon proof that you are authorized to access the accounts of the deceased.

Social media also comes with their own regulations. Facebook, for example, does not grant access to a deceased person’s account. But instead has a memorial status for the account of a deceased person. The memorial page can be customized by close relatives upon approval by Facebook, but certain features like joining groups and posting status updates are disabled in this state. Should the family wish to have the page taken down and the account deleted, a copy of the death certificate as well as a request form is required. If you’d like to learn more about how FaceBook handles accounts for deceased individuals, please visit their page directly: http://www.facebook.com/blog.php?post=163091042130.

Twitter assists families in saving a backup of their public Tweets and then closes the deceased person’s account. Basic information such as the deceased’s username and proof of death are required by Twitter. For more on Twitter’s process, please visit their page directly: http://support.twitter.com/articles/87894-how-to-contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-user.

LinkedIn has a “Verification of Death Form” that must be completed, which requires the email address associated with the user’s account. Upon verification of death, LinkedIn will remove the account.

YouTube also has a form that can be used to grant access to a deceased user’s account. They require the account name, death certificate, and a document with power of attorney over the YouTube account. Or if you are the parent of the user, a birth certificate may be supplied in lieu of the power of attorney. It takes approximately thirty days for YouTube to process and validate the documents and grant access.

We have created this blog to help make the process of accessing or closing a deceased family member’s account smoother. If you have any questions regarding other specific online accounts, please comment and we will provide more details for you.

Imagine attending birthdays, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, baptisms and funerals “virtually.” It is said that grief shared is grief diminished and joy shared is joy multiplied. Do you believe that?

Under what circumstances is it appropriate to attend an event via webcast? How would you feel about your guests attending your birthday virtually instead of attending in person?

One might say that if a special person couldn’t make it, due to distances, or other circumstances, they’d rather they be present virtually than not at all, which is a very valid point. But who decides which reasons are “acceptable” or not, and at what point does it feel lonely, with more people attending virtually than in person.

As technology advances, human interaction and communication seems to be decreasing. Texting has eliminated many “two-minute” phone conversations, and more and more people are emailing messages as well.

With all the great advantages technology brings, it has created a disconnection in interpersonal daily activities. But, we must acknowledge that the significant events in life have a need for some level of personal touch, interaction and camaraderie.

Life’s most significant events, hellos and goodbyes, celebrations and consolations, can be addressed in a variety of ways. How do you feel about webcasting in this context? When is the convenience of webcasting the enemy of genuine and meaningful human interaction and when is it necessary and/or appropriate?

While social networking has brought together long-lost friends and connected distant relatives, Facebook has filled yet another role- a memorial board for those who have passed.

We’d like to share the process of converting a FaceBook account into a memorialized account. It’s important to take these steps to ensure that the account remains active, if the family chooses to do so.

According to FaceBook support, “Facebook does not grant access to a deceased person’s account. Instead, FaceBook has a memorial status that turns the individual’s user page to a memorial page. Upon status change, friends can view and post their condolences or sympathy messages on the wall. “

Additionally, “The memorial page can be customized by close relatives upon approval by Facebook, but certain features like joining groups and posting status updates are disabled in this state. Should the family wish to have the page taken down and the account deleted, a request to FaceBook accompanied by a copy of the death certificate is required.”

Facebook already hosts thousands of memorialized accounts for deceased users. Many families are finding keeping their loved one’s FaceBook account active and placing it in memorial status allows them to share stories and memories and connect with others whose lives have also been touched by that person.

For many, FaceBook has helped support them through the holidays and other difficult times. Whenever one wants to remember or reflect on the deceased person’s life, there is now a place where comments have been left and memories shared.

To learn more about how to memorialize accounts or for the form to create a memorialized account, please go to: http://www.facebook.com/blog.php?post=163091042130.