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CC plans for indiv class reunions from multiclass site

Forums: General Discussion
Created on: 05/29/11 11:17 AM Views: 1534 Replies: 13
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 11:17 AM

Since we've established our all-school multiclass site, we've had some discussions with individual classes about maintaining records on a single large database and running class reunions off that database. Currently as I understand it, if an individual class wants to maintain their information, I can provide admin access to the class coordinators on our site and they can use what we have as their base and update from there. This single database is the way we want to go.

Unfortunately, I believe if a class now wants to set up a "subsite" and be able to post their own galleries, run forums, etc and run their own reunion, they have to purchase a site from you and then we would have to download, extract and send them the records we have so that they can populate their CC site; full profiles would for individuals would need to be re-entered (not a good thing). Several I talked to would prefer not to do this separate db routine and like the idea that there is one place where all records go and then a given reunion would have access to their class.

Perhaps with your big update coming, we'll have the ability to create a situation where, for example, a school's alumni group could maintain one set of records (sort of like the transcript file in our school's vault) and people would have one place to create and update their profiles. Then when a class wanted to run a reunion, they would pay you some annual fee for a subsite where those reunion coordinators would see only their classmates, and be able to do whatever. This would also allow for one point of entry into alumni and reunion information.

Is something like this in the plans for the "new" CC? I can sell class reunions on using your site if this single database concept is used. If we have to continue to work off extracts, they various classes will definitely go their own way, particularly when they discover that much profile info they already have doesn't transfer to their individual reunion site. One other feature that would be helpful is that a class could have access to other classes for their reunion information - there are a number of reasons for this that I won't go into here.

To me, all this is doable with a good relational database design which I'm sure you are capable of. I will be interested in your thinking here and perhaps what others using the multiclass feature of CC might be thinking about.

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Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 1:21 PM - Response #1

Thanks for your comments Joe. Shortly the Reunion Planner will be capable of not only planning multiple events that constitute a reunion, but multiple simultaneous reunions for our multi year schools. This is only one step in the right direction however for what you'd ultimately like to see. We actually have a significant alumni plan we're going to tackle here that will allow multiple single year sites to function under one alumni umbrella. There is a huge thread about this here:

http://www.classcreator.com/admin_tasks_..._id=18453&takedibs=y

Bottom line we're waiting for 2 things to happen first:

1) Completion of the upcoming Class Creator 3.0 revisions, a huge serious of updates to existing features many of which must launch simultaneously. We're currently in what we've internally dubbed "the lockdown" while the Programmers coordinate these updates. First of the 3.0 updates launching soon.

2) Off season: November and December are by far the slowest months here. People are focused on Holidays and travel and virtually all reunions are over for the year. It's a great time to make significant changes to the system before the traffic rush returns after Christmas. We're targeting this time period for our alumni system revisions. It's a long wait still but with the significant 3.0 revisions underway it's probably about the soonest we can get to it anyway.

When we do delve into the new alumni system it's going to be very cool so stay tuned.


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Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 2:06 PM - Response #2

We're handling different reunions on our multi-class site but right now it's a custom page Reunion Calendar (table) for with the info when, where & whom to contact for each year.

Then we have another custom page for Reunion Details of each reunion, password protected. It's actually a photo gallery containing a grid of links to each class having a reunion, and then separate hidden gallery pages for each class. There we display the entire announcement given to us by the class reps. No money collected, though.

Looking forward to the new multi-year, multi-reunion planner!

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 8:41 PM - Response #3

We actually have a significant alumni plan we're going to tackle here that will allow multiple single year sites to function under one alumni umbrella. There is a huge thread about this here:

http://www.classcreator.com/admin_tasks_..._id=18453&takedibs=y

Hello Brad! You peaked my curiousity when you stated the above pasted comment. I tried to access the huge thread, but requires a Class Creator log-on of which I do not possess. Your original post was June 2011 and I am curious to know if there are updates or advances that have been achieved to allow multiple single year sites to function under one alumni umbrella. At this time my school alumni have 5 consecutive class sites and will possibly be adding a 6th soon (class years '78, '79, '80, 81, '82 and anticipating '83 soon). My class year ('81) is currently planning annual events for all alumni and asking other classes alumni to JOIN our site as guests so we can keep the lines of communication effectively open via email the class updates about the upcoming events, as we cannot rely on those other classes admins to effectively relay updates and timing of such last minute type updates for events would not be effective. So looking forward to any news or light you can shed on the multi-year umbrella type site.
Thanks!
Marla

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Edited 08/08/12 8:43 PM
Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 11:32 PM - Response #4

