Terminal Illness – Archived blog to leave behind?

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  robinzrants · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 7:38 pm

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  This is kinda awkward, but I don’t know how else to ask about this… I have a terminal illness and figured I would delete my blog when I can’t manage it anymore, but some friends have asked me if there’s a way I can “leave something behind” after I’m gone.

  Maybe my Papa could write a eulogy (he has offered, if I choose to keep the blog) and moderate comments or something. But instead of burdening him with that I wonder if it’s possible to lock the blog but give my password to someone to moderate comments for a time, then lock it permanently.

  Thanks,
  Robin

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  plasticdaffodils · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 7:48 pm

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  You could just turn comment moderation off so all comments would be automatically approved. Otherwise, you can give someone the password, they could moderate comments for as long as you’d like, and then that person can turn the comments on your blog off.

  Sorry to hear about your situation, I’m sure these decisions can’t be easy. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

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  auxclass · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 7:49 pm

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  If you stop making Posts and never log in your blog will stay for a long time (the joke is the end of the internet or WordPress.COM) – yes you could give your Papa the log-in information and he could moderate the comments (or a friend could also moderate) as long as he wanted – the thing to remember is that your account is tied to your email so he would also need access to your email or the email changed at some point –

  To disable comments on past Posts someone would need to edit each Post / Page and turn off the comments.

  My suggestion – leave your blog up and have someone else able to moderate the comments (the number of comments should taper down after a while so moderating comments would not be a big job after a few weeks)

  Good luck

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  auxclass · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 7:52 pm

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  I would not turn moderation off – that is an invitation to have your blog filled with spam. Not a legacy I would want to leave.

  When I helped over at the WordPress.ORG forum there were several people that used WordPress to leave a memorial to friends that had passed away.

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  robinzrants · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 8:20 pm

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  Thanks, everyone! Perhaps it can stay up and Papa can moderate comments and then just lock it up or have a closed archive…

  Do “abandoned” blogs eventually get deleted after a certain period of inactivity? Would it have to be specified as a “memorial blog” to avoid that fate?

  Thanks again,
  Robin

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  auxclass · Member · Oct 19, 2011 at 8:28 pm

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  You are the only one that can delete your blog – there is no requirement for any activity on a site to keep it active – you do not need to specify the blog as “memorial” however most people will probably figure it out when they visit it. There are many blogs that have been around for years (at least 2006) that have only one default entry when they were set up – and they are still there –

  WordPress.COM has a leave the blog up no matter what (as long as it meets the terms of service like no ads) – sometimes someone will show up and want the name of an old blog that was abandoned years and years ago and the stock reply is “sorry can’t be done” the only one that can give up or close a blog is the original owner or the current Admin.

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  auxclass · Member · Oct 20, 2011 at 2:06 am

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  Sorry I forgot one of the Comments features.

  You can set the comments to be disabled after a specific number of days, so you could set the comments to close and then there would be no need for the new Admin to go back and hassle with the comments – they would automatically close. Many blogs use this function anyway

  Dashboard >> Settings >> Discussion >> Automatically close comments on articles older than XX days.

  If you have not already done so please leave a few pictures from more vibrant days for people to remember you by. My Grandmother died of an ugly lingering disease and at the end she would not let us Grand-kids see here as she wanted us to remember her as her more vibrant self (she lived on a farm and had a 5 acre “garden” that she raised much of the food we ate)

  Good luck

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  robinzrants · Member · Oct 20, 2011 at 2:10 am

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  Good idea, Auxclass! My “successor” will be happy to know how trouble-free it can be for him or her.

  Many thanks to you all,
  Robin

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  auxclass · Member · Oct 20, 2011 at 2:16 am

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  You be welcome & take care

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  raincoaster · Member · Oct 20, 2011 at 2:23 am

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  FYI your intellectual property should be included in your will.