Hello!

I have a classmate who has gone into uTube mania. He has 8 posted in the video section of the profile (probably maxed out). He has asked that classmates send private messages instead of writing comments and has now proceeded to start posting videos in his comment section. He is up to 10 consecutive videos in the comments and seems to be adding more daily.

Many classmates have expressed concern about all of the videos having an adverse effect on site speed and stability.

If he continues to do this, will a negative cause and effect incident occur with the site or with his profile?

Thanks,
Margaret

No, no negative cause and effect incident will occur. Further, adding the videos will have no significant impact on the site speed and/or stability. Really this boils down to whether or not you're feeling the need to police the content he is adding. As you are the Administrator and owner of the site you have the right to edit any content, including content added by Classmates. Having said that, I haven't seen the videos that are being posted of course, but assuming this is just happening in his own Profile and the videos he's posting aren't offensive or derogatory in some regard, maybe the "to each their own" philosophy is best here? He must really enjoy posting videos.

Margaret Ann Swanzey wrote:

Margaret,
You are the boss of the site.If you are getting complaints from about 10% of your classmates, I would then talk with your committee, if you have one...and put a limit to the videos classmates can post. Then put a disclaimer at the end of your home page saying so. Many people have slower computers...so they might get concerned. You need to play this by ear...Like Brad said..if they are not offensive and you don't have policy on how many videos a classmate can upload..there isn't much you can do.
About him asking for people only to send private messages about his videos...it's not his call, that's what the comment section is for..not more videos...you run a private site...with you as the Admin..sounds like he thinks he can do whatever he wants...you need to stop that..I would not let anyone just send only private comments about the videos..and I would limit the videos to maybe 2-4 at a time. If you allow him to get a way with this what happens if all your classmates start doing it...if you only have one admin...you will go crazy trying to view all the videos for their content. You could also make a policy that the videos must be HS related or just his family and make it know in your disclaimer you will delete any other videos. You have another option...don't activate the video section of the profile information.
These are just some suggestions.
I hope this helps!

While I do not know what the 'content' of his video's are, this reminds me of a couple of classmates that we have that posted some opinions on different things that I, and fellow reunion committee members feel are not appropriate for a class web site.
I seriously considered coming out with a rather lengthy 'purpose' statement for the site, listing all kinds of do’s and don’t. Instead, I posted the following on the home page.

"This site isn’t about waistlines, hairlines or credit lines. It’s about lifelines. It’s about reconnecting with our friends from some of the best years of our lives! Nothing more, Nothing less.”

STEVE STEIN wrote:

Thanks for the input. It has made me very reflective today. I will be putting something positve as mentioned about our purpose on the home page.

In the past, I have deleted inappropriate pictures and comments and when challenged, was not futher questioned about it.

I am also grateful for the reminder that I am the sole owner of the site. I have been telling myself that over the last few weeks, but I needed someone to say it in print to me.

Get your coffee and sit back a minute, and I will delicately tell you the story of what I think is going on on my site. Others may run into this same situation. (Brad, if this is too much and you don't post it, I will understand. Do we need a forum where webmasters can just come and dump their site problems called...I HAVE HAD IT!)

It was the 50's and 60's. We were a bicultural, not biracial, high school. There were literally two high schools functioning socially in one building, except for the interaction in music and sports.

When I started the site, I assumed that the years and social changes of the 60's had taken down those old walls. I was right. We have over 160 on this particular site, and I have received messages from people that they were glad the site started because they were so excited to see that we could be culturally diverse and, at the same time, form strong friendships in spite of the past. Comments and interactions are positive.

About 10 days ago, I came onto the site and something was different...just felt different. Then I noticed that 5 very active classmates had reduced their long profiles to name, rank, and serial number and had removed their comment section.

Experience has taught me to watch and wait before jumping into something, so I watched. I waited. Questioning emails from classmates came in. "What is going on with so-and-so?" Finally, someone who was partially privy to what had been going on in private emails contacted me.

From what I can glean from the partial information, there was a non-site private email tiff among the 5 classmates about attitudes toward themselves and their culture, some feeling one way, some another. It escalated into slurrs about both cultures. This then came onto the site one night and led to profile comments that were culturally and personally ugly. That is why the comments were turned off by morning and I never saw them. I am not sure anyone did. I have no proof of anything said.

