Hi!
We've just had a combined high school reunion with classes representing a span of 45 years.
We would like to upload reunion pictures from a number of our our classmates. Any suggestions for the best process/methods/format for gathering the pictures and uploading? Thanks!

I would either create your own gallery using one of your Customizable Links pages, or set up a Reunion Pictures forum in your threaded forums (User Forums). Many people have been using the threaded forums for posting, sharing, and discussing reunion photos. It's a nice way for everyone to be able to participate.

What would be the best way to upload class reunion pictures creating my own gallery under the Customizable links for everyone to post their picture to a common area?

Many people simply upload them without much structure, like this. If you want to try getting fancy, create a table to hold your gallery structure. For example if you want to post 20 photos, you could create a table 2 columns wide x 10 rows. Put one photo in every table cell. You'll wind up with a nice two column photo layout. Just be sure that the combined width of your 2 photos don't exceed the total allowable with of the page.

Hi,

In what format, or how do classmates send their photos to us?

What do we tell them they need to do to get their pictures to me .............. just send their digital photos to my regular Widows email address? Then I have to save them to my hard dirve as documents or images that can be uploaded to a customizable page using the image editor?

We can't use a Survey page?

Thanks!

You could use a Survey page, yes. Or any free Customizable Link page. Upcoming you'll also be able to use the Community Photo Gallery feature. For now the best way to get photos from your Classmates that you are going to post yourself is have them email them to you at your regular email address (in the JPG format preferably).

Thanks Bradster!

I want to take this opportunity to say that Classcreators IS a ministry as I have always said. Our class participation had been dwindling as far as Reunion interest and attendance. We decided to go all out and do a 3 day event b/c there is never enough time in one evening to really connect.

The Friday night Mixer at my house was attended by 119 people [ despite that fact that is was raining ]; the Saturday evening Party was embraced by almost 200; and we had almost 85 at the Sunday morning Brunch. We found out that some could not afford the other events, so we opened our home Sunday afternoon to about 20 more people!!

It was all due to the website!! In fact I had more people come up to me and say they were so tired of my saying "Brad this & Brad that & that", and "I should take some of the credit and not give it all to Brad" ha!

Anyway, more people connected in positive ways than I have spape to share. The key word, I think that describes this Reunion is "healing" & I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart! My thanks also to your family who have had to do without you more often than not, as well as the competent staff you have assembled. Yes, it "takes a village to pull of a reunion", but we needed a leader with a "vision" and I thank you for being willing to embrace that! Best Blessings, Nancee

Wow! Thank you very much Nancy. Much appreciated. I'm going to side with the others though -- take the credit. We provide some cool tools but how you use them is what matters.

Hi Brad,

As stated I want classmates to email the reunion pictures they just took to me so I can post on the newly created Survey page called "Reunion Gallery".

#1)One of our Techie guys wrote some instructions, but people are still not understanding how to send them to me.

Here is what he wrote:

"""My Suggestions for Uploading or sending pictures:

1) Create a folder in your document folder and title it "Your Name" Reunion #1. (There might be more later)

2) Drag in about 10mb of pictures (Right click on folder after dragging 4-5 pictures in it, go down to properties and left click or put the cursor over the folder it will tell how big the folder is this will show if it can take more or less pictures).

3) After folder is full (around 10+mb right click on it , go to "Send to" left click and send it to "Compressed zip folder". Now computer will create another folder named "Your Name" Reunion #1 but it will be a compressed folder. This will be a zipped (or compressed) file and you'll be able to e-mail it.

4.) Otherwise, if you have hundreds of phot's drag them to a CD and mail it out to Nancee.

5.) If you name the folder "Reunion #1" and Nancee gets 40 files with the same name they will write over each other and erase each other out. So, be sure to put "your Name" Reunion #1.

6.) Then create a second folder and name it "Your First Name #2, and so on and so forth.

7.) I don't know if Apple computers work this way. Maybe someone can send instructions for Macs.

8.) Be sure to sue the JPEG format because To copy and paste off a .pdf file loses quality."""

