Saturday, March 14, 2009

Media clip: Now That I’m Dead, Who’s Going to Update My Facebook Status?

The Wall Street Journal Blogs: Digits
Now That I’m Dead, Who’s Going to Update My Facebook Status?

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/03/10/now-that-im-dead-whos-going-to-update-my-facebook-status/

"Legacy Locker, a new online service announced Tuesday that allows people to securely store usernames, passwords and other access information for all their digital assets — from Facebook and MySpace accounts to Gmail and PayPal — and pass that information along to beneficiaries in the event of their death."

Securing and preserving personal digital assets after one's death (sometimes sudden death) is truly an issue. While services like Legacy Locker make us say, "yes, we need this," they also raise series of concerns and questions. Considering the extreme complexity and inherently private/public nature of individuals' digital lives, it is clear that there would be no one-shot solution for this issue. Needs for research about personal digital asset management behavior and personal digital archives are high.

2 comments:

Helen said...

Hi there,

Just came across your blog doing research for an assignment about Paradigm. We share similar interests. I am doing an MSc in Info management and Preservation in Glasgow. Over the summer I'll be writing a dissertation on the appraisal of literary archives. When I have a little more time I'll have a proper investigation of your blog... It looks great so far.

Goreyc said...

Thanks a lot for your encouraging comments. More pervasive and everyday-based archival preservation beyond the boundaries of institutional preservation is needed in the dynamic digital environment, calling more research about this topic. I will be happy to share my research materials and listen more about your interest in the future!