According to the information I received, the gentleman with the videos was one of the instigators of the fight. The videos are all songs in his culture's language, and they are being monitored for content by an admin. They seem to be mostly love songs. He is being cordial and positive in his public comments on the site. He is acting as if nothing is wrong. He and one other classmate have turned their comments back on. One lady left two pictures that were fine in the context of her full profile about life on the hunting/wildlife ranch, but with her naked profile, they were insulting (two rattlesnakes in a mating dance on her ranch.) I deleted them after several classmate complaints. No reaction from the classmate.

So, ladies and gentlemen, go the days of our lives. Am I in the middle of a delicate situation ready to explode? I do not know, but I am treating it as such. I am mentally ready. I ponder as the days go by as to what this could mean. Are they making statements to each other? To the rest of us? To me? Are they looking for a reaction so that they can draw others into the squabble? Are the battle lines forming? Is that why he wants private messages instead of comments? What exactly are they saying with their actions? Or are they still in high school? Most importantly, is it absolutely nothing but coincidence and accident?

I sent Music Video Man a private message, in true Southern style, not mentioning the videos at all (Can you see why? Could get a little touchy there.), but asking him to please either turn off his comments if he doesn't want classmate postings or to remove the request to classmates to not post comments, as deleting them (which I know he has done, at least to mine) might cause misunderstanding...blah, blah, blah.

I pick my battles and I have stated on many occassions that the only battle I pick on the site is the preservation of a positve atmosphere and the protection of the majority.

The End and thanks for listening!

Margaret

So, ladies and gentlemen, go the days of our lives. Am I in the middle of a delicate situation ready to explode? I do not know, but I am treating it as such. I am mentally ready. I ponder as the days go by as to what this could mean. Are they making statements to each other? To the rest of us? To me? Are they looking for a reaction so that they can draw others into the squabble? Are the battle lines forming? Is that why he wants private messages instead of comments? What exactly are they saying with their actions? Or are they still in high school? Most importantly, is it absolutely nothing but coincidence and accident?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My comment on this paragraph. Don't allow the situation to explode. If they are making statements in private..there is nothing you can do..but if it goes public..you can ban them from your site or give them a warning they could be deleted from the site...with no explanation to anyone...YOU ARE THE OWNER AND ROOT ADMIN OF THE SITE.

Maybe you should ban songs on your site. No reason for him to post that on his profile..this site is for HS memories..and updates on your life and family now.
I had a similar situation...Brad commented...this is why we have site administrators...they are there to monitor the content of a website, blog etc etc. It may be a free country and we have freedom of speech..but offensive and pornographic content does not belong on your HS website. I know Brad would stand behind you. We have talked about this before in this forum...maybe Brad could find the thread for you..and re-post it.

I am also from a bi-cultural HS...we have many nationalities spanning our classes. We became non-segregated in Sept.'64. And we all seem to get along...this sounds to me very immature...and maybe they think they are back in HS.

Since we banned that 1 bad apple..we have had no more complaints. Before I deleted him..I did print off his contact and profile information..for the record.

I hope this helps you even more.

Thanks, Darlene! I definitely don't feel so alone now.

I am considering the banning of videos, but the others enjoy posting them. I would rather dump a few classmates and let the rest have their fun.

I taught high school for 25 years in the same bicultural climate. That is why I wait and watch. I am pretty sensitive to the emotional climate in these situations.

The instant it a becomes public issue, I will take action. In the meantime I think and read what all of you have said and pick up on feedback from other classmates.

These specific classmates are very politcal and rights orientated and I believe that they think the site is the same as on the job with government regulations or has the status of a democratic government. As I used to tell my students about rights, you have only the rights in my classroom that I extend to you and those rights stop where the next person's begin. The philosophy is the same on the site. I just have to examine carefully and and be sure that I cannot be accused of bias in the way things are handled.

BTW, I put the nothing more, nothing less philosophy on my home page and also your disclaimer. I changed the priority to the consideration of the site as a whole. Thanks to both of you. I think I will tone down my rights philosophy and add it also. Maybe just the last line.

I will carry on in deep thought and observation. If things get complicated, I will be back for moral support!

Thanks,
Margaret

Margaret,
We are all here for ya!!!

Thanks, Darlene!

Update: The classmate did remove his comment section as I asked. A sign of cooperation which is an important marker for me. His reponse to me was cordial. He does have a profile full of videos, but his space there is limited. I believe this part of the crisis is over.

As happens when you need it, we have a distraction. We seem to be having a flood on newcomers which has moved everyone's focus off of the negative and onto the positve.

Thanks to everyone!
Margaret

While I sympathize with you on the excess of youTube, etc, I would love to have this problem just once. I have a hard enough time getting people to just visit the site, much less post a video. After many emails, prodding, etc, I still have NO videos, and only a few people who have expanded content past phone and address. So, your problems are a testament to your success....

