IT'S a fascinating world on the World Wide Web, and it's only getting more fascinating. You've heard of the wonders of Facebook. Well, a similar site has sprung up - for dead people. Let's explain. The Living Years at livingyears.com enables loved ones to set up a ''Lifebook'' of the dearly departed in order to honour their memory with photos, eulogies or videos. The concept was devised by Perth businesswoman Anne-Marie Syme, and on board as a director and ambassador is Golden Girl Jane Flemming.

The hurdling champ told Diary that since marrying Ian Purchas and having twin boys, James and Samuel, she wanted the kiddies to learn about her grandparents and their grandmother. ''When they ask questions, I can give them answers,'' Flemming said. The site will not be plastered with advertising, but to make a few bucks, creating a Lifebook page is free for two weeks then costs $5 a month to maintain. If you are so inclined, you can set reminders of birthdays and anniversaries.

Flemming had another suggestion: ''You could make your own Lifebook before you passed away.'' Fans devoted to stars in the sky Jacko, Heath Ledger and Michael Hutchence have set up pages. While Facebook has a similar application for the deceased called ''I Remember'', Lifebook is a ''bereavement care website'' and, as a member of the Australian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association, it provides links to funeral homes, counselling, florists and charities. It's a one-stop shop. Dead easy.

http://blog.livingyears.com/2009/09/13/were-dead-set-about-new-life-on-the-net