Where does Facebook go when we're gone?

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By Ryan Noel

With the recent slew of changes to Facebook, fears are mounting that the social networking Web site is heading down a slippery slope. New features such as "Reconnect with this person" and a new and improved "Live News Feed" are causing many users to voice their displeasure at Facebook's constant tinkering and renovations.

Danielle Champagne, a 21-year-old photography student from Laplace, said, "Facebook's news feed has changed so many times that I've finally given up on it. I only read status updates now." For some students, the changes themselves are not the issue but merely the fact that Facebook feels the need to keep making changes.

Jonathan Pugh, a 20-year-old advertising sales major from Beaumont, Texas, said that familiarity is key "because when you get used to a Web site, it's hard to change your habits."

On Monday morning though, Facebook blogger Max Kelly posted on the official Facebook Blog about a recently added feature that will undoubtedly be looked upon as a welcome change: Memorialized pages for our friends that have passed on.

Kelly wrote, "[W]hen someone leaves us, they don't leave our memories or our social network. To reflect that reality, we created the idea of 'memorialized' profiles as a place where people can save and share their memories of those who've passed."

This change comes amidst a growing amount of complaints that Facebook's new "suggestions" box was - unknowingly - suggesting that users "reconnect" with their late friends. As such, the focus on turning those friends' pages into memorials appears to be a good move for Facebook, along with some rules and guidelines to govern them.

These "memorialized" pages will have updated privacy so that searches and suggestions will not feature deceased friends, while also ensuring that only confirmed friends and family members will be able to access the memorial page. Sensitive information, such as contact info and old status updates, will also be removed from the deceased member's profile, helping to ensure the privacy of his or her family and friends.

In addition to the added privacy, the page will be locked so that no friends or family will be able to log in and make changes to the webpage. Facebook, when contacted about the need to change a person's profile into a memorial, will log into the webpage and remove the sensitive material above and make any necessary changes at the family's request.

Despite the added security and privacy, friends and family will still be able to visit the memorial page and post remembrances on the deceased's wall, a feature that is likely to be well-received by the Facebook community.

Originally Published: Issue 822 - November 4, 2009

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