1. Leave a Legacy
A few years ago I had a young man working in our Production Services area. He was hired as an intern
and was going to school for his Masters. He enjoyed IT and I was having him cross trained as a data
center operator. Everyone who came into contact with him enjoyed working with him. He was a
passionate and conscientious worker. He had drive and was rapidly expanding his resume as a well-
rounded and diversely talented information technologist. I enjoyed the opportunity to help him spread
his wings.
It was Friday July 2nd
. The office was closing early and we were all going to head out for a long holiday
weekend. I myself was heading to the Jersey shore the next day. On my way out, I stopped in the data
center to say good night and found him and the operators discussing life. He was in our company
softball uniform as the team was having a game later that evening. I found myself sharing some wisdom
for a good hour and doing some management bonding with the team. Finally it was time to go.
The next morning as I prepared the family for a long relaxing weekend the phone rang. It was my
manager. My immediate thought was we had a serious production problem since he would never call
me at home. He sounded stressed and beat. He told me the news that this young man had been
murdered late Friday evening. After the game a few employees stopped at a local bar where he was
outside speaking with a female co-worker when someone grabbed her bag and he was fatally stabbed
while trying to stop the robbery.
To make matters worse his family had been in Ireland celebrating a family wedding at the same time.
They quickly found the perpetrators and they were eventually brought to justice. The impact of the loss
of the life of this young man was hard for all who knew him. The office shutdown for several hours so all
could attend his funeral service. Buses were provided to take the employees to and from the service.
After a few weeks the team and I decided we would have a plaque made memorializing this fine young
man. We had it hung in the building lobby. Over time, people came and went and his memory and
legacy became less relevant and faded. The company decided to relocate and I was one of the few left
to turn out the lights. That plaque needed a new home which was determined to be with his family.
Until a few years ago when you died, those who knew you became your living legacy and resume. They
would help keep your capability and credentials alive.
Today, we have social media to keep us alive long after our demise. Gone are the plaques. Your
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or other online subscription are now your plaque. Your credentials as you
left them are frozen in time, providing a last glimpse of whom you were. A few years ago, I learned of a
business acquaintance’s death because his wife announced it on LinkedIn. At first it was odd, but it did
get the word out. She obviously had access to his account. When my father passed, I had to send a
copy of his death certificate to AOL to have his account cancelled.

2. Until this month, unless your family has login and passwords to your accounts, you would remain frozen
in the social media world. The only other option to access or shut down your online existence would be
to have family provide legal documents in order to gain access. This only prolongs the mourning
process.
Facebook now allows you to setup a legacy contact in the security settings. That all important person to
keep your legacy going. That person would be entrusted to say that final goodbye for you or make that
one last compelling post to ensure your legacy. It is important to keep your credentials updated. Live
your online day as if it’s your last.
My colleague’s legacy lives on in those who knew him and were part of his life. Over time as life goes
on, we forget and ultimately no one is left to carry on the memory. In cyberspace, we can and do live
forever. If you lied about your credentials in life, you will be a liar in death. Do yourself a favor, keep
your online world true and honest, and keep your login and passwords with someone you trust. I always
say, “leave a legacy,” that has much more meaning with your online existence. Make time while you
have it and leave a legacy contact.