Age Concern launches online personal information storage
Posted by Bryan on May 18, 2008
Age Concern, one of the UK’s leading charities working on behalf of older people, launched a new online service last month. Called LifeBook, the service is intended to help users more easily manage their affairs, by providing online storage for all of those details that tend to go missing just when you need them – from renewal dates for insurance to friends’ birthdays. There is also a section that records the user’s final wishes, and promotion for the site notes that the information held could be invaluable to a family member or friend in case of an emergency.
This is not dissimilar to a commercial service I blogged about back in July 2007, although in that case the company – YouDeparted – was rather more up-front about the ‘case of emergency’ benefits of their service, which they described as “a personal organiser with a death benefit”.
While the opt-out boxes that form part of the LifeBook registration process make it clear that the charity hopes to use the service as the basis for cross-selling, they are undoubtedly responding to a very real need experienced by their constituents – which makes this a good example of the type of value exchange that is increasingly proving effective in engaging with potential supporters.
It’ll be interesting to see how they develop the service over time – perhaps to include the opportunity to upload video messages for loved ones as a more contemporary way to share final wishes?