Rick Johnson
Beaufort High School '63
Beaufort, NC

Rick,
There is a thread somewhere here about things to keep classmates coming back.
I just don't have it handy, but I see moderate interest on our site.
We have just over 40% registered, but I don't see the 'Active Classmates' enabled on your home page to see where you stand.
Personally, I soon hope to get 'unusual' information on each classmate to enter as a 'weekly trivia' contest.
I too wish you 'YouTube' overload soon!

Rick,

Thanks for the compliment. However...I also have the flip side of the coin.

My site for the classes of 67-68-69 hops so fast that sometimes I want to scream "SLOW DOWN! I CAN'T KEEP UP!" I recently started a site for the classes of 70-71-72, and I cannot kick life into them. They come to the site, but won't even make comments to their friends!

I think some of it has to do with the make up of the group. From the beginning, the 6789 site had shakers and movers (and not the ones I thought would shake and move!) join. I am waiting for those types to show up on the other site. I have spotted one or two.

Numbers can play a big part in activity also. I have 181 registered out of 499 possible members. On the other site I have 78 active and 642 inactive. The more the merrier?

Okay, like, Steve, I went to your site. I couldn't see much as it was locked down tightly as mine is. Let me just share with you my pholosophy for my sites. As I have said, it works great with one and so-so with the other, but there might be some ideas you can use.

1. Change creates interest. I try to change one thing or add one thing a week. It might be as simple as starting a photo gallery about our town as we saw it then. Sometimes I just review and edit the announcements if they seem stale.

2. It is all about marketing. Every week I send a mass email out with the changes and updates. On totally uncreative weeks, I have been known to say simply: "Have you visited the site lately? (link to site) Take me there!" Some of my folks cannot access the site except through an email link. They will click on the link. Trust me on that one.

3. Everyone loves to see his name in print. If a classmate breathes louder than the rest, I put their name in print in the announcements and in the mass email. Suddenly they are trying to do more to see the name again.

4. Provide as many links for the computer illiterate to click on as possible. I post comments on profiles constantly. I go to those that have not logged on in a while and say, "Hey, been missing you. Stop by and see what everyone else has been up to." If there is chatter on a profile, I jump right in. Every post you make sends a link to the classmate and to anyone subscribed to that proile.

And, this, sir, is Margart Swanzey's operating procedure for the sites. Will it work for you? Who knows? Perhaps you do all of this. As I said, works for one site and not so well on another.

Hope you got some ideas!

Margaret

PS. If you would like log in info to see the sites, drop me a line.

Margaret,
You have perked my interest and curiosity here.
Do you email BOTH sites weekly, and still get limited response from one of them?
I have been reluctant to email weekly, thinking that might be ‘overload’ for many. [I have NOT posted my ‘web site usage’ survey yet, which addresses this.]
I have given thought to starting a multi-year site, but was toying with the idea of potential participants ASK to become a member. I do NOT have access to but one other sites names and pictures [maybe two if the admin. there will allow me to download them], and I surely don’t have time to enter the names and scan the pictures.

I too would like to look at your site for a few days.

Steve

Steve,

I have the same 3 core admins on both sites. Luckily, they have their skills. Tommy is the scanner. Bev is the classmate data lady. I am the everything else. Tommy scans the annuals. He sends the scans to Bev and I just in case we need them for reference. He uploads the scans to the class lists after Bev and I have entered the names. Done deal.

Beverly approves those who apply to join who are not listed. The lists come from the senior section of the annual. Whoever has the appropriate annual to access the lower class picture scans and uploads the missing pic as some of us have annuals beyond the years Tommy has scanned

Yes, I email weekly to both sites. The newer site has traffic, but not a lot of obvious participation. They just don't feel ownership yet although I am seeing some changes as we grow.

Now the weekly emails are short and filled with teasers. I update as things happen and keep a list of updates. When it is time to email the class, I just look at the list. I put in the email whatever I think will make them want to come to the site. I never tell all about anything. If they want to know more, they must click the link to the site.

A bulleted email might read like this:

* Sadly we have added another classmate to the In Memory Page.
* Six old friends have joined us! Do you remember them? Stop by and welcome them.
* Oh, my, have a desire to go to Los Vegas? A group will be meeting up there in July! Join them!
* Pictures from the get together in San Antonio have been posted. What was Eloy really doing?

Find out more on the home page (link).

People don't read. They are skimmers. Now they can go to the home page and actually look at it while they skim.

Access info to come shortly.

Margaret