Respectance.com - Share your Memories

Respectance is a tribute site dedicated to honoring the memory of those who have passed away. The site promotes itself as universal means to share and relive memories which spans time and distance. Community members are encouraged to submit photos, text, comments and images. The departed get a memory page which family members and friends can use to assemble a video homage using photos and music. All videos except those from YouTube can be downloaded; each Tribute remains under the control of whomever created it, so it's up to that person to make it public or keep it private. There are community support groups to join and users can search through the pages and be friend of other Respectance members. Members can also start a blog and write about their experiences/feelings. Currently the site features a small but growing number of tributes, with pages for celebrities such as Michael Landon and Sonny Bono. The site is absolutely free to use.

"For everyone who values and celebrates life, there's a new way to come together to remember a loved one. Respectance is an interactive community for sharing memories. Connecting you with others who understand helps you through a difficult time--allowing you and your loved ones to live on."

The site provides a platform for honoring the dead which anyone can contribute to even if they can't come to a funeral. This way a person's memory is kept alive even after all the formalities have long been done. It's a good way to pay respects and to find comfort from those in the same situation.

What about those who don't have such good things to say about the deceased? And how will they fund the whole project and keep it up-- ads? Death is final; will people keep visiting the site, or just say their piece and not return? How are they going to compete with findagrave.com?