The 3 biggest questions (by far) we get about the upcoming Class Connection Facebook application are:

1) I have some classmates who don't want to share information on Facebook. What can I tell them?

2) I have some classmates who don't use Facebook. How does this affect them?

3) I have some classmates who hate Facebook and are concerned about this in general.

While I realize the majority of people are very excited about the upcoming Facebook app, these questions above are certainly prudent and require a thorough answer. Hopefully my answers below can help you answer these questions for your own classmates:

1) Classmates are concerned about sharing information on Facebook: This really isn't how Facebook apps work. In fact it's the exact opposite. Facebook shares information with us (the app developer). We are not sharing information with Facebook at all. Facebook literally has no idea what we're doing in the app. Thus, if somebody puts in private info in a profile, or anywhere else on the site, none of that stuff can get pulled in by Facebook. It's on our servers and fully protected 100% like it is on Class Creator already. No names, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, private communications, etc. can be picked up by Facebook. While I guess I should never say 100% for sure to anything, I know of no possible way Facebook could do this whatsoever. There is no mechanism to allow for it. Thus, this simply isn't going to happen. Also: No information is going to get shared on Class Connection (note I said Class Connection not Facebook because there's a big distinction) that the classmate doesn't allow. For instance, if a classmate has permitted his or her profile to only fellow classmates, then that same profile will only be visible to classmates on Class Connection from your own class and nobody else. All privacy settings remains precisely as they are now. No difference.

2) I've got classmates who don't use Facebook: No problem. Just keep logging into the site. These classmates will miss nothing. Facebook is just another "door" to the site data so to speak. Everything you can do on Facebook you can also do on your own private web site. The app just opens a very big and easy door to classmate who want to participate from there.

3) Some of my classmates hate Facebook: Well, everyone certainly has an opinion. We're clearly very pro Facebook or we wouldn't be building an app. If somebody hates Facebook, don't sign up for Facebook. These folks can keep logging in via the site just as they do now. Like #2 above, they're going to miss out on nothing. Everything is right on your site and again, some classmates can participate via the app, but for these folks who dislike Facebook they'll just see everything happening from your private site like always.

We will have at least a couple live training sessions before Class Connection goes live on Facebook. These sessions will be recorded and available for playback to all admins any time. We'll cover any concerns and answer all of your questions. Once we do that each admin has the option to opt into the app, or not. For those who want nothing to do with this you can simply not turn it on and everything will remain just as it is now. For those who do opt into the app I think we're making a very exciting new doorway to your world possible.

Hope this sheds a little light on the issue and again, look for the live trainings coming up shortly. We'll really get into details there.

Will a minimum Facebook presence be required of all classes in the integration app, such as having every class year, with a Class Creator account, listed under the school and a "home" like page for the class on Facebook (to which classmates will be referred to the website home page?)

I would wish that this Facebook thing would go away We don't need it.

Paul Henderson wrote:

Then don't use it. It's your option.

It is totally optional, gentlemen.

I get the need to understand the privacy side of Class Connection.

In a phone call with my high school's district superintendent yesterday, I shared how I am very cautious to add an admin to either of my school sites who would have access to addresses and phone numbers - available only from the back of the site. I share this to give you how strongly I feel about privacy. It is not an 'oh well' from me. It is the absolute most important thing about each of the sites I have. I am serious about the privacy of my members' (classmates and admins on TAP).

Quite honestly, I was not sure of the app in the beginning but after reading all Brad has written here in the Help Forums; a few direct questions; what he has shared in TAP chats and reading what some of you have to say... I trust Class Creator's app. I could have continued to have my doubts but see no reason to and will be sharing information with members of my sites AFTER I have heard/read Brad's full details prior to opening the app on Facebook.

My experience with Class Creator over the past three years is that they take our concerns and wishes to heart. If they did not, they'd be just another company out there and I am confident the phrases "grandfathered in" and "wish list" would not be in anything they write.

Remember, Class Creator has been, continues to be and most likely will always be very aware of our concerns and thoughts. We are not alone here, they are sitting right here with us and will be certain we have the information we need to share with our committees and/or members.

