The BIG Question

In Finding a Host and Decisions...Easy, I shared how I came to find a home for my class site and how my classmates chose to keep it through 2020. So we settled in, pages were good and classmates continued to join. I could step away, check on it from time-to-time and all would be fine. Honestly, I would not have been the only one doing so, but...

'Build it and they will come' works. Provide content that is interesting; give them the ability to connect using the site messaging system and guess what - they return again and again. Watching the statistics of log-ins, it happens on the three membership sites I built and maintain. This is where I bring up The BIG Question, you know you are wondering...

How much time will this take?
Answer: As little or as much time as you wish to put into it.
I admit, that is not a fair answer. The thing is we all have days, weeks or longer that we simply do not have the time to spruce up our sites - especially those of us who have 3, 5 or 10 year subscriptions. You have a choice. There is no reason to do it all alone - find someone to help with photos, put up surveys or maybe write a monthly article. As the one who started the site, you can add admins who work under your direction; and just for you, I have two tips that will help save time:

• We share. As a site administrator on Class Creator, you are not alone and welcome to visit the forums where we all ask our 'how to' questions and share with each other. Example: You visit one of my sites and like the Christmas page or Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day page. (Yes, there IS a Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!) You would like to add it to your site but do not want to borrow it without asking. Trust me, I found it on another admin's site so go ahead - copy it. Yet if you ask me for it, I may have time to send you the coding and you are almost done!
• Plan ahead. Whether you copy a page from another site or have an idea for a future holiday or event, you can create the page now without making it active. Then when its time, check the Active box and it is visible to your members! So when you have a rainy day or just want to spend some time on a site, plan ahead and build one or more pages to share with your members another day.

Yes, there are days or weeks I do little on my sites. Then it happens. I get going and do not want to stop. Hmmm... somewhat like this post.

Until next time...

A Variety of Membership Sites and More

Don't let the name Class Creator fool you. The name is simply insight into how it all began. Yes, there are class, multiple year and school association sites; yet on Class Creator there are:

• Families
• Homeowner associations
• Veteran groups and
• Fishing Clubs, to name a few!

Though Professor O wrote about this in his May 15th blog "Can I Use Class Creator To Build A Site For Our School, Or Other Purpose...", I am here to share the admin's view. As one who has built and maintained four sites, I will be building another and most likely - another. Don't take my word for it, take a look at the Featured Sites on Class Creator's home page. When you do, move your mouse over each thumbnail to read what the admin running the site had to write about their experience. As I did, I recognized some of the names; yet there were others I did not. One comment just about says it all:

"We joined ClassCreator soon after it was established several years ago. I can only say, it's been a great ride....Brad and the ClassCreator staff are attentive, receptive to new ideas, forever improving and adding features, offer exceptional support. Dealing with ClassCreator is almost like calling your neighbor to come over and help. ....... no I'm not getting paid to say these nice things. I just appreciate a well run operation and ClassCreator it just that."

- Twiggs County High School Class of 1960

If you are looking for a place to host your site, stop and give the 7-day free trial on Class Creator a try. When you do, you will find others who started just like you in the Help Forums listed under your Admin Functions. Do not hesitate to come to the forums to ask for help. We'll be happy to see you!

Finding a Host and Decisions...Easy

Love surprises? I do. Not long ago, I received one via email. It was an invitation to share my experiences as a site administrator here - for Class Creator. Would I accept? Certainly, it is a honor to be a part of this. Yet, every journey has a beginning and this opportunity took me back to how it all began.

How did I get here? Well, "You will be a leader of your high school class in a place you will not be able to see" was never in my fortune cookie. The Chicago area psychic didn't predict it after graduation and she did not say that my high school class would some day be in my computer. Back then, did I know what a computer was?

In 2009, I had a surprise request from a classmate... would I plan our 40th reunion? Though I had experience, I had not been to one class reunion. I recalled who planned the 30th reunion and began searching for his email address.

Immediately, I started a class group page on Facebook. That led to a free site - thanks to one of technology’s major companies. I jumped right into building the site. Yet, I was unable to do all I wanted. I wanted instant messaging, a map and more. My list of wants grew and my success at finding free plug-ins failed with each search.

The person who planned previous reunions was located, planned our dinner and began taking registrations. I decided to add a school tour and gathering at a local bar the night before the dinner. Everything was going well and I should have been pleased as punch that soon the web site and all would be finished, but no – not me.

Less than two months before the reunion, I ramped up for another search. Into the search bar I keyed free maps for web sites. Once again, I began checking the results from the top. Four or five links into it, I found myself on a host of class sites – Class Creator. I had no intention of moving the site for less than sixty days but I had to see the map. I saw the map and… oh my, there was everything I wanted and more! Maps, the ability maintain classmates' contact information, birthday announcements, instant messaging, and online classmate registration! I sat staring at the features offered by Class Creator and knew I wanted to move our class site right then!

