# The life you live online, and In the Event of Your Passing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 16, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148 "2004-12-16T14:59:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/21 "2004-12-17T08:53:42Z")
In the vent of my death the executor of my will has instructions to inform the boards. And my address book has certain people that should be informed of my passing, and a couple of them are Dopers, so they might speak out as well. **Horseflesh** , your kids get my monster slippers! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/22 "2004-12-17T11:43:53Z")
Iā€™m engaged to a doper, so no worries there. Iā€™m still hoping to die mid post though. > [@](#): > > Well, I wouldnā€™t recommend putting that there, but if it makes 67yimh[u6c Havenā€™t quite worked out how to hit the submit button though. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/23 "2004-12-17T12:05:16Z")
I donā€™t have much of a presence here and donā€™t think my absence would be noted. I remember when **Persephone** died. ā˜¹ There is another much smaller board I frequent. We lost our founding member _very_ suddenly last March. You can imagine how sad it was. She left info with her husband and me, and passed on the administration duties to a trusted fellow boardmember. This all happened within a few weeks. Several of us had met, and we had a couple phone numbers. After our friendā€™s passing we established a more thorough (voluntary) list. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/24 "2004-12-17T12:25:05Z")
> [@El Cid Viscoso](#): > > As it now stands, according to my will, on my death an executor will post my identity as well as messages to my dearest friends. A few Dopers are to be bequeathed items from my library. > > Odd, isnā€™t it? Iā€™ve never met any of you. Can I have that jacket if you die? I think it would look fabulous on me. šŸ™‚ Iā€™m kind of hoping my last post will be: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh! I may have to put instructions in my will for someone to do that just in case Iā€™m not able. Or figure out a way to post from the great beyond. That ought to settle a couple of Great Debatesā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/25 "2004-12-17T12:26:33Z")
Most of my RL friends here in Chicago are Dopers. I assume one of them would pass on the news. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/26 "2004-12-17T12:47:19Z")
Three friends have been informed to log in under my user name in the event of my unfortunate and tragic passing from this life. I know theyā€™ll be devastated and cover themselves in sackcloth and pour ashes upon their heads, but Iā€™ve asked them to be brave so that yā€™all will know. šŸ˜ƒ However, I kinda like the idea of putting a statement in my will along with my user name and password. My sister is executor (executrix?) of my will. Iā€™m sure sheā€™d be pleased to know she is charged with telling a bunch of complete strangers of my demise. Then again, itā€™s a way to bug her from beyond the grave. That makes it all win-win for me! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/27 "2004-12-17T12:55:10Z")
Iā€™ve told Mr. Ujest to come in here and post my demise. Being writing challenged ( he will talk your ear off) he would probably post: \*\*Shirley is dead. Just thought you should know. \*\* This is the same man that Iā€™ve told that no matter what age I die at, I want the picture of me in _that bikini_ taken on the beach of California used as my Obit photo. ā€œBut you were 21 when that was taken.ā€ Me, smiling. " I know." " What if you die at 95?" ā€œThen everyone will say, Wow, she looks great!ā€ ā€œBut that is lying.ā€ ā€œI donā€™t care. Iā€™ll be dead.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/28 "2004-12-17T13:03:28Z")
Seriously, itā€™s probably a good idea to have some codicil in your will addressing this, to notify (if not to distribute your worldly goods to) your on-line buddies. IANAL, but I canā€™t think of a reason you couldnā€™t so direct your executor to do so. Now that I think of it, my current will still lists my ex-wife, one of the four worst people ever, as my sole heir, so I should get around to changing that soon. When I do, Iā€™ll get The Straight Dope on it at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/29 "2004-12-17T13:07:20Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Iā€™m engaged to a doper, so no worries there. Iā€™m still hoping to die mid post though. Well, thank my lucky stars that Iā€™m the epitome of good health. The possibility of croaking in mid post, though, is so remote tha ā€¦ . . . . . . . ---