Is this an accurate way of explaining how to email me their pictures? Is there a simpler way? I just need some instructions that they can understand.

#2) A Classmate sent me a 'video' or slideshow to put on this survey page called Reunion Gallery - could you please point me in the right direction for instructions of how to get it from my email to this Gallery page?

Thanks for any help & suggestions. N

1) The instructions look fine. They do assume a little higher level of knowledge, such as knowing how to zip up files or even having Winzip installed on the computer in the first place, but then these are things you have to know in order to do this. So yes, I think the instructions are quite good. For people who still can't do it, have them wait for the new Community Photo Gallery feature, which will be quite easy for people.

2) What is the format of the video? I.E. .mov, .avi, .flv. etc. Different formats require different answers.

Wow: "faster than a speeding bullet!" Thanks!

It's a .wmv windows media video

Does that help?

Yes. There are several ways to upload a .wmv video to your site. If you don't want to use up File Vault space though, the easiest thing to do is just upload the video to YouTube and then simply embed the video code on your site. Let me know if there's any reason you don't want to do it this way. But our philosophy here is if somebody is offering totally free video hosting, like YouTube, take advantage of it! It's fast and simple to do it via YouTube, and you certainly can't beat the cost.

Ok, Thanks, that makes sense.

Now back to the sharing of Reunion photos. Maybe I am making this too difficult. I know that people could upload their reunion photos onto their individual Profiles, correct?

But rather than the class having to find and go to each Profile to look at the pictures, we wanted a central place as you and I have talked about - which is currently going to be a Survey page - "Reunion Gallery".

I myself have 150 pictures for the 3 day event. I've figured out how to upload mine, but realise the pictures have to be uploaded ONE AT A TIME.

It was taking forever, so I figured out they were over 1000 pixels and downloaded Infraview thinking that it would be quicker to resize all of them and they might upload faster to my page. But I'm doing something wrong b/c when I resized ok & tried to save it - it didn't save. Now I'm trying to read their site's FAQ and it's taking even more time.

{ See I'm trying to be a good girl and really learn this stuff & not constantly bug you, but ......}

Meanwhile the natives are restless to see the pictures - so although I will finish uploading my 150 SOMEHOW, the thought of doing this for all the pictures that people are wanting to send to me is undaunting.

I know this "Galleries" feature is down the road, but too far for us to wait. So would it be easier to backtrack and just have classmates post their own pictures on their individual Profiles?

I just feel as if I've been spinning my wheels for almost 4 days and getting nowhere despite really trying.

Are suggestions would be great! Thanks! N

What I would do while you're awaint the Community Photo Galleries featuer is simply create a threaded forum for reunion photo sharing. That way Classmates can upload all of their own reunion photos and everyone can chat about them all at the same time, which is kinda fun.

Yes, I thought about that, but we are still using the old Message Forum.

I think we can have both running at the same time, but I haven't even looked into what is involved in starting the User's Forum -and EVERYTHING I do is such a learning curve for me. I don't mind that, in fact I appreciate the opportunity and challange, but time is not on my side for the pictures.

I would have to do a search - I don't even know if there are instructions for how to set that up? Or if there is set of instructions that someone has written to share with the class so they will know how to use the Threaded Forum.

Could you perhaps point me in the right direction?

Thanks, again - sorry to keep pestering you on this issure. N

My best advice here is simply activate the User Forums and then follow the directions on screen. It's really not hard. If you want you could set up only 1 forum, just for reunion photo sharing. And then further if you'd like you can rename "User Forums" to "Share Reunion Photos" instead. It would be easier if you activate it and give it a whirl rather than trying to provide full instructions for the User Forums, which can do all kinds of things. Most people have no trouble setting them up, give it a whirl and if you get stuck anywhre let me know and I'll give ya a hand.

Ok, Bradster ... I knew you were going to say that, but I'm game ......and I'll give it a whirl, but I'm holding you to that "hand" promise, ok?

Seriously, Thanks, for always 'being there' for us; that's what makes this the greatest site ever!

I'll be in touch! Best Blessings! N