So it began. Soon our class name, school colors and mascot were in place. I copied a few pages into this new site and wanted to share it with friends. Not yet, I had two more things to do. I added the donation button and sent an email invitation to all classmates asking them to visit the site, look around and donate to the site’s subscription if they liked what they saw.

Did my classmates like what they saw on the temporary site hosted by Class Creator? YES! They donated on the site and the first year subscription was paid in full. Not only that, as soon as I added our reunion details into the Reunion Planner module, classmates began registering for the reunion on the site!

It didn’t end there. In the midst of the holiday shopping season that year, I sent out another email asking classmates if they would like to extend the site through our 50th reunion. Within days, they clicked on that donation button until we were paid through 2020! They paid for ten years! Who is the best? Well, my classmates for sure, but Class Creator is right there alongside them!

We all have our stories. It has taken some of us a few years before finding Class Creator. But, today, we are settled in! We welcome new administrators weekly in the Help Forums and online chats to discuss what is happening and ask each other for a 'tool' to solve something when needed. We are neighbors in this online community and give our time to provide an online home where classmates can reconnect.

Beyond the many tools available in building and using our sites, there is one main reason we stay: the unmatched customer service. In the forums, responses are received in a timely manner and there is a willingness to meet our needs, when possible. In addition, forum posts are answered by staff as if we are all friends. This special place for our sites is Class Creator.

Getting Reacquainted With Old Friends... Can I Change The Default Questions In The Classmate Profiles?

So, it's been 10, 20, 30 ... no, 50 years?  Can't be!  Wow, how times have changed.  We need to do some serious catching up and your high school web site can help you do just that.  Of course there are the message forums and message center areas for your classmates to communicate, but how about helping them to really build out a great profile?  How?  You can customize the questions that your classmate answers when they join the site.

Aside from all the default questions of contact information, where they live, occupation, etc.  Why not ask all the questions that matter to you most.  You can ask questions about the your high school years.  Sports memories?  Favorite teachers?  First dates?  But also ask about things that will help connect you to the years since you have seen your friends.

We have assembled a list of suggested questions that you can add to your classmate profiles page by going to the Profile Generator.  Many of these questions have also been suggested by other admins as well.  If you have good ones for the list, please chime in down in the comments area.

Here's our original list of suggestions: Where do you live now? Where else have you lived? If you could build a second house anywhere, where would it be? Still have family around "your area"? How often do you get back to "your area"? Would you ever move back to the area? Do you still see/talk to/hang out with any classmates? Who? What did you do right after high school? What do you do now? How did you get into that? What did you want to do or think you were going to do when you finished high school? Past jobs? What did you always want to do that you haven't done yet? High points of your life since high school? Married? to whom? When? How long? Kids? Grand kids? What do you like to do in your spare time? Any vices? Travel much? What's the farthest you've been from home? Favorite place to go? Places you want to go? How old do you feel? Any gray hair yet? What would we be surprised to know about you? Did you have any nicknames in school? Any nicknames now? What's your favorite memory of FHS? Least favorite memory? Biggest thing you would do differently if you went back to your time at FHS? What are your memories of high school (i.e. secret crush, embarrassing moment, funniest thing you did in high school, favorite high school hang out, favorite teachers)? Favorite Drinks? Favorite sports? Favorite Food? Favorite Movies? Favorite music? What was the last cd you bought? Famous or interesting people you've met? Cool things you've done? Any words of wisdom? Anything else we should know?

Here's more submitted by a Class Creator Site Administrator: Gone on a blind date? Skipped school? Watched someone die? Been lost? States you've lived in? Countries you've visited? Gone to Washington, DC? Swam in the ocean? Cried yourself to sleep? Played cops and robber or cowboys and Indians? Recently colored with crayons / colored pencils? Sang Karaoke? Paid for a meal with coins only? Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Made prank phone calls? Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Danced your heart out? Written a letter to Santa Claus? Been kissed under the mistletoe? Watched the sunrise with someone? Blown bubbles? Gone ice-skating? Been skinny dipping outdoors? Sat outside in the rain? Lived one of your dreams? Gotten divorced? Been in love? Any nickname? Favorite drink? Body Piercings? What animal would you be if you could choose one? Birthplace? Favorite vacation spot? Ever been to Africa? Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Ever been on TV? Ever steal any traffic signs? Ever been in a car accident? Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? Favorite brand of body wash? Favorite TV show? Favorite number? Favorite movie? Favorite holiday? Favorite dessert? Favorite food? Favorite day of the week? Name something you love. Favorite toothpaste? Favorite smell? How do you relax? How do you see yourself in 10 years? When was the last time you belly laughed?

Personally, I think the Administrator's questions are great!  Have fun.  Get engaged.  Connecting again will be fun and the more you do to get your classmates involved on your site now, the better your event will be!

