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August 8, 2011

Legacy Marker - Barcoding Your Ancestors?

The following Press Release came out a few days ago. I had a look at the website (Code_IT Barcodes) and it looks like a very interesting concept. My one concern would be that the information is only available as long as the website where it is uploaded remains online. But I'm intrigued.....

Legacy Marker is a method of attaching a barcode to a gravestone. When scanned with a mobile phone, the barcode directs the user to a website with information, stories, photographs, videos, audio recordings and more, all of which tell the story of the deceased person.

OREM, UT, July 29, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Code_IT Barcodes, based in Orem, Utah takes an innovative approach to a long-held tradition. Its new branch, Code_IT Legacy, offers miniature QR barcode plaques that can be affixed to a gravestone, new or old, to tell the stories of the person buried there. When scanned with a smartphone, these barcodes connect the living with the dead in a way never before seen.

Family members choose favorite memories, pictures and videos of their loved ones who have died, and then they have Code_IT Legacy connect these memories with a completely unique barcode. The barcode can then be updated and changed by the family as often as desired.

Inspired by the recent passing of his own grandmother, Hudson Gunn, President and owner of Code_IT Barcodes, explains it in his own words. "I wanted people to know who my grandmother was and the great things she did and stood for. She isn't just another headstone in the cemetery. With the videos and pictures we uploaded, my kids can now see and hear her voice instead of just seeing a headstone. We are preserving her legacy."

These new Legacy Markers are being used to honor military heroes, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Gone are the days when the dead no longer have a voice. Now mourning families have an outlet for their grief. They find a sense of closure in this new ability to make the lives of the dead known to the living.

Code_IT, Legacy is working with genealogy archives to provide important genealogy information on every marker, creating a chain of families for others to follow. "Adding this link to genealogy is very important to us at Code_IT, says Hudson. Knowing more about our past is the only way to sculpt a successful future."

Legacy Markers are also helping to facilitate much needed research to conquer many of the diseases that carved these names into granite. The markers are being used to link scanners with donation pages for organizations like the National Stroke Association as well as links to donation funds for families who are struggling financially with the loss of a loved one. It's a great way for people to perpetuate the cause and help local families.

Those who would like to honor family members who have passed away need only visit http://www.codeitbarcodes.com/legacy to order the distinctive and timeless Legacy Marker for their loved one.

Code_IT Barcodes is a growing company leading the industry in QR Barcodes. For more information, please contact us at info@codeitbarcodes.com or visit us at http://www.codeitbarcodes.com

2 comments:

Lynn Palermo said...

This is interesting and it does have some merit. My concern would be that like online family trees, wrong information could be on the website but because it is barcoded some may see it as a validation of the information rather seeking out primary sources for themselves.

Hudson Gunn said...

Lynn,

That is a great point! I am the owner of Code_IT Legacy and appreciate hearing your feedback!

Because the security and integrity of information is our highest priority, the information that is on the site is uploaded by a family moderator. So only the information submitted by the moderator, or someone given permission by the family moderator, make make changes to the information. Visitors may leave comments of their stories and memories, but the "core" information is set by the people who know best, the family.

To also add to the legitimacy of the information, users can provide genealogy documentation to be loaded on the page as well as links to other genealogy archives. We have created a dialogue with Ancestry.com to provide links to their data base to not only legitimize these sites, but also provide an additional resource to family historians.

We provide a barcoded Legacy Marker that can be affixed to headstones and memorials. This barcode is only the vehicle to easily access this online information from the grave site or memorial. That way your information is preserved regardless of trends in technology.

Because this information is archived online it makes it very easy to maintain. If in the instance that we are no longer in business, we will offer users the ability to download their information to be stored on their own computer to preserve the information uploaded to our archives.

I hope I was able to clarify some of your concerns!