Facebook Memorial Mode: I'm not dead yet

[makmanalp]

http://thulbourn.com/not_dead.html

[kirubakaran]

I see a movie coming... serial killer memorializes victims' Facebook accounts 24 hours before the murder...

[jrockway → kirubakaran]

I could see this as a "Law & Order" plot. They have done a few other stories involving social-networking sites.

[nadam]

The solution seems to be straightforward to me:

When an account is in memorial state the account holder should be able to log in, her account then should change automatically into normal state without any administrator approval, and she should be able to prohibit her freinds to put her account into memorial state again (with a checkbox).

As she is the only person who may know her password it is not logical not to allow her to log in.

[robgough → nadam]

I don't think that when the account holder logs in that it should automatically revert. It's more than possible spouses etc. would have a dearly departed's password.

But they should certainly still be able to log in, and once logged in have the option to recover back from memorial mode - without needing to go through support.

Edit: Also, it would be nice to have a feature where I can nominate an "in case of emergency" contact that, if my account falls into memorial mode, they will then gain access to it... to maybe post a little more info about what happened, or contact friends that they might not necessarily know themselves, but would like to invite to the funeral?

[jrockway → robgough]

The great part about being dead is that you probably won't care too much about any of this. It won't be your problem, anyway.

[robgough → jrockway]

Perhaps arrogantly, but I believe that if it happens when we still care in any way about our Facebook accounts - and not the next big thing - then I imagine that it will be upsetting for my friends and family, and I care now that it is as easy on them as possible.

[maukdaddy]

cough I told you so =)

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=905436

[grosen]

Wouldn't surprise me if this was an automated system that malfunctioned

[bendtheblock → grosen]

That the 'death verification' failed? It says in the OP that, as a joke, his friend emailed FB to actually say he was dead.

[Vincentvwy → grosen]

Not to mention that his name just sort of looked like the one in the actual memorial.

[bmunro → Vincentvwy]

and that that name was the name of the reverend conducting the funeral service, not the deceased

[thras]

So they just memorialize the account without sending a "Hello, are you really dead email?" to check first. Design flaw.

(Hmm, maybe we need a form with "Just a flesh wound" or "I'm feeling better!" options.)

[noonespecial → thras]

(Hmm, maybe we need a form with "Just a flesh wound" or "I'm feeling better!" options.)

Or at the very least, a "pining for the fjords" checkbox...

[jrockway → noonespecial]

What if you're just resting?

[DanielStraight → thras]

Most of Facebook is a design flaw. Everything since the stalker feed.

[pwmanagerdied]

Well, that didn't take long.

[mechanical_fish → pwmanagerdied]

"If your first version is so impressive that trolls don't make fun of it, you waited too long to launch."

Methinks revision 2.0 of the Mark Your Friend Dead button is right around the corner. ;)