Have more suggested questions - enter them in the comments below!

Rock Your Site By Adding Music

A very popular feature that admins like to add to their web sites is a music playlist.  Admins frequently add these to their homepage, photo galleries and other pages of the site.  You can also choose to add your music player with "pop out" player functionality, which means that it will open in a new window, in the background, and remain playing while your user navigates the site.

There are a couple options for how to add a music playlist to your site.  You could choose to use the Playlist Generator that is included with your site if you have MP3 files on your computer that you can upload.  Or, you could choose a 3rd party music playlist system such as Playlist.com or Grooveshark.com (among others), and utilize their Embed / Share tools for adding the player to your page.

The process is fairly simple.  Once you have a playlist built one the system of your choice, you will do the following:

1. Locate their Embed Code link
2. Copy the code
3. Return to your site and go to Edit Site Pages > Edit Page next to the page you wish to add the player
4. Locate the Content Window and click SOURCE in the upper left corner of the tools
5. Paste the Embed Code into the source view
6. Save the page and go to the page via the site navigation to test the player

There are a few things to note.  If the player is to be seen near the top of the homepage, it can be no wider than 420 pixels. [UPDATE: No wider than 459 pixels or if in an announcement no wider than 437] ,   You may need to change a few width numbers in the Source view of your Content Window in order to have your video display at this width.  If you notice a large blank area near the top portion of your page where you would expect to see the player, you know that the player is too wide and that you need to make some tweaks to the code.

The process for adding any 3rd party embed code to the site is always the same.  So, the above directions will work for adding countdown clocks and YouTube.com videos to your site as well.  We have also produced a very short video that will walk you through the process.

Good luck adding a music player to your site.  Music can spur memories from your high school years!

What Is The Maximum Width For Images or 3rd Party Objects I Embed On My Site?

It is important that you understand the width limitations of the pages of your site in terms of the photos you want to display and the third party objects that you want to embed on your pages.  These third party object would include Youtube videos, music players from sources such as Playlist.com and Grooveshark.com, as well as slide shows from Photobucket.com and other popular sites.

• HOME PAGE: Avoid uploading images or placing third party embedded objects on your home page that are any wider than 459 pixels. Your home page is designed with 2 columns one for Home Page Content and the other for your Right Hand Modules. Any images placed near the top the falls to the left of the Right Hand Modules needs to be no wider than 459 pixels.  If that area is occupied by your Announcements, see below. If any third party object code that you paste into the Source view contains widths that exceed 459 pixels, you will need to go back into the Source view and adjust the widths so your object is 459 pixels or less.
   
• HOME PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH NO BULLETS: Any images or third party embedded objects placed into the Source of your Announcements must be no wider than 437 pixels.
• HOME PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH BULLETS: Images or third party embedded objects inserted into the Source view of your Announcements area need to be no wider than 429 pixels wide if you opt to have the auto bullet feature turned on for your Announcements. This will place a bullet to the left of each Announcement.
   
• SUB PAGES: All sub pages contain a body area that can display images and third party objects no wider than 685 pixels. You have precisely 685 pixels of space in your content area.  If your images or objects are any wider, you will notice that it effects the layout of the template.  This 685 width does provide a small area or white space that will surround your image to the left and right.
   

It is important that you check the way your site looks from time to time in different browsers.  There are 4 browsers that I typically check including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Each of these browsers handle content is a slightly different way.  If you ever have a classmate report to you that something is not looking quite right, be sure to ask them what browser they are viewing you site in so that you can take a closer look.  That is also important information for us, if you ultimately end up needing to contact us for assistance. 

How Do Classmates Communicate Via The Web Site?

Your classmates can communicate in a variety of ways. Your web site will include numerous communication tools for your classmates to use to communicate with each other, none of which will require them to share their email address with classmates. Your classmate's email addresses are never published publicly with their privacy in mind.

Your site will include a Message Center in which classmates can send private messages directly to one another, as well as groups of classmates within the system.  You can also choose to activate your Message Forums which will encourage others to join in on the conversation.  You can set up individual topics such as High School Sports or Prom Memories, anything that will spark up a great trip down memory lane.

The Message / Announcement Board is more of a one page, ongoing area to post general comments for all to see.  In addition, your classmates will use Notify Me to select their Classmate Profile Subscriptions in which they will receive email alerts based upon their own specific Notify Me settings.

Of course one of the best ways for your classmates to inform others about their lives is to encourage them to update their Classmate Profiles page.  They can add photos, videos and stories about their lives today.  You can even customize the questions that they answer!

Platinum customers can take advantage of our Live Chat and Instant Messenger so that your classmates can communicate real time, instantly, when they see each other online.  

