.MEMORIAL Domain Extension

Why choose a .MEMORIAL domain?

A memorial is not a death notice: it is what remains afterwards. The word implies duration — far longer than the grief that made it. People will come back in ten years, on an anniversary, to show a photograph to somebody who never met the person. So this is less a question of design than a question of hosting: what you put there will have to last, and that has to be thought about on the first day.

Permanence

Who renews the domain in five years, and in fifteen. That is the real question, and it is settled by asking the family straight away.

The remembrance page

Photographs, writing, recordings, tributes left by those who knew them. What people add over time is often worth more than the original page.

The funeral director

Notices, service times, live streaming of the service. Information looked for urgently, usually on a phone, usually in tears.

Donations in memory

A charity chosen by the family, any amount, a receipt sent. A widespread practice, and one that should be made simple.

The physical memorial

A stone, a bench, a planted tree, a plaque, a garden of remembrance. A physical memorial often needs an address to explain what it commemorates.

What it actually changes

• The word implies permanence. That is what separates it from .rip, which is briefer and closer to the moment of death.
• It is identical in French. “Memorial” and “mémorial” read without difficulty either way.
• No registration restrictions. No family connection or documentation to show the registrar.
• Plan the renewal. A lapsed memorial domain is sometimes resold: pay for several years in advance.