The United States government is hip to social networking, and because it knows all about the Facebook and the Twittering, it wants you to be prepared with a social will in the event of your demise. After all, there have been reports of the families of deceased people having trouble gaining access to those kinds of accounts.

In a new post today on the USA.gov blog titled, “How and Why You Should Write a Social Media Will,” the government lays it all out. It suggests creating a statement as to how you want your online identity to be handled, sort of like a traditional will.

Choosing a person you can trust as an online executor is the first step. That person will then close any accounts you designate –Â email addresses, social media profiles, blogs and whatever else.

Additional tips on writing your social will:

• Brush up on privacy polices and the terms and conditions of each site you’re involved with and make sure your online executor has a list of all websites where you have a profile. Usernames and passwords would also be handy to provide.

• Clearly state if you want a profile or account to be canceled, or kept up so that friends and family can leave their thoughts in your absence.

• As the online executor may need a copy of your death certificate to take any actions on your behalf, make sure that’s stipulated in your will that he or she should have one.

How and Why You Should Write a Social Media Will [USA.gov blog]

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