I attended some work training last week for my day job, and one of the classes touched on something I had never considered.
- What happens to all those songs or movies or books you've downloaded iTunes?
- What about the HUGE library of ebooks and audiobooks you've downloaded from Amazon and Audible and B&N or Kobo?
- Does your husband--or the grown child who will be the executor for your wills in the event you die at the same time--have access to your passwords?
- If there's royalty money in your authorly PayPal account when you die, how will your spouse or significant other get the money out if s/he doesn't have your password?
- Would your spouse be able to access your webpage account to keep it going if s/he doesn't have your password?
- What about what you have on your blog or Facebook or Twitter or Google+ or any other of the myriad social media outlets folks have their fingers in these days?
The instructor suggested that we do the following:
- Create an inventory of our digital assets--store it in a secure way.
- Provide instructions about disposition.
- Obtain competent estate planning advice.
He also counseled everyone to read those terms of service/usage that we automatically click agree to just so we can move on to actually using the site.
And did you know you can keep on tweeting after you die?
On a serious note, this class got me thinking. It's time for hubby and me to redo our wills. We no longer have to worry about how to care for minor children, but there are other but still equally daunting issues we need to get down on paper.
What about you? Had you ever considered your digital rights and whether or not you can bequeath them to someone?
FYI--the Kindle books are only licensed for your use and cannot be bequeathed to anyone. Same for those tunes you've downloaded.
What about you? Had you ever considered your digital rights and whether or not you can bequeath them to someone?
FYI--the Kindle books are only licensed for your use and cannot be bequeathed to anyone. Same for those tunes you've downloaded.
Tweeting from the grave... Hmm, I never considered that. Talk about leaving a piece of oneself behind. Kind of strange, though.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post. Thanks for pointing out a topic I'm sure most haven't thought about.
I know, right? Imagine a loved one seeing something you tweeted AFTER you're dead?
DeleteThat's why I made sure my wife has all of my passwords.
ReplyDeleteAnd why hubby now know what the password is to my passwords. I never considered that it meant anything once I was dead. I was so wrong!
DeleteYes, I need to redo my will since my husband died. And I'm planning to create a document with all my financial accounts and passwords and info on my blog at least. It's a lot to consider.
ReplyDeleteWe need to have a different executor now too.
DeleteSadly, if me dies none of you will even know since nobody has my passwords and I have no family who would announce my departure ... so if poor lil' Dezzy goes missing for a week or two without notice... you know what to think :))
ReplyDeleteYikes! What a thought. No going missing, okay?
Deletehaha the cat has a post coming up about what to do if he croaks, meaning me of course. If I do then most will just be up in the air, as no one knows my passwords. Never knew I could still tweet when I'm dead though haha
ReplyDeleteSo make sure the cat gets your book royalties. ;)
DeleteHadn't thought about digital rights before. But, yeah, something to consider, especially if you're leaving behind money in a password protected account.
ReplyDeleteBoth hubby and I have access to our various passwords so at least that part is covered....
ReplyDeleteWe hadn't thought it was important before, as far as online passwords go. But this changes everything.
DeleteI've been working on getting a last will and testament together, mainly because I do have a minor child. But this has opened my eyes to a few things I hadn't been considering. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't either. My jaw totally dropped as I was taking notes.
DeleteEvery so often I've wondered about all the orphan blogs and FB accounts and e-mail, e-mail, e-mail.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought about it before - blimey.
ReplyDeleteI need to leave all this to someone in case something happens to me.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, you got me thinking. Thanks for the extra help :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
I took all these things into consideration before I ever published the first book. I also have a list of all the sites and passwords that I'm on as a writer for someone if I should pass after the hubby. I also have a spiral notebook with every book I've published, the ISBN or ASIN numbers and the sites where they are on sale. That way the Hubby or someone else will know where my books are being sold. Since we don't have children of our own, we've discussed who out of the remaining family would get rights/royalties/our stuff in general. We do need to update our wills, so thanks for the reminder :D
ReplyDeleteI would hope that my royalties are enough that when I die, I can hopefully provide for my nieces, nephews, and cousins and maybe their children so they may pursue their dreams.