Respectance.com

Lately, I have been calling Funeral Homes to join our community. The response I’m getting from them are both sweet and bitter. The sweet ones: “Why don’t you send us the materials, and we will review it.” Yeah that sounds friendly, nice, and receptive, and I really appreciate their time. But the bitter ones, like “What, no we are not interested” or “No thank you” before I mention anything about us or how they can benefit makes me wonder. Before I write anything, I would like to say to Funeral Homes that we are not taking away your business or your clients. We provide complementary service to what you offer. We are just a medium for grieving families to stay connected, share memories, and find support.

Okay having said that , here’s why Funeral Businesses should get affiliated with Respectance

• Beautiful Tribute pages – These tributes show clients that you care and go the extra mile in times of need. It can make you stand out from competitors and give a personalized touch in a time of grief. It is our goal to always outshine any competition because your loved ones deserve the best.
• Increase your web traffic - Our community and user base is growing rapidly and is a perfect resource for your business. Because our growth is organic, the people you serve will always stay close to you and their friends and family.
• Online presence - If you don’t have an online presence, we can do that work for you. The Respectance group page can serve as your website (which saves you time, money and effort). From the moment you sign in, your member page will most likely get higher search engine ranking than your own site.
• Google presence – We pop up near the top of all search engine lists. That means that if people search for a name or subject online, our site will show up very high on the list – and that advantage can benefit your company, as well. We can bring your memories and tributes to the forefront of the Google search engine. It is our ambition to always be top of the list, and with our smart strategy you will benefit from this advantage, as well.
• Boost business referrals - Our word-of-mouth referrals multiply from friends and family of the bereaved. There is no better advertising than this. And it is lasting.
• Press Releases - When we contact local papers about local events, we can keep you in the loop. It will also be easier for you to reach out to the community via your Respectance account. We are made for community involvement.
• New demographic – Our targeted advertising will expose you to new niche markets that can visit your page, check out your memorials, and learn more about the community you serve.

Sounds good, doesn’t it. If you would like to join our growing community, I insist you all to contact me at 415-398-2595 or e-mail me at mansha@respectance.com.

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This week brought us some very personal and tragic news. Chantal Sebire, a French woman, died this week. She died with the help of euthanasia.

Why would somebody desire to end his or her life? Because they know that their life is coming to an end and there is no way out. And because they are in a final stages of a disease. In Chantal’s case, this was combined with a lot of terrible pain.

Chantal was a beautiful woman, whose appearance changed totally after she acquired a disease. Her face grew totally unrecognizable and she did not like to see her face herself. But, most of all, her disease came with tremendous pains. Chantal became her disease.

She asked, in all her dignity, after she could not stand it anymore, to have euthanasia and stop her life. The French court this week denied her request and forbade her to have euthanasia. They denied her right to die, as she wished. This is not only inhumane, but also disrespects the personal wishes of an individual. It also means that the State has a final say about my choices in life, and not me.

The day following this judgment, Chantal died. She stopped her life anyway. I have deep respect for Chantal and I think she was a strong woman who also fought for the right to die. It is not an easy decision to take, but it is an option.

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Today, I received an invitation to participate in an online poll from the Dutch National Postal services. You might wonder, What is so exciting about that? I’ll tell you:

The main question of this questionnaire was, Am I (or am I not) a thoughtful person? As a matter of fact, I think I am. But why would that interest them?

The more detailed question give a hint. The first question was, How do I prove that I’m this incredibly thoughtful individual? The options were: calling at events, sending cards, sending ecards, sending flowers, just thinking of the people in my life, or something else. Second, during what kind of occasions am I extra thoughtful? The options were:

*birth of a baby
*birthday
*wedding
*Mother’s Day; Father’s Day
*new house
*new job
*illness
*jubilee

Now, if there ever is one moment that I send a card (at the very least), it is when it’s someone I know, or someone who is important to someone I know who passes away.

And, regarding some “secret” statistics, this is also a big moment for the card companies and the postal services. Then, why oh why, do they leave such an important moment of our lives out of this questionnaire? Is the taboo that big? My answer: Grow up, people.

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We know there are other sites out there that are reaching out to people. Some are charming, others are kind of in bad taste (if you ask me). The worst thing these sites do is provide “exact,” but incorrect, details of your loved ones (see picture, which states the year of death at 2009).

It’s a pleasure when we get feedback from funeral homes. They are our partners in this journey, and they help us understand the nature of their business. What we have noticed is that many funeral homes still need to grow in their online strategies. Of course, we understand they might have more important things to do than take care of an online memorial. But their customers and their families and friends, are hooked up to the Internet and would all benefit immensely from accurate and timely information. That is why it is so important for the funeral homes to be reaching out to their customers online. Respectance is the best way to do that.

Family and friends are now officially sending out more messages via social networks. These online communities bind people - and can have a more lasting impact than a simple email. While condolences registered in an online book format are nice, the online world via social networks like Respectance is more public and accessible. Respectance brings the community aspect. Everyone contributes, and anyone can read, watch or listen. Anyone can jump in and help make a tribute respectful and loving. Friends can also help correct mistakes …after all we are only human.

Note: Out of respect to the deceased, we have altered the snapshot of the online tribute above.

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I’ll be speaking tomorrow at the DowJones Venture Wire’s Web Ventures 2008 conference.

It sounds like an interesting two days, designed “to help both VCs and entrepreneurs get a view of where the online industry is and where it is headed in 2008.”

Reid Hoffman, one of the co-founders of LinkedIn, is one of the keynote speakers–along with lots of famous panelists like John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla–and tons of other 2.0 companies presenting.

It’s at the Sofitel in Redwood City; I’m presenting at 3:05pm in Salon 4. Come on by if you get the chance and cheer on Respectance!

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