Private or public: choosing an online memorial
A public online memorial can be opened by anyone, and is usually found by searching the person’s name. A private one opens only for the people you invite, with a password or passphrase. Private pages make it easier to share personal photos and stories, and keep the family’s grief off strangers’ screens.
What makes an online memorial public?
Anyone with the link can open it, and search engines list it, so it turns up when someone searches the person’s name. Newspaper obituaries, funeral home tribute walls and memorialized social media profiles are usually public.
Why choose a private memorial?
People share more when they know who’s reading. A private page is a safer place for the photo from the party, the inside joke or the hard year, and it keeps details like the service address and the family’s names away from strangers.
It also keeps the page for the people who knew them, rather than whoever happens to scroll past.
How does Kept keep a page private?
Each page opens with a passphrase the family chooses and can change any time. Pages ask search engines not to list them, and ask AI crawlers to stay away. Nobody needs an account to see the page or add to it.
A passphrase is easier to share than a list of invitations: it can go on the service card, in a text to a cousin, or be read out at the reception.
Can anyone with the passphrase add things?
Yes, that’s the point: friends add photos and memories without signing up. The family gets an admin area where they can remove anything at any time. Removed things are hidden, so they can be put back, and we’ll delete them for good if the family asks.
When is a public memorial the better choice?
When you want anyone who searches for them to find the service, such as for someone known across a whole town or field. Many families do both: a short public obituary with the service details, and a private page for the people who knew them.