All of these communication tools are designed to enhance your class web site experience, keep the communication flowing and encourage your classmates to return to your site time and time again.  Once your classmates get involved, you can keep them involved!  That is the power of having a site admin who can keep things fresh and interesting by providing new content for the site keeps interest in your class alive!

Can I Use Class Creator To Build A Site For Our School, Or Other Purpose, But Not Specifically For A Graduating Class?

Absolutely! Your Class Creator web site comes loaded with functionality built specifically for the purpose of organizing a successful class reunion.  However, your site is customizable and any specific page or function can be turned off from your admin area under Edit Site Pages. Pages can be renamed, or turned off completely if desired.  From the Edit Site Pages screen, simply uncheck any class functions that are not applicable to your use.  You also have full control over the order of the links that your members see, as well as have the ability to create dropdown and flyout menus when needed.  If your site does not require membership, you can simply turn off the Classmate Profiles page as well as remove the login box from the homepage.  Just remember to bookmark the login link that we will provide to you as you will need that to log in and maintain your site.

example site: Carolina Military Academy

From your Preferences link you can choose to modify the use of the word "Classmate" on a global level, and substitute the word with any word of your choice.  For example, depending on the target audience of your site, you could choose to modify your verbiage to Family Members, Neighbors, Resort Owners, etc.   Admins are frequently using the Class Creator system for non class reunion web sites.

Additionally, with the recent release of our Advanced Design Templates, we now offer the ability for you to download a Photoshop PSD document.  This PSD can be modified to meet your needs and then uploaded back into the system for a completely custom look.  Class Creator is working hard to build as much of the system to be as flexible as possible for our admins, so that you have as much control over the content and the design as possible. 

What Makes Class Creator Unique?

The Class Creator system brings together 5 connected elements into 1 comprehensive tool. We built this system with the objective of providing you with an easy to use tool to keep your Classmates connected and communicating for a lifetime. The 5 elements include:

1. Your Private Web Site is solely for the use of your Classmates: All Class Creator web sites are free to join and use by your classmates. You will never see any advertising on your site.  The design templates are attractive and customizable, and allow you to create a professional web site that you can be proud to present to your class.
    
2. A Sophisticated Reunion Planner: Class Creator sites include a powerful Reunion Planner that allows for reunion / event registration, payments to be received online, attendee tracking, reporting tools and more.
    
3. Class Creator web sites include a full Content Management System (CMS): Your web site will be easy to maintain. You do NOT need to know HTML.  The system eliminates the necessity to maintain separate documents.  You will have access to current downloadable spreadsheets of Classmate information and profiles as well as your list of Missing Classmates.  All Reunion Planner reports are included as well. These features save you time, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of your entire class being able to easily staying in touch with one another for a lifetime.
    
4. Your Class Creator web site is a Social Networking System: From profile subscriptions to a personal message center for all of your members, your class web site will keep your Classmates connected and coming back for more.  They will receive notifications based upon their own Notify Me settings, allowing them to customize their site notification experience.
    
5. New features for 2013: Big news is coming to Class Creator sites in 2013, and while I can't spill the beans on all of the details, I can say that the plans revolve heavily around Facebook.  This promises to enhance the classmate communication experience for your site!

Above all else, and built into the 5 elements of the Class Creator system, we maintain one basic objective...  The Class Creator sites must be so easy to build, maintain and use, that anybody can do it.  And we mean it.  We have graduating classes that range from the 2000's to the 1950's.  Ease of use is at the center of our mission for our site administrators.

Am I Suited To Be The Site Administrator?

I don’t think I’m the best suited administrator for my class web site. How do I determine who should run our site?

In the Class Creator system, the Site Administrator is typically the person who maintains your class list after graduation. This could be the class President or a Reunion Committee chair. The person who initiates the site first, is considered to be the Root Admin.  Our system allows the Root Admin to assign multiple co-Administrators and assign them individual admin permissions.  This allows the Root Admin to delegate particular site responsibilities for maintaining the reunion web site among other people.  In other words, if you start the site, you don't have to tackle the job all alone.

We work hard to build a system that admins of all technical skill levels can manage to operate.  Class Creator has admins from classes that graduated in the 2000's and every decade back to the 1950's.  Users of all ages and backgrounds build successful sites with us every day.  So, before dismissing the task of building your class reunion web site due to thinking that you are not the right person, I challenge you to go ahead and give it a whirl.  You might find out that it's easier than you think.  And in the worst case, you can always get other co-Admin classmates to give you a hand.

One last piece of advice, get to know our help forums.  These help forums are full of other admins who are just like you.  These admins come to the help forums to look for answers, post forum topics on anything and everything class reunion site related, and they can give a ton of great advice on any of your questions. These experienced admins are the real class reunion experts, and many of them take part in the help forums and make our forums a really great community.

At Class Creator, you don't have to be a computer programmer or a web designer, it's so easy, ANYBODY can do it!