New website integrates social networking with the funeral industry Few of us want to think about it, but there’s one
thing we all have in common: someday, each and every one of us will slink, slide or shuffle off this mor- tal coil. Grim as the prospect seems, though, rumi- nating about our own funerals shouldn’t be the exclusive province of the elderly and the emo. The folks behind a new website called
mysendoff.com are hoping that, by bringing aspects of social networking to the funerary industry, they’ll get you thinking out- side the pine box when it comes to your own final exit. “We’re ultimately like Facebook for funerals,” says
Colin Firth, founder of the site. “We’re trying to bring death out of the closet and get people talking about it. Most people don’t want to call their friends up and say, ‘Here’s what I want for my funeral.’ But they’re comfortable doing it online.” The idea is simple. Once you register with the web-
site, you can essentially plan your own funeral and then share your wishes with six “cyber pallbearers” – friends and relatives who will hopefully see that your final wishes are honoured when your number is up. If you don’t know where to start, you can browse the site’s large body of editorial content to learn about funeral traditions, funerary terminology, legal essen- tials and other concerns. “The response has been fantastic,” says Firth, who
also publishes a Sudbury, Ontario-based newspaper called South Side Story, which spotlights upbeat, feel- good news stories. “In the first week alone we had almost ten thousand visitors to the site, which wasn’t a bad start.” The impetus for the project was a very personal
one – Firth began playing with the idea some twenty years ago, after the death of his brother – but it’s in- dicative of larger trends in both the cultural and eco- nomic aspects of funerals. “The whole funeral industry is going through a dra-
matic change,” Firth says. “In many areas, there is a noticeable migration away from organized religion. So there’s a gradual movement away from the church, there’s the rise of cremation, the increasing popularity of the personalized element, and then there are also
Mysendoff.com: Plan your last big day with the site that’s like “Facebook for funerals.”
the economic factors as well. All of this affects the overall revenue that the funeral industry is seeing. Funeral directors are really trying to get the message out that, anything you want, they’ll do, as long as it’s legal. You still need to have someone come in and handle the side of the business that most people don’t want to think about. But when it comes down to the actual celebration of a life, they’re more than willing to accommodate you in any manner that they can.” Firth points out that the site also boasts some “re-
ally unique editorial content.” Indeed, once you’ve read up on the legal aspects of funeral planning and maybe picked up a few ideas for your own curtain call, you can read about the ins and outs of smoking embalming fluid to get high (hint: it’s a bad idea), or
familiarize yourself with the ten clinically recognized types of necrophilia. The site also highlights bizarre, death-related news from around the world. For all its occasionally macabre trappings, though,
mysendoff.com is ultimately about celebrating your life, not dwelling on your death. “We often leave the celebration of our life to some-
one who doesn’t even know us,” Firth notes. “I think that’s sad. I’ve had people say, ‘You guys are going to put the “fun” in funeral.’ Not really, but at least we’re going to put the ‘person’ back in personal fu- nerals. That’s the way I see it. The topic of death is something most of us don’t want to think about, but we need to. Despite our best efforts, we’re not getting out of this life alive.”
APRIL SNELLINGS
RM8 D R E A D L I N E S
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