I see where it is easy to over-think all this and how concerns can become so high.... don't let them. As FC wrote, you do not have to use the app/turn it on. Hang in there with the rest of us and we'll get the rest of the info as soon as they are ready.

Now back to your regularly scheduled site tasks and emails. And friends... smile. This is a place to keep it light and welcoming.

F C Bock wrote:

This is dividing us all and it's unfortunate. (Get on board, get out of the way or let the Facebook Express run over ya?)

F C Bock wrote:

Gwen, That was well said and for those who care to understand why this is a needed app I will share some figures. Social media is one of the fastest growing forms of communication. It was said that 5,000,000,000+ minutes are spent on Facebook daily. Over 1,000,000,000 pieces of "Content" are shared each week on Facebook. 93% of Social Media users believe a company should have a presence in social media and 85% believe a company should go further than just having a presence ie: Interact!! (2008 Cone Study).
Anyway, with this rapid growth of Social Interaction I see CC just giving us another piece of exposure to bring our Classmates and Friends to our sites.

My point is I am in no way divisive. I felt that I could at let state my opinion. SO I must apologize to you and the administrators for my short-sightedness in the matter. Many people use FB but I fail to see the relevance of this being used in relation to our site. Again it was only an opinion and I know I do not have to use it and obviously will not use it. But again, I just was stating an opinion. Apologies to you all.

As a developer it's our job to meet the needs of the users. There's many users (especially with the younger classes) who plan to run their class ONLY through Facebook and not even have a private site at all. There's no divide. The reality is after launching Class Connection on Facebook 3 things will be possible and YOU get to make the decision where you'll fall:

1) You will NOT allow your site data to share out to the app and you will continue doing what you have always done. I.E. no change.

2) You will opt into the app and classmates can participate with your class on your private web site AND through the Facebook app. Just another door to your class world.

3) You will ONLY run your class on Facebook through Class Connection and not maintain a private site at all.

It really depends on your class, your goals, and what you want out of this. Many of the younger classes simply aren't going to run a private site outside of Facebook. Yet they want to network with their class with Class Creator tools. That's the whole purpose of the app. It's for those who want or feel they need it.

The key thing here is the word optional. Nobody can tell somebody they can't run their stuff via Facebook if that's what they prefer to do, any more than they can tell you that you must run your stuff through Facebook if that's something you don't want to do. There's no right or wrong. Each admins gets to decide what's right or wrong for him or herself. Whatever decision ANY admin makes here doesn't need to have any impact on the decision you choose to make for your class. If you're not into Facebook and you don't want to utilize the app simply don't turn it on. It's that simple. Numerous people are looking forward to using the new Class Connection Facebook tools and as Bub Cullen stated our future in this industry is in part dependent on Class Creator adequately addressing the needs and wants of Facebook users. Thus the existence of the Class Connection app.

Thanks for the numbers, Bob.

Somewhere... probably more than once, I have said in these forums that I am NOT a fan of Facebook. I am on it simply to be in contact with alumni and let those who are not aware that we have web sites know about them.

Do I post personal info? Yes. Why? Simply to stay in touch rather than all school site business.

Does it work? The compliments I received this past week from more than one alum says "Yes!" The compliments from the superintendent yesterday made it more than worth it.

If the Class Connection app were not in the near future, would I still have a presence on Facebook? Yes. Why? Because as Bob and Brad stated, that is where our members prefer to connect not just with fellow alumni but with fellow workers, family, neighbors (old and new) and more. It is not going away, so I'm hanging in and making the best of it.

Last but not least, I hope no one took my last post as dividing any of us. We are all in this together and I was simply sharing and hoping to lighten the discussion.

To close, this just came into my thoughts:

Class Creators (admins) - UNITE and have a great day!

Two camps: Yay or Nay. No unity in the community. Must a none participating, by choice, class, ultimately, be represented on Facebook?

I personally don't think so BUT, who am I to predict the future. I see the "Younger" people moving away from desktop and laptop computers in favor of the lighter more versatile tablets & smart devices. The use of the cloud gives them flexibility to access info anywhere.
I can also see this as another way for CC to "interact" with their admins in the future. Heck, our class sites are social media aren't they??

