In 1995 , before the musical phrase online societal electronic connection had entered our vocabulary and class before the dot.com crash spawned the term Web 2.0