It's meant more as a service to people looking for their loved ones. For weeks after 9/11 people were posting "lost" posters attempting to find their family and

It's meant more as a service to people looking for their loved ones. For weeks after 9/11 people were posting "lost" posters attempting to find their family and friends in the hopes that they were still alive. Services were made that allowed people to see if names were on the list of confirmed deceased etc. The bottom line is that this kind of site allows people to quickly get information in a consolidated place - the information could be coming from rescue workers, or volunteers - and they may not have the access or the time to find someones Facebook to post a friendly message to the family.