How to Create a Memorial Website
Memorial websites usually are not published until some time after the funeral takes place. A good memorial website is a celebration of what the person meant to the world, and can be interesting even to those who never knew the person in life. A memorial website can be a comfort to the living who still love and miss the person.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Website text or HTML editor photos, letters, video/audio of deceased phone numbers, email addresses of friends and relatives info about school, church, work, children, origins, travels, causes, favorite colors, favorite song
Instructions
-
Writing a tribute
-
1
Write down the important dates and events in the person's life, even though you may later decide not to include all of these.
-
2
Tell the person's family members and close friends that you're building a memorial website. Encourage them to share their recollections, photos, good stories or anecdotes.
-
-
3
If the person had a favorite cause or charity, make note of this, as well as any accomplishments the person was especially proud of.
-
4
For ideas on how to write about someone's life, watch the Biography Channel or read a good memoir. The obituary sections of newspapers often publish appreciations of people who have died. The websites of some funeral homes also publish obituaries and remembrances.
Set up the memorial website
-
5
A memorial website doesn't necessarily need its own domain. It can be located in a subdirectory or subdomain of an existing website. Four or five HTML pages is probably enough.
-
6
A five-page layout could be something like this:
Main page: Dates of birth and death, city and state of residence, recent flattering photo
Early years: Birthplace, childhood photos, life through college years
Adulthood: Career, children, grandchildren, travels, photos
Special interests: Accomplishments, favorite causes, hobbies, anecdotes
Guestbook: Where website visitors can pay their respects. Two links to free guestbooks are listed in the Resources section below. -
7
If you do not have the technical skills to build a website, now, after you have done the planning and information gathering, is the time to ask for assistance.
-
8
The memorial website should be tastefully done. It's fine to have a website that is cheerful and colorful, accented with the person's favorite colors and photographs. A memorial website does not need to be in somber tones of gray and black.
-
9
If charitable donations are still being accepted in memory of the person, place a link as appropriate. The charity website will be able to provide the code you need. If there is no web link, publish the charity organization's mailing address.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Depending on the circumstances, you may wish to keep the existence of the memorial website private. If so, the easiest way to accomplish this is not to link to any other webpages.
