New "Shivalistings" Site Online Free Help for Mourners

B"H

I saw the announcement for this site on JTA, and I wanted to make my blogsite readers aware of it because it seems to be a very good idea to help mourners, especially when many of our families and friends are so far away.  I have reprinted some of the information from the site for your convenience.  If you want to see how it works for real, you need to register for the site (it is free for mourners). 

I am hoping that this will be the first wave of some websites that deal with the issue of death and mourning.  It is a legitimate concern, and I applaud these developers for forthrightly dealing with such a sensitive subject.

I wish that facebook and other social networking groups had some legitimate way to let others know about the death of one of your friends.  I just lost a friend and found out by visiting his facebook site.  It was very sad to find out about his death this way, but I am glad I found out.  

Social networking sites have to come to a realization that death happens, and they need to have a way to integrate that into the protocols.  For example, it would make sense that you could designate one person, a spouse or a sibling or a parent that, in the case of your death, could have access to your profile information, that there would be some way of announcing funeral arrangements, etc. in a simple way, and that you could archive the site so that it could be kept for posterity.

I am hoping that sites such as this shivalistings site would develop a facebook interface so that those who know the person via facebook, or who keep in touch with the person via facebook could also be informed in a timely manner.

M

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Losing a loved one is hard. Honoring them shouldn’t be.

ShivaListings offers an easy and comfortable way for mourners to share shiva and funeral arrangements with family and friends. It allows people to find information and pay their respects, according to the family’s wishes.

Through ShivaListings, people all over the world can:

• Create a free online obituary and memorial page to honor a loved one
• Add to a memorial page by uploading pictures or sharing stories of the deceased
• Share information about funeral and Shiva services
• Make a donation in memory of a loved one
• Help Coordinate food for the Shiva house
  

How It Works

If you lost a loved one, ShivaListings is here to help  you notify friends, families and coworkers. ShivaListings makes it easy  to share funeral and shiva information, easing the burden of calling and answering calls at this difficult time.

If you are using one of the many affiliated funeral homes, the initial information may be entered for you. If not, follow these following simple steps:

1. Create a ShivaListings account. This is free and requires an email address, your name and a password that you create. In minutes you will receive an email confirmation. Go to that link (AOL users copy and paste that link to your browser and click go) and your account is active.
2. Click “Create a Listing” (under the “For Mourners” tab near the top of the page) and fill in the information boxes. If there are items you don’t know the answer to yet, don’t worry - you can add to it later. Fill out only the information that you want to share.
3. Use the shiva information boxes to convey information about when and where the family will be sitting shiva and use the text box for additional information, such as special dietary requests.
4. When you are finished, click “publish this listing”.
   

If you want to add or modify information (if you or the funeral home set up the listing):

1. Login with your email address and password.
2. Click “Update a Listing” under the “For Mourners” tab.
3. Add or change the information as you see fit.
   

If you are searching for information on a deceased person and you know their name or other information:

1. Enter the deceased’s name in the boxes at the top right (the city and state are optional, but will limit the number of names you get). This can be done without logging in.
2. If you want more detailed information about the shiva, sign the guest book, leave a photo or add a memory on the Memorial Page, you must be a registered user and sign in. If you are a registered user, you can also make donations to charities in memory of the deceased or coordinate food to be sent to the shiva house. This will help the family manage meals or desserts.
3. To be a registered user, you must create a ShivaListings account. This is free and requires an email address, your name and a password that you create. In minutes you will receive an email confirmation. Go to that link (AOL users copy and paste that link to your browser and click go) and your account is active.
   

If you are searching for information on a deceased person and you don’t know their name (for example, a relative of a friend or coworker):

1. Click on the box on the top right “Search by Relative”
2. Enter the name of the relative you know. This can be done without logging in. A list will be displayed of the deceased, along with a date of passing.
3. Follow steps 2 and 3 above.
   

Rabbis/Funeral Homes

ShivaListings  is a valuable partner for your business.  We can provide a significant and valuable service for your clients at no cost to you.  While many funeral homes have information on their website, until now there has been no comprehensive listing of all funeral and memorial services for the Jewish community.  Shivalistings is unique in that it is a central source of information for Jewish funerals and mourning services throughout the world.

ShivaListings is easy to implement and promote, and it will be seen by your clients as a valuable service.  Our website allows you to rapidly enter information about the deceased, the family and the Shiva and funeral services.  You can also enter their special requests for food or charities.  Entering the basic information takes only minutes.  We will take care of informing everyone on their email list.  This service will greatly reduce the number of calls to your funeral home as well as the family of the deceased.  If you offer your customers funeral  webcasts, Shivalistings may be the push you need to propel this service.

We also offer special memorial pages where people can share memories and photographs of the deceased, or sign a virtual guestbook.  Friends and family can coordinate the sponsoring and sending of food for the Shiva House.  They can also find out the families food requests as well as charity requests for donations in memory of the deceased.  Through links to the families requested charities, donations can be quickly and easily made in accordance with the family's requests.

We are excited to offer the funeral industry an innovation that will ease the burden on staff and mourners.

• Create a new listing <http://shivalistings.com/rabbisfuneral-homes/create-a-listing.html> , on behalf of a client, that will help provide and distribute information about services and other related details
• Update an existing listing <http://shivalistings.com/rabbisfuneral-homes/update-a-listing.html>  on behalf of a client, if you need to add to or update any information on a listing that you have previously created