Brad meant to paste this thread:

http://forums.classcreator.com/messages....F31-0AE029AC1B4A2BD9


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Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 2:38 AM - Response #5

Hi Marla. We recently released a new Reunion Planner with new abilities for multi year sites. You can now have more than one active reunion at a time. I.E. you can now plan multiple simultaneous reunions for single year sites within a multi year site structure. We have additional multi year enhancements to make after the conclusion of the current reunion season (about another 8 weeks). We try to do a lot of major structural changes in the reunion off season. We're currently adding social media integration so Class Creator classes can grow within existing social media structures while maintaining the uniqueness and individuality of the class. For instance Classmates will be able to join the site simply by inputting their Facebook login and password. Non-facebook users will still be able to join the traditional way. There's quite a bit more to this that I'll be announcing when it comes out.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 1:46 PM - Response #6

Are there any recent updates to a multiclass site. Our high school is having a 40th anniversary of its opening and planning a huge reunion in October. My class (one) already uses class creator and we had a successful 30th reunion. Is there a good option for multiclass reunion sites? Any help is appreciated. I have a conference call at 7:30 ET time tonight to discuss registration and payments, so any help would be appreciated.

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Edited 06/12/13 1:52 PM
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:14 PM - Response #7

I really like these idears. I am sure they will be very useful to our site.
Thanks

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:42 PM - Response #8

There haven't been any updates to the multi-year alumni websites except the Reunion Planner now handles multiple events. After the Facebook Intgration tools ar released, a better Reunion Planner will be released. I am not sure when the plans for additional multi-alumni website features are scheduled.


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Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 8:51 PM - Response #9

This is big for us. We have uploaded over half -I believe- of Yearbook pictures. Now I can print any year, no probleminski.

I am not sure how I feel about the facebook thing. I know that everybody uses it and we may even find more people from it. I guess I am worried about change. I like this and I do not want to lose anything.

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Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 3:31 AM - Response #10

Hi Ray,

As I have written previously, I am not a fan of Facebook. I am on it and participate because of my classmates. That shared, in regards to Class Connection (CC's integration with Facebook), you mention you do not like change. Smile Hey, we made it to the other side of CC's 3.0. Wink

Remember the option is up to you, the root, to allow classmates to 'open the door to your site' (click to get in) when they are in Facebook. I do not see it as what we could lose. I see it as the member registrations we will gain.

Consider this... Jane Doe has not found many members of her class for one of many reasons. She didn't remember names to run a search or may not have wanted to begin searching for names. (The latter is not an easy task.) One day, she sees the opportunity on Facebook to look up Bensalem Twp High School and finds it. Now she is interested. She clicks and enters a world new to her with photos of a school she remembers and a list of names that bring memories flooding back to her. That is the key of this integration. It is a win for the sites that gain members. It is a win for our members simply because they will no longer have to open a new tab or window to get to our site. They can simply click into it from Facebook.

Now I am not a sales person for Class Creator's Class Connection. This is from what I have learned and the amount of thought I have given it. There is one more thing... we can always lock the door if we choose.

No pressure. No nudging. Simply my thoughts. Cool

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Edited 06/13/13 3:33 AM
Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 9:28 AM - Response #11

Gwen,
Thanks for talking me down. I was getting close to the edge.

I will turn it around and embrace the change. I guess that is what keeps you so young.

ray

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Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 1:22 PM - Response #12

One quick point: Facebook is just a shell. The APP, which is us, is Class Connection. When you're using an app you're really not using Facebook at all (other than tying into a few functions here and there). You're primarily using our system though. I.E. this system. It's really quite cool. But, it's only for those who want it. Nobody has to connect with Facebook. Each and every admin gets to run their site how they see fit. For those who are excited about the Facebook connections, it'll be worth the wait. We're doing some really neat things in here and I'm looking forward to the app launching this summer.


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Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 2:01 PM - Response #13

Gosh, Ray. I had no idea. Think we need a new item in the smile options... a rope! Wink So happy to have pulled you back in from the edge! Can't lose you! You are one of the admins I want to be part of a multi-class / association site chat on TAP!

Oh and Ray... you can embrace the change and not open the door to Class Connection. If you do, you can always close and lock it. To me, this is one of the things CC realized would be important to us! Smile

About what keeps me young... hm. I have some old-fashioned ways and or thoughts but you are only as old as you feel and I am not accepting o-l-d. Very Happy

Every now and then you need to turn up the old music and dance - at least in your seat... though it is kinda hard to edit a page at the same time! Now where is that link to Doo Wah Diddy?

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