I spend way too much time making classmate's birthdays special. I dedicate the entire Home Page to them on their birthday. I am not good at writing and after two years of doing this, my ideas are running out.
Tomorrow I have a birthday for a classmate that lives in Egypt. If anyone is great at writing poems or clever birthday wishes, I would appreciate your help.
Esther

Hi Esther,
I am sure that your classmates really appreciate all your time and efforts! Although i have nothing witty, there are some great Egyptian graphics on heathersaniimations/egypt

even egyptianbackgrounds
How about the simple songs that are sung at restaurants?
or a trusty version of Roses are Red..

Roses are Red...
Violets are Blue,
We wish you a wonderful Birthday,
And Many more, Too!

Also, here's a fun page with tons of ideas, this is specifically the 50th, but check out the left hand column and see the multitude of ideas!!
wishafriend/birthdays

such as this onebirthdayquotes
or this one
birthdaywishesforfriends

Esther, you are way nice to dedicate the entire home page to one person's birthday !
I have one blocked area on the home page with a birthday wish to the classmate, then just put a personal message on that person's profile page with a greeting pic.
Kris, as usual, you are a terrific resource ! Thank you. I'm sure that Esther will be able to put something fun together for her Egyptian classmate.

Oh, those birthdays....

I read the profile and if there is a favorite song, I find it on YouTube and post it in their comment section.

Or, I find an appropriate sign at Sign Generator (free...save as a jpg) and insert a wish.

The last few I have done were an astronoaut holding a sign that said Hope your 60th is out of this world., a McDonalds sign that said So and So is 60 years young. and for a classmate who loves the beach, a sign by the surf that read May your birthday be filled with your favorite things.

When I get tired of that I go to a text generator site and create a birthday wish in glitter text.

Like you, I get tired of doing the same thing again and again!

I just post the BD wish in the comment section on the birthday.

Margaret

Thanks Kris. I am using some of the animations from Heather's I just need a birthday wish.
I started this and now everyone is hooked and expecting it, so I guess I will have to keep it up. I do get a lot of participation when I have the birthdays on. Everyone loves them.
I will probably just use one from all the birthday poems and wishes I have found on the Internet. I have used them all but they probably won't remember them.
Esther

Esther, here is another something that I do for classmates, maybe you do this as well, but I think it is special for each person and they do like it. This is all the time, not just for birthdays...
On their profile page, I put a background for whatever their hobby is. If they don't indicate a hobby, I might put a background of something fun I think they would enjoy seeing on their profile page. Examples of some are reading, fishing, harley, boating, travel, love/peace.
Maybe you could add that little bit more to their day by adding a birthday background on their profile page.

Some classmates have indicated they have been notified about other classmates birthdays but I don't know how this happens.
Does CC generate a birthday list for admins?
If so, how do classmates know about it and how is it administered and monitored?
Where is the location of the Birthday lists.

Arnie

Two Parts:

Classmates can elect to have their birthday made public or not. When a classmate subscribes to another classmate's profile, he then receives notice of the birthday if the birthday is public.

Public birthdays appear on your homepage. I do not know if you have to turn that feature on.

You as an admin, can go to profile subscriptions and subscribe to everyone's profile. That way you get notice of everything said and done on the site.

Part two....How do I change the background of someone's profile? WOW

Margaret

Margaret, it's quite simple.
1. On the classmate's profile page, begin a post response.
2. Type a message. It could be anything (just to say hi), then a small message at the bottom indicating that you have put a background on their page and do they like it.
3. Pick out your background html. Example: go to glitter-graphics.com. In the background section, choose your desired graphic. Copy the html code.
It looks like this...
(style)
body
background-image:
....
(style)
4. Back to your message, click on the source button. Copy/paste the html code onto that page (I put this at the bottom after the typewritten message). Click on the source button again, and you will see in your message the 'background pic'. Once you 'submit' this message, the image will not show up in the message itself, but will show up to the right background area.
5. Any time you want to change this background, just go to this message, edit it, delete that html code in the source area, and replace it with something else.

