What is your opinion of online memorial websites?

Question

One example is

http://www.mem.com/

which I was told about. Googling "memorial website" brings up others, and I'm sure there are other keyword searches I could probably do. These sites are online obituaries/memory archives.

Has anyone ever used a site like this? Any recommendations? Thoughts on the cost or style of different sites?

Thank you for your feedback.

Answer 1

I disagree with the previous answer about the memorials being self indulgent and not of use to others.  I often use findagrave (which is free, by the way) to locate family members.  I have found several successfully. Not everyone that puts things on find a grave does it to mourn a family member.  Many add records and obituaries in the hopes that it will help someone locate a member of their family.  I do have memorials of my own on findagrave and I'm not doing it to be self indulgent.  My purpose for putting my ancestors on find a grave is to honor a generation that has passed on.  Also,  I took pictures of an entire cemetery that was in disrepair and put the pictures on findagrave.  Most of the stones are in really bad condition and the grounds are no longer maintained.  My purpose for putting this cemetery on findagrave was to preserve the stones as they appeared at the time of the photos.   Eventually no more stones will remain and by putting them online, there is a chance that these old stones will be appreciated by a family member long after the tombstone is gone.   Honestly, it really doesn't matter what someone's motivation is, the point is that the memorials are a celebration of life and every life is worth celebrating.

Answer 2

I think they are a fairly harmless form of self-indulgence. Like gravestones, memorial pages will be quite active at first and then taper off to token visits. If it makes a person feel better, they should go for it, but ultimately it isn't going to be of interest to many people outside the immediate family.

Answer 3

I'm William S. Burroughs on the subject, meaning I'm ambivalent and don't quite know what to make of them.

I have run into sites with people placing virtual flowers on the virtual grave of my 5th GGrandfather. Since none of them responded to my query e-mail, I would assume they're locked into some kind of Gothic death-worship.

But then, most of the people I study in my family tree are not precisely alive...still, I wonder about why someone would grieve the loss of a US Congressman who died in 1825, but would not return an e-mail from one of his descendants?

Me, I'll settle for the inscription on the headstone. That's evidence.

Answer 4

I only knew of the other one http://gonetoosoon.co.uk/index_main.php

this one really upsets me., I don't like them at all.