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Natalee Holloway case has been given a lot of attention by media. Natalee was found missing by her friend when she did not arrive at the airport for her return flight. According to Natalee’s friend she was last seen leaving a bar with three guys Van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe during her final day of high school graduation trip in Aruba.

Joran Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and/or murdering Holloway, but the case got dismissed by Aruban Justice due to lack of evidence. And there comes Peter R de Vries, a notorious crime reporter, determined to solve the case. It gets interesting when Joran tosses wine at Peter R de Vries, and questions his honesty. This act received lot of attention by media; even Oprah had been discussing about it in her talk show.

A couple of weeks later, it appears that the reporter and his team made a setup in which Joran is being demasked as the murderer. They seem to have caught him on camera bragging about the accident that caused poor Natalee to die. We are all waiting for Peter R de Vries report that will be broadcasted Sunday February 3, 2008 on Dutch TV. This should reopen Natalee Holloway Cold Case, and we are hoping people involved in the case will be convicted and justice will prevail.

Natalee Holloway’s case is heart breaking to all of us, but at the same time we are grateful that cold case will be put to an end. From our end, we can only send our support and wishes to Natalee’s family to tide over this extreme loss and grief. Here’s a link where all of us can remember and celebrate Natalee’s life: www.respectance.com/nataleeholloway

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We have been getting to learn and experience unique things as we are growing. It’s interesting to see that we are receiving unique user-generated content. One of our members has created a tribute for Christopher Bowman, and we have been receiving heaps of memories from family, friends, and fans. Apparently, one of the memories we received was from his fiancée, April Freeman.

She writes, “Let set this record straight … Christopher was a man working through many demons and trying to regain self esteem he lost long ago. He was finding the success he was searching for and was in the process of accomplishing his goals. This was not a man who was wasting his life and to hear such stories stemming from family members who barely knew him as an adult sickens me!!! Christopher was a Champion in everything he did in life and will continue to be a Champion on his new journey.”

http://www.respectance.com/ChristopherBowman/memories/show/G6oGwV4Gf0GTGGt

As we know that media has portrayed Christopher Bowman as figure skating champ who had oft-troubled life and died of a possible drug overdose. And here’s comes Bowman’s fiancé clarifying media and his family members through our site that how contended and striving Bowman was. It’s amazing; we have become a platform for people to shed light on things that was distorted by sources like media and family.

Fans and family members have also reacted to her. One of his fans writes, “April, I’m so happy to have read your post, you can’t believe it. I’ve always known Christopher was a special person even though I never met him. I was really hurt by some of the information I had seen in the press but your words let me know that my feeling were right all along.”

http://www.respectance.com/ChristopherBowman/memories/show/Cb6tO5O0xP0XPGi

Regardless of who, what, and how it happened, Christopher was an inspiration to all of us and will always be remembered as “BOWMAN, THE SHOWMAN.”

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Why online? Simply stated, the future is online. We all know the Internet can be overwhelming for first-time users. It is typical to think, “How do I find what I want? This is too much!” But it is not as difficult as you might think.

Getting Referrals

Funeral directors know the traditional venues for referrals including affiliate advertisement, newspaper ads, yellow page marketing and word-of-mouth. Nevertheless, funeral directors also know the market is changing. There was a time when three generations of the same family would choose the same funeral director and services. Now, families do not even live in the same town and many do not even live in the same country. People often communicate with family and friends online. How is this done in a way that is easier to handle than a string of impersonal group emails? The answer is social-networking websites like Myspace and Facebook.

Social Networking vs. Regular Website

You may be thinking, “I already have a website.” However, while they may appear similar, a personal website and a social networking site are not the same thing. Your website is like your home, it is a one-stop destination created by you and focused on you. A social networking site is different. Here we are talking about a community where visitors who care about a particular issue share stories and connect. A social networking site is like a virtual town square.

Does it not make more sense to promote yourself in the town square, than it does to try to invite everyone in the entire town over to your place for coffee?

Your website is probably great and its purpose is to provide visitors with an extended menu of your services, but you need to remember that many social networking sites have larger audiences than newspapers or television shows.