Hope I've explained it easy enough, because it really is. You should be good at this, but let me know if you have any problems.

I got it. Thanks. Sounds like a piece of cake to me. I just did not have any conception of how to do it. Oh, I am going to have fun with this!

Thanks again...Margaret

Thanks, Melodie!
Thanks for the tips also!

Esther,
Here's a poem site, perhaps you have already found it! This is the birthday page!
poemsource.com

Here's another page from same site
poemsource.com/funnybirthdaypoems

Kris ~ Oh my ! WI is in the spotlight! Let's hope the result is a good example.
We're getting tons of rain today, and windy. Thank goodness it wasn't just a few degrees lower, we'd be digging our way out ! I hear CA is getting some crazy stormy weather.

While I don't do anything on the home page for classmates birthdays, you all have given me some really GREAT ideas to use in the future.
What I HAVE done in the past as the Root Ammin, n the day of their BD, I send something along these lines:

H B T Y,
H B T Y,
H B D [name inserted},
H B T Y.
And Mannyyy Mooorrreeee....
Hope you get to do something special on you special day!

Well I have used a combination of the excellent suggestions you all have given me. Most of the time the birthday person has sent me a picture and sometime I do not have a picture at all as in the case of tomorrow's birthday. Kris you have given me a treasure house of birthday's to use, Melodie, I was going to ask about the backgrounds for the profile and Margaret beat me to it. Margaret, I went to the sign generator and found a scroll and I am using that. That site is great!! Thanks.
Melodie, I can't give up what I started, it is one of my classmate's favorite thing about the site, they LOVE their birthday's.
Check out what I put together with everyone's suggestions. It will be on at 12:00 midnight and be taken off tomorrow evening at midnight. www.stephenfaustin-59.com. Now all I have to do is figure out the music.
You all are the best!!!
Esther

Melodie! I did it! I am big on color, so I had to find something that did not obliterate the profile info. Thanks.

Back to ideas....On YouTube, you can also do the happy birthday song, but I have found also that searching for birthday bears brings up some really innocent and cute videos.

Margaret

Hi Margaret, sounds like you made the entire background (even the area where the profile info is on). Mostly I only do the right-hand side background so that I don't have any issues of non-readability, and I get to do some wild backgrounds whenever appropriate. It is terrific fun, right ?!

Melodie,how do I not put it on the profile text?

Margaret

Margaret, can you show me the html code that you copied into the source area?

I sent it. Thanks!

Margaret

keep it short and sweet and you will not run into that problem. Often, I send an email in advance to the Claasmate and ask what are their plans for their Birthday and their response becomes the substance of the message that I send out. I do not do anything that takes more than a few minutes and I keep it focused. I try to set the stage where other Classmates are aware of the Birthday and use the site to respond which increases the use and interest of using the site. I check the statistics of activity between Classmates and it gives me an Idea what makes the site interesting to use. If the use goes from Five (5) per day to Twenty (20) per day, and levels off again I have an opportunity to learn what subjects bring users to the site. New pictures seem to be one of our hits and announcements are made.

I go to yahoo, images, grab a cake, then put it on an announcement on the home page for that person. However, I was thinking.. since our next reunion isnt for 3 years, not many are actually LOOKING at it EVERY day.. YET... SO... I was thinking of getting ALL the April birthdays for the month, and sending them a message in the message center.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL YOU APRIL BABYS!!
However.. HOW do I find out the WHOLE list? Only a portion shows up at a time. IS there somewhere where I can search for APRIL Birthdays?! Thanks! Cindy

Is there not a way to get a list of a month of birthdays? I never heard back on this one... Only a portion shows up on the main page.. Thanks....

Cindy,

That's available in the "Manage Classmates -> DOWNLOAD CLASS LIST" feature. You can put it in a spreadsheet and filter by month to see the entire list for the month.

Cindy Muhl wrote:

Thank you!