Two Australian entrepreneurs have created a social networking site that allows people to communicate with their loved ones from beyond the grave.
The Web site, From Beyond 2u, was created by Peter Ingram and Andrew Slattery, whose lives were both rocked by the sudden death of loved ones.
“My wife has had a tremendous amount of loss over the last few years - she lost her grandmother, mother, auntie, uncle and two of her best friends within a two-year period,” Ingram said.
“It’s been a couple of years now and my wife is still grieving, so I’ve designed something whereby people can handle the loss by creating the ability to send ongoing messages and memoirs and still be a part of their loved ones lives after they’ve gone.”
From $1.10 per week, members can upload and store details about their life in a “virtual time capsule”, including letters, memoirs, photos, videos. They can even write their own eulogy.
Ingram said that people need the chance to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones in the case of a sudden death.
When people join, they are given a unique login code which Ingram recommends be put into a will. The code can then be activated in the future to send the stored messages, videos and photos to requested loved ones.
The site provides templates which help members to capture a memory about a certain point in time. They're collated and made available for a milestone event, such as a 21st birthday, in the event that the member passes away beforehand.
Another service offered by the Web site, Life2u, lets members share digital media in a private social networking environment. The Tribute2u feature lets people create their own personal online tribute, on which grieving loved ones can comment, Facebook-style, after the member's death.
“We’re providing a safe storage facility in the cloud for eternal memories. There’s obviously other sites like that, but with our site you can also share them by giving loved ones access. After you pass away, we make sure your files are sent off to the people you nominated,” Ingram said.
Ingram scoffed at claims the Web site is morbid, saying it’s about life and sharing special moments.
The Web site went live two weeks ago following a 12-month trial period amongst family and friends. So far the feedback has been positive.
“We’ve had a great response to the Web site and everyone has comeback with positive feedback,” Ingram said. “As we get more members online we’ll ramp up the server capabilities and improve the services.”
“It’s all about keeping in touch today, tomorrow and beyond.”
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