**Author:** ![blinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@blinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinx)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/30 "2004-12-17T15:14:41Z")
I run a small art forum for a friend, most of the users are teenage aged girls who discuss art and show off their work. Yesterday I saw a post titled ā€œname\_of\_regular\_posterā€™s motherā€. I opened it up and inside was a message from the posters mother, that her 15 year old daughter would not be posting anymore, she was diagnosed with leukemia two months ago and during surgery just 1 days after she last posted, she had died. Before her operation they had talked about that there was a possibility that she might not survive surgery and in that case she wanted her mother to tell her friends. Her mother had then looked through the history of her computer and found the forum and descided to tell us about it. We all knew she where in the hospital and could only post when the nurses would bring her a laptop. I donā€™t think any of us knew that it was serious though, in her last post she told us about her new cats and sounded so happy. Iā€™m very glad her mother went through the trouble of telling us about it, especially in a time that must be so difficult for her. Iā€™ve read most of what she wrote on the forum and even though many knew her better, it still hit me quite hard. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/31 "2004-12-17T16:06:59Z")
> [@blinx](#): > > Her mother had then looked through the history of her computer and found the forum and descided to tell us about it. Jeez, I hope my girlfriend doesnā€™t do the same thing. Those Japanese schoolgirls would be so choked up. ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/32 "2004-12-17T16:26:16Z")
> [@NutMagnet](#): > > Well, thank my lucky stars that Iā€™m the epitome of good health. The possibility of croaking in mid post, though, is so remote tha > ā€¦ > . > . > . > . > . > . > . Damn.Now I have to go remove NutMagnet from my Celebrity Death Pool list. For crying out loud,you only had to hold onto life for another 13 days.Breathingā€™s not difficult dammitā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/33 "2004-12-17T16:37:50Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > This is the same man that Iā€™ve told that no matter what age I die at, I want the picture of me in _that bikini_ taken on the beach of California used as my Obit photo. > > ā€œBut you were 21 when that was taken.ā€ You should probably go ahead and post that now. Just so, one day, we can see that pic again and say, ā€œWow, she doesnā€™t look as if sheā€™s aged a day.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/34 "2004-12-17T16:47:23Z")
I suppose that when I die, Iā€™ll just have to log on and tell everybody else about it. Seeing as how being on these boards seems to take up most of my waking hours, I donā€™t see how a little thing like _dying_ is going to stop me any. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/35 "2004-12-17T17:35:34Z")
My plan is simpleā€“Iā€™'ll just haunt the SDMB. Iā€™ll be the first ever messageboard ghost. Like **audiobottle** , Iā€™ll probably post regularly in MPSIMS and keep you all updated on what the afterlife is like. ā€œGaaah! Spider in my angelic robe!ā€ ā€œHelp me decide what to wear when I haunt my mother-in-lawā€ ā€œTo Eveā€“youā€™ll never guess who I just ran into over hereā€ ā€œWow, Elvis really HAS left the buildingā€ And just one post in GD: ā€œHA! Told ya so!ā€ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/36 "2004-12-17T17:39:05Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Same here. What?! You cheating bitch! Ohā€¦ waitā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/37 "2004-12-17T18:00:57Z")
I married a Doper, though heā€™s not very active here lately. Honestly, I donā€™t know if he would post anything here (actually, I doubt he would), and Iā€™m not sure I would if something were to happen to him. Again, I doubt I would. Weā€™re more active on Livejournal, and Iā€™m not even sure if I would post something there, I suppose I would, but I donā€™t know, I canā€™t think the circumstances through. It would be more likely that I spoke personally to a close friend who also posts to LJ (and probably the SDMB) and they relay the news. But, I just donā€™t know. And I canā€™t speak for my husband, but I imagine his answer wouldnā€™t be too far off from mine. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/38 "2004-12-17T18:47:02Z")
Donā€™t think Iā€™ll bother. Iā€™m not that important to any of you, nor any of you to me. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/39 "2004-12-17T21:05:00Z")
We had another thread like this a while back, and Iā€™ve thought about it since then and decided that it ainā€™t worth it to me. I mean seriously, whatā€™s waiting for me in the Great Beyondā€¦ either an afterlife or nothingness. An afterlife would be great, but I can live with nothingness (haha, no pun intended). So to everyone I know, Iā€™d have to say: donā€™t worry about it. I too remember when **Persephone** died, and I too felt really sad. To see all the grief it causes when a community is notified of the loss of one of its own, I donā€™t want people to go through that just because of me. So if there still is an SDMB all those years from now (and I sure hope there will be!) I would want everyone to continue going on about their lives. OTOH, there are posters I havenā€™t seen around in a while that I miss and have to wonder if theyā€™ve just found other internet haunts orā€¦ ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148/40 "2004-12-17T22:42:09Z")
Donā€™t know any Dopers IRL (as far as I know). I doubt my wife will post anything. I doubt anyone will notice. ::sniff:: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-life-you-live-online-and-in-the-event-of-your-passing/280148.md?page=3)