This is the most bizarre concept I have run across this week. The really strange part is that I don’t believe this is the first time I have seen something like this. YouDeparted is a social networking service for the dead.

The principle is that you can securely store what amounts to a last will and testament online. When you die, the URL is released to your next of kin and they can explore your life through the miracle of AJAX. You can keep anything from a video describing your last wishes; all of your account information; all the way to were you put those bodies during that wild year in 1947.

The cost? $10 a year for 20 missives and $80 a year for an unlimited number of messages from beyond the grave.

My take? if someone really wants service like this, who am I to judge? It seems a little ghoulish to put together what amounts to a Facebook profile of your last moments on Earth, but having a place where your family can find account information — that does have some value.

My biggest concern is security. Wills are powerful documents, and it seems dangerous to store them in untested waters. If anyone has used this service, drop me a line. I would love to talk to you about your take on it. Thanks to Nick Carr for the heads up.

UPDATE: I was recently contacted by Colin Harris, the founder of YouDeparted. Here is what he had to say,

You use YouDeparted as a personal organizer and the difference is this information can be made available to those who really need it.

My father died in the year 2000 and it sure would have been nice to have some detailed instructions. Yes, he had a will covering things like the house and bank accounts but so many things were difficult to find out and most we will never know.

Which is similar to how it was described in the article. After testing out the service a bit more, I still think that there is a possible problem with continuity. Since it is very likely that from the time a person sets up an account to the time when the URL is distributed to the next of kin, it might be difficult to track changes in email addresses. As a simple utility to store personal information it could be fantastic. There just needs to be robust measures in place to keep information updated.

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