There are over 200 million MySpace members with the average member age being 35-years-old. In 2007, 12 percent of all time spent on the Internet in the United States was spent on MySpace (approximately 53,000 years). The numbers do not lie - you need to be where the people are.

Where You Come In

Let online communities know what you have to offer. Do not expect clients to come to you. Take the step in getting to them and they will pay attention. For example, take Lies Kroes in Holland. After her death, family members created an online tribute and listed the website address in the obituary and funeral invitations. Family members and friends in the Netherlands and the United States left condolences, shared memories and connected over huge distances. To date, the group has posted 21 memories, 116 photographs, and six videos – and they keep returning to make updates. How much time do you think it would take for you to add over 100 photos, six videos and 21 separate blocks of text to your website? In many cases, that is more than a standard site would even allow for.

As a funeral service provider, you can sponsor tributes like Lies’, establish goodwill with hundreds of friends and family members, and the only info you have to provide to produce these living memorials is your logo and contact info. It is really simple, and the best part is that years after someone has passed away, you remain the host of a 24-hour memorial where family members can celebrate someone they love.

Tips on Getting Started

1. Look for social-networking sites that are appropriate. Communities connected to obituaries, grief support, funeral services, and memories/tributes are the most suitable.
2. Do not be a wall flower; get involved in the community. Write a weekly post, run a contest, ask a daily question, provide links to your favorite articles and comics or simply email people you find interesting. Connections are key to growing your referrals.
3. Drill down. If you specialize in military memorials, join a military memorial group. If you only operate in Columbus, then only speak to people from Ohio. Your time is valuable, be smart with who you engage.
4. Offer online memorials as an added service to obituary listings. If you are placing an obituary, consider also offering a tribute page using the same info. This is a great way to engage family members.
5. Make your clients your advocates. Encourage them to provide the link to your tribute pages on their funeral invitations and obituaries. This is a nice way for those who can not attend the funeral to leave their condolences, pictures and videos. When they visit the site, they will also be able to see that it was you who provided this great service in the first place.

To help our funeral homes and chapels that we are working with, we have created very nicely designed, quality handouts.

If you would like to order some for your funeral home, to help grieving families on their way to create a lasting memorial, please contact Mansha Thapa at mansha@respectance.com, phone number : 415-398-2595

Also to sign up and get access to all the tools and be found on the internet with the specialized services your funeral home provides, go to http://www.respectance.com/join/business

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Monica Corcoran of the LAtimes is signalling a trend. She is writing that she felt very uncomfortable about this skull trend of the past years. All of a sudden children, teens, mothers and fathers were all wearing skull prints on their clothing.
According to her this macabre trend seems to be broken. At last, the flowers are back as dominant print for all sexes, including your pets. We are so happy to see the optimism and beauty coming back in fashion. Anyone for a Respectance lily t-shirt?

Read the full article here.

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While Utahans were mourning the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, we at Respectance received positive and thankful reactions from people all over the world. It is wonderful to see that the sad news of his passing is being embraced by so many, and celebrating and honoring his life seeks no boundary.
http://www.respectance.com/GordonBHinckley/

President Hinckley seems to have touched a lot of his followers after the incidents of 9/11 with his positive teachings. Some of the reactions at Respectance below:

Jacquelin Munns said, “I loved listening to Gordon B. Hinckley. He was a humble prophet of God who often spoke directly to us in a very kind and loving way. He knew the truth and he wanted us to know also. He was “our” prophet. This is the end of an era, but I look forward with faith.”
http://www.respectance.com/GordonBHinckley/memories/show/NF3Y4L4Gf0PXPGi

Blaz, devotee of Hinckley said, “After 9/11/01. I remember anticipating what President Hinckley would tell the world in the October conference after 9/11. Would he predict more doom and gloom? In true prophetic fashion, President Hinckley told us all how wonderful it is to live in such a wonderful age when good outweighs bad, when technology allows us so much opportunity and when the gospel of the Savior is available in great abundance. What comfort! What joy!”
http://www.respectance.com/GordonBHinckley/memories/show/DbNt4hwGVPPrPGi

People from all the States to as far as Chili and Australia have come to pay tribute to Hinckley, who is considered as Prophet and God’s spokesman on Earth.

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