This is a very good question Gary just asked.

The answer is both yes and no. Let me explain: You can't launch a Facebook app that somebody can't use. I.E. if they go to install Class Connection, then they must be able to install Class Connection. So it's a "yes" in as much as they can install the app.

When they get to the app though, what's going to happen is they will be advised (if you have elected NOT to share your site data with the app that is) that you have a full private class site and a clickable URL will be provided. Thus most people will click out to your site and join as usual.

If somebody installs Class Connection and you have a private site and are NOT sharing your data with Facebook, that person can still use standard functions of the app. For instance, they could visit another class via the app. The could exchange emails with somebody from another class via the app. They just wouldn't see any data from your web site on the app. For instance, your entire class list won't be there, your home page, any custom pages you've added, polls, surveys, etc. -- none of those things will be present on the app unless you voluntarily share your site data with the app.

Gary Hodge wrote:

Who can 'sign up' a class for Class Connection when it goes to open status for all?
1 - Root Admin only?
2 - Someone who is allowed to 'Manage Classmates'?
3 - or other admin's [if so, which feature allows them to sign up the class]
I know a couple of non-Root Admin's who do all of the work for their site who are too shy to post here.

My confusion now is about the use of this application. Is it for individual users only per PC or will an administrator installing the application cause all members to have this option on the site? So the question basically is does this application in any wise install to the site page of a particular class site? I admit I have not read and digested everything written on this subject so far but I have gleaned from all the comments.

Rephrasing what Brad said:
After the ClassConnections Facebook APP goes live, ANYONE can install that app from Facebook. Then they can sign in to ClassConnections with their school name and year of graduation. How the application responds after they install and sign in is up to the Root Admin of the actual website.
1. If the Root Admin has allowed Facebook, they will either sign in with their username/password or they will sign up with the Member Wizard.
2. If the Root Admin has NOT ALLOWED Facebook, then nothing from the actual website will be shown. They will be given a link to the ClassCreator.com or the domain name you have chosen for your website.
3. If no ClassCreator website has been created for the school name/year, the person will then be allowed to create a ClassCreator website through Facebook. At that time, they will have a ClassCreator website as if they found the www.classcreator.com and did the create website from that page. However in this instance, they most likely will just access the website through Facebook since that is how they discovered it. But they will have a choice to access the website through Facebook or Classcreator.com just like you already have that option.

So this means that the class website will not refer to Facebook in any way but Facebook will refer to the class website if so installed by the root administrator? Still a little confused!! Then does this mean that anyone signing through Facebook or even using Facebook can access my personal info from the class website? Please, simplify the answers so I can digest. I understand the other answers but I am seeing gaps in the final processes referred to that confuse me. Maybe my ignorance.

When the Facebook App is available for everyone, there will be an option on your PREFERENCES page to turn Facebook ON or OFF.

On Facebook itself, it will NEVER display anything from your class website. It doesn't ever have access to your website content. If the classmate installs the ClassConnection Facebook APP, then they must run that application to access the data in your website. The Root Admin can control if when the classmate tries to access the website information they are allowed to see anything or not by the above PREFERENCES page control. If it is ON, they are allowed in after they sign up. If it is OFF, they will see nothing.

The ClassConnection Facebook App was written by ClassCreator. The ClassConnection App runs inside of Facebook, but Facebook doesn't know about any of the data that is displaying or is accessed by the application.

I just got connected to become a class connection live beta tester.

What is the desired Forum String to post as issues are noted during testing?

Also, I understand there are certain 'already known' functions within class connection that are recognized for programming changes. Is it possible to get brief list of those items, so that testing will not overlap reporting already known issues?

Also, I would like to know the desired forum string for beta testing, as I am sure there are items of discovery that I would be interested in reading so that I might learn a thing or two.

In the ClassConnection app, there is a fixed window on the right side that is provided by Facebook. Scroll to the bottom of that window and you will see these options:

Class Connection · App Privacy · App Terms · Report/Contact this App

You can use the "Report/Contact this App" to report problems.

I don't know of any list of problems that is in the forums. You can also reply back on this forum thread with issues you discover.