Have you prepared your blog for your death? (#)
Blogging can be fun, rewarding, and ultimately, fulfilling. There are times when you gloat after getting your first AdSense check, or your first paid writing job (courtesy of popularity of your blog). If you are staying with your family and/or in good spirits, they probably know about your ‘hobby’.
Your relatives may also be surprised by the small (or large?) amounts of money that you get from your hobby [my friends usually bug me for details on how to earn money themselves].
However, one thought has been haunting me severely for the past few weeks: what have I done for my blog, if I die?
I do understand that many people feel a certain amount of stigma attached to talking about your own death. However, the need of the hour is to be practical, and think forward. Thinking that “I will not die so soon” is simply wishful thinking, and cannot help in any way.
Death: unthinkable, unpredictable
Death does not come knocking on your door (especially if you are not very old), and can be utterly unpredictable. In offline matters, you would probably have a will and/or relatives and friends to take care of your belongings, sell them or preserve them according to your wishes.
Who will take care of your blog?
The first thought that would come in mind are: who would take care of your blog? Who would pay for hosting, manage everything, (and of course) earn the money?
As far as I am concerned, I would like it to be my parents. They are, however, not internet-savvy, and cannot handle a blog. The possible solutions would be: maintain the blog, or sell it.
Maintaining your blog
- You use your dad’s credit card and put your hosting account on an automatic recurring payment system.
- You tell your parents (or whoever you want it to be) that the credit card will be charged, and in case of your death, they should keep the credit card alive.
- You explain everything to your most integral and honest blogging friend, and give them blog and other admin details to be used only in case of your death. You also tell him to simply keep the blog alive and free of trouble in case of your death.
- You give your friend a way to track you (for example, by phone; easier if you are both in the same country).
- You add a passive revenue stream (say, Google AdSense), that does not require regular attention from the owner. This is to reduce workload for your blogging friend.
Selling the blog
If you have an established blog, or more specifically, one that cannot provide revenue without direct involvement (especially in niches where AdSense-like ads do not work well), selling the blog would be a better idea. When blogs with small readership (less than 1000 subscribers) are selling for several thousand dollars, you wouldn’t find it difficult to get a good price for your blog.
The only challenge in making either of these methods effective is that you need a reliable, honest friend who would not take advantage of you. The risks are great - you are virtually handing over a spare key to your online empire to another person. (S)he could take advantage of you while you are alive and even sell the blog. Once you have secured a good friend, things are easy.
All of this might seem like zombie-talk for many (it did for me, when I reflected on my thoughts), but we should be realistic. When you see innocent people dying of disease, accidents and other reasons, there is no real reason to think why you are immune to death.
And when you have died, you wouldn’t want to see your beloved blog, which you worked hard for, to rot, would you? I personally prefer to let the blog provide some benefits to my relatives.
So, what precautions have you taken for your blog, after your death?
Aravind said on August 15th, 2008
Great timing.
I’ve thought about these more often.
What’ll happen to my Twitter Profile, Social Network profiles etc etc..
This is gonna be kewl as the web-savvy generation is only on its way towards death.
Only few web-savvy ppl have died till now,
It’s the present generation and those that are to come, that really matters .
And, in a situation where, you die after your parents are dead, what cud be done ?
Kim Woodbridge said on August 30th, 2008
I’m sorry that I didn’t see this article when you published it two weeks ago.
I’ve been working with lifestreaming quite a bit this summer and this caused me to think about what will happen to all of these services when we die. We are now using so many digital services to record our day to day activities rather than paper journals that it would be unfortunate for all of the information to be gone when we pass.
I think it’s a business / service that needs to be started. I don’t know how it would work but I think as the current generation grows older that this is something that is something that will be thought about and discussed.
I have thought about my blog as well as no one knows anything about the details such as the host, my passwords, etc. I keep thinking I should record all of this in case I were to suddenly go but haven’t done it.
And other times I wonder if any of it will matter except for famous people …
Thanks for this thought provoking article. I’m glad to see that someone else has considered this issue.
Post authorSumesh said on August 30th, 2008
@Aravind, Kim: I’m glad I am not the only person thinking of this.
@Kim: Of course, it matters even if you are not popular - after all, there ought to be someone who follows you.
(Anti) Social-Lists 8/31/08 | (Anti) Social Development said on September 1st, 2008
[...] Have You Prepared Your Blog For Your Death - No one wants to think about death but have you ever considered what will happen to your blog and all of your online services after you are gone? [...]