When attending a funeral is not possible, funeral webcasting allows you to still participate in the funeral of a loved one.

With the evolution of technology and the amalgamation of the future generations becoming more reliant to digital technology – what with the ubiquity of social media easing everyone’s comfort level with publicizing our day-to-day lives online,  it seems, today’s traditional markets are being forced to adapt or die – but what if the two components were combined? How could death possibly be integrated in the cyber-software of the internet?

Funeral webcasting is how.

In the last decade, funeral webcasting has become an optional service offered by funeral homes as a simple and practical solution for the needs of a grieving family. With funeral webcasting being used regularly in Hong Kong, India and the Philippines, it shouldn’t be a wonder that the trend isn’t starting to catch on here.

While the idea may seem rather inappropriate, the benefits of funeral webcasting has proven advantageous for those family members who are scattered across the globe and others who, due to financial restraints, are unable to travel a great distance.

So what exactly is funeral webcasting and how does it truly benefit the bereaved?

Simply put, funeral webcasting is much like how funeral directors provide copies of the funeral service on DVD to be sent to friends and family who could not attend the service. These tribute DVDs also serve as a remembrance for immediate family who were in attendance. However, to further personalize the experience, funeral webcasting allows a live feed to be sent via internet to people who cannot attend in person. With the viewer linked to a private website, they are able to participate virtually in the final celebration of life of a friend or relative.

While funeral webcasting allows those who are great distances away an opportunity to view the funeral other benefits include:

? Anyone who cannot attend in person can still participate in the celebration of the life of a loved one;

? Funeral webcasting allows families to come together at a time of mourning, even when someone cannot be there in person.

? The fact that people are watching and listening could even be included in the service as in thanking so-and-so for being able to join them through the web.

? This opportunity also allows for members not in attendance to share their personal memories in their own words.

? The service can be archived for a certain time period so it can watched at a later time.

While not everyone in the family is going to be comfortable with the funeral being webcasted, family members should be aware that unlike wedding photographers, the camera is unobtrusive, their participation in real time will provide solace for those who cannot attend the service and the resulting DVD will remain a tribute for the immediate family.