Syndicate
) May 5, 2009 -- Legacy.com, the leader in online memorialization, is launching a broad set of initiatives enabling funeral directors everywhere to leverage the growing user base of Legacy.com and its newspaper partners in more than 750 markets. Bundled under the name ObitNetwork™, these initiatives consist of innovative applications, including world-class online obituary sections, state-of-the-art online Guest Books, and next-generation personal memorial sites - all linked to leading local newspaper obituary sections powered by Legacy.com and all of which can easily be integrated into existing funeral home Web sites.
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The concept is fantastic and all funeral homes should utilize it
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"At a time when aspiring newcomers to the online obituary category are trying to drive wedges between newspapers and funeral homes, Legacy.com sees significant opportunity for all parties to benefit from each other's unique strengths," said Stopher Bartol, president and CEO of Legacy.com. "We've reached an exciting point where newspapers and funeral homes can strengthen their franchises by collaborating in new ways - and Legacy.com is in a unique position to help create value for them, and the families they collectively serve."
ObitNetwork™, which will be available in hundreds of markets served by Legacy.com, includes:
World-Class Online Obituary Sites: Funeral homes now will be able to have obituary sites of the same caliber as the world-class sites of Legacy.com newspaper affiliates. The sites will feature obituaries and Guest Books, as well as other valuable content including access to nearly 100 million obituary records, Legacy.com Memorial Websites, LegacyConnect discussions and more.
State-of-the-art Online Guest Books: Funeral directors now can incorporate their logo and Web site link into the online Guest Book of every obituary they place with a Legacy.com newspaper affiliate, and link directly to these Guest Books from their Web site. This eliminates the need for funeral homes to maintain online Guest Books separate from the ones on their local newspaper Web site. Legacy.com will screen all entries for appropriateness, and friends and family can access the Guest Books from both the newspaper and funeral home Web sites.
Legacy.com Memorial Websites: Already being offered on more than 500 newspaper Web sites, these popular personal memorial sites now can be offered by funeral homes. This rich content is among the many site features that will attract users and keep them returning to the funeral home's Web site.
"The concept is fantastic and all funeral homes should utilize it," said Jason Goldstein, funeral director of Roth-Goldsteins' Memorial Chapel in Atlantic City, N.J., and president of Kavod - The Independent Jewish Funeral Chapels. Goldstein is among a growing number of funeral homes with varying profiles that are embracing the Legacy.com ObitNetwork™ initiatives.
Newspapers, which have experienced significant growth in online obituary traffic in recent years, also recognize the potential of the program. "This is an exciting and valuable new program that will further strengthen our longstanding relationships with funeral directors in our market," said Jamie Flaws, vice president classified advertising, Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Legacy.com's core strategy remains unchanged.
Traffic to Legacy.com-powered newspaper online obituary sections has increased significantly, with its largest 25 sites growing 60 percent over that last three years. At the core of Legacy.com's business model are deep relationships with newspapers online. Funeral homes now will be able to tap the enormous newspaper traffic base with these new initiatives.
"While we believe that readers will continue to look first and foremost to their local newspaper Web sites for community content like obituaries, we think that funeral home Web sites can play an important role as well, and that newspapers and funeral homes, through greater collaboration, can strengthen their respective businesses," said Bartol.
For an example of an ObitNetwork™ Web site, visit http://www.legacy.com/funerals/rothgoldsteins-atlanticcity/.
ABOUT LEGACY.COM:
Founded in 1998, Legacy.com (http://www.legacy.com) is the world's most timely and comprehensive resource for online obituaries and the undisputed leader in Web-based memorialization. One of the Web's most visited sites, Legacy.com and the Web sites of its newspaper affiliates attract more than 13 million unique visitors each month. This innovative online media company collaborates with many of the world's largest media organizations, including more than 750 newspapers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia to provide ways for readers to express condolences and share remembrances of loved ones. Through these affiliations, Legacy.com features obituaries and Guest Books for more than two-thirds of people who die in the United States and makes this content accessible directly via the Web sites of its newspaper partners. Users also can create interactive Legacy Memorial Websites that allow others to post and share photos, video and other memories of their loved ones. The company has expanded to host "Celebrations" for newspaper affiliates, including birth, marriage, commitment, graduation and other announcements. A privately held company, Legacy.com is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill. Learn more about Legacy.com by visiting http://www.legacy.com/NS/About/. Legacy.com: where life stories live on.®
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