With the Internet developing daily as the primary outlet for communication, more and more consumers are using social networking sites to express feelings and communicate with one another.

Forget snail mail. The new way to express sympathies doesn’t require a stamp and can be shared with thousands of viewers instantaneously. With the growing proliferation of the Internet as the primary outlet for communication, more and more consumers are using social networking sites to express feelings once reserved for greeting cards.

A recent survey conducted by leading online memorialization site Legacy.com revealed that more than 50 percent of Americans have posted condolences for a deceased friend or relative on the Internet via a message board, online memorial or social networking site. Surprisingly, only 12 percent of respondents reported having written personal notes following the loss of a loved one, and just 34 percent sent traditional pre-printed sympathy cards. E-mail messages and e-cards were preferred by nearly 20 percent of respondents.

“It is amazing how quickly the online phenomenon has grown to be a part of our culture,” said Stopher Bartol, president and CEO of Evanston, Ill.-based Legacy.com. “The Internet affords people immediacy and personalization in their communications, and also enables friends and family from all over the world to reach out to one another without having to travel great distances – something that has become an increasingly valued benefit as schedules and travel budgets become ever tighter. We are proud to offer a site where people can come together in times of loss to express their thoughts and share memories of loved ones.”

Founded in 1998, Legacy.com is an innovative online media company that collaborates with more than 700 newspapers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia to provide the Web’s most comprehensive searchable database of obituaries as well as ways for readers to express condolences and share remembrances of loved ones. The site features obituaries and Guest Books for more than 60 percent of people who die in the United States and is visited by more than 12 million unique users each month.

In addition to the site’s popular online Guest Books, where visitors can express their sympathies or share memories with other contributors and readers, Legacy.com features interactive Legacy Memorial Websites. These customizable Web pages enable users to combine biographies with cherished photographs, music, video and audio clips in unique ways to honor and remember those they have lost.

Update :

We thought the below tips from grief expert and author Helen Fitzgerald could be used in conjunction with this story.

Getting started can be the hardest part when faced with the challenge of expressing sympathies following the passing of a loved one. Helen Fitzgerald, author of The Grieving Child: A Parent’s Guide, The Mourning Handbook and The Grieving Teen – and regular contributor to Legacy.com’s LegacyConnect microsite – offers the following condolence “thought-starters” to help with writer’s block during especially difficult times.

• “I’m so sorry to hear that _____ has died,” is always an appropriate start to your message.
• “You are in my thoughts and prayers,” also works well, if it’s true.
• “We will all miss _____; he/she touched so many of our lives,” is good, if that is truly how you feel.
• “It is difficult to put into words what I am feeling…” Since this is probably quite accurate, it won’t hurt to say.
• “He/she was such a (creative/joyful/loving/funny/warm/talented/smart…) person, whose presence will be missed.” Addressing the qualities of the deceased enables you to reveal indirectly how highly you valued that person and adds a personal touch to your message.

No matter how you start, be sure to incorporate a few sentences about your relationship with the deceased and the special times you shared. Those in mourning often enjoy stories about their loved ones. They appreciate seeing the deceased through the eyes of others. For example, a mother whose son had died found out through condolence messages that he often had stopped at the local nursing home on his way home from school, just to visit with the aging residents for a few minutes. This made her feel so pleased and proud of him. Try to think of things like this that the bereaved would want to know.

Difficult as they are to write, sympathy notes provide us with ways to convey our love and friendship to others during times when they have the greatest need. When such times arise, take a deep breath and give it your best.