Creating a Digital Tribute: Memorial Websites and Online Albums
The modern age calls for modern solutions. When those mourning the loss of an individual are separated by oceans and time zones, how do you bring everyone together to share in their grief and in their joyful memories?
Digital tributes are growing in popularity as a way to commemorate a person’s life and give grieving individuals an opportunity to connect with one another. It’s more common than ever for people to spread out from their home town and put down roots elsewhere in the world.
Moving around a lot means that a person’s friendship group will be widely distributed, so it might be more difficult to bring everyone together. Creating a digital memorial can help to connect people who might be on the opposite side of the planet. This type of connection can help those struggling with their grief to find closure in the comfort of those who also loved the same person.
In this guide, we’re looking at the pros and cons of digital memorials and how you can ensure your memorial is protected. We’ll also explore accessibility issues and how you can make sure that everyone is able to access and enjoy the digital memorial.
Digital tributes explained
A digital memorial is an online platform that will allow you to share photographs, videos, messages and updates about a person after their death.
It is often a collaborative effort and will allow people from different areas of their life to share details that will help to create a more complete picture of a person’s life.
Childhood friends can share details about their early life, and then learn about their adult life from those people they met along the way. It can be a useful part of the grieving process, as it will allow grieving individuals to connect with those who are going through the same thing.
A digital memorial is also great for young people who might not know a lot about their relatives. It can be an interesting way to learn about your family history by reading messages from those who grew up with your grandparents, for example.
And finally, it’s an interesting way to keep a permanent record of a life. If you’re worried about losing track of photographs, a digital memorial will keep everything safe and secure. With the help of systems like cloud storage, you don’t have to worry about the memorial being lost.
Supporting the grieving process with online tributes
An interesting aspect of digital memorials is the way it can help individuals to process their grief. Connecting with others is one of the best ways to work through your feelings, which is why grief groups are often recommended. Talking about your loved one with other people can help you to process your feelings, and it will be even more productive if you can talk to people who are also grieving their loss.
There is also something therapeutic about sorting through photographs and looking for the best ones to share. It allows individuals to focus on the positive and happy memories, rather than thinking only about their loss.
It’s also a great way to keep busy in the wake of a death. It can keep individuals occupied with a task that never really has an end in sight. As their feelings of sadness start to subside, they might visit the digital memorial less often, but it will always be there for them when they want to take a stroll down memory lane.
How to create a digital memorial
The most important things to think about with a digital memorial are security and accessibility. The memorial needs to be secure so that it cannot be tampered with by those who might post spam just to be a nuisance. It also needs to be secure in the sense that it cannot be deleted or lost.
It should also be accessible. The interface needs to be simple to use so that even those with less experience using technology can add their contribution. There should be clear instructions for uploading content and sharing memories so that it isn’t intimidating.
There are lots of digital memorial services available online for free or for a fee. With a free service, there is always the risk that the platform could change in the future, or it could simply cease to exist, taking your online memorial with it.
With a paid service, you’ll have some reassurance that the platform will be well maintained.
- Keeper Memorials – This platform offers a free version, or you can upgrade to unlock even more features. It allows you to upload photos and videos, share messages and add event details.
- Much Loved – This free platform allows you to create a digital memorial with photos and digital candles. You can also add details of your funeral notice.
- Forever Missed – This platform is available for free with basic features, or you could upgrade to a paid version to access more features. The free version offers limited photo uploads, so you’ll need to pay for monthly or lifetime access to upload more than 5 photos.
Using your memorial website for events
Perhaps one of the best features of a memorial website is the ability to share details of events. This could include the initial funeral service, but you could also host ongoing events to mark the individual’s birthday, for example. Or you might invite friends and family to create their own ashes memorial jewellery on a specific date.
By hosting details on the digital memorial website, you can ensure everyone is kept in the loop and you don’t have to worry about forgetting to invite individuals. You could also share updates about fundraising goals and use the platform to encourage donations to a cause that was important to the deceased.
Final thoughts on digital tributes
Hosting a digital tribute is a touching way to mark the loss of a loved one. It helps to centralise the memorial and ensure everyone can access it from anywhere in the world, at any time to suit them. Upgrading to a paid platform will provide some reassurance that your digital memorial is safe and secure.