What started as a place to send messages of hope – the first message posted by iMani last Tuesday, Oct. 14, was, "Feel better ryne hope everything’s ok" – became a de facto support group where hundreds of people shared their grief over Dougherty’s death.

Dougherty died due to a brain hemorrhage two days after the Montclair High School linebacker collapsed during a football game on Monday, Oct. 13, against Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey.

With the surge in popularity of Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace – where people create online profiles for networking and social interaction – online discussions seemed to have joined the realm of traditional memorials and flowers on the sites of sudden tragedies.

By this past Tuesday, 1,836 people had joined Dougherty’s memorial page, created by a Montclair High School classmate.

"If you haven’t heard what happened, Ryne Dougherty, a beloved leader of our football team, and a junior at Montclair High School, has passed away," begins the introduction on the memorial page. "Through our tears, we’re all proud to have known such a wonderful individual."

Some local experts agree that Web sites might not be the first place teenagers should turn to for support, though it is still a viable place to share grief.

Many teenagers are embarrassed about their feelings and bouts with grief, and inadvertently substitute Web sites such as Facebook for support groups, said Catherine Roland, chair of the counseling human development and educational leadership at Montclair State University.

"I don’t know if it’s an appropriate outlet, but it’s an easy outlet," said Roland, a licensed professional counselor.

"Generally, kids do need support, they do need to do outreach," she said.

Abby Sarrett-Cooper, a Montclair licensed professional counselor, concurred with Roland that online support is a good first step and opens the door for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings.

Sarrett-Cooper urged those experiencing grief to seek out deeper social interactions, such as a candlelight vigil.

This past Friday night, nearly 700 classmates, faculty members and staffers held a candlelight procession and vigil in front of the high school, crowding around the school’s message board, now a flower-covered memorial for Dougherty.

Sarrett-Cooper acknowledged that one of the benefits of turning to an online memorial, instead of something more public, is that is helps more introverted adolescents accurately express their grief.

"It can be very liberating," she said. "It really allows kids to express themselves more freely."

Roland agrees.

For many teenagers, online support is the only type of support that is easily accessible, she said. It also is convenient because they don’t have to leave their homes to share their pain, Roland said.

"Parents, teachers and school counselors should be aware that they are doing these things," she said. "It is a source of support, and I think we should learn to use it."

Roland recommends to first seek help from a trusted adult teenagers are comfortable talking to, such as parents, school counselors, relatives or neighbors.

"Their friends are also feeling sad and confused, but they don’t always know it," Roland said. "I think they are embarrassed and sometimes they don’t understand their emotions at many times."

Teenagers grappling with Dougherty’s death may also be in the thick of their adolescent development stages, she said.

"They are embarrassed about everything. It’s a tough time in life. Everyday is a challenge for some," Roland noted.

"If they are getting some support from Facebook or something like that, it at least lets them know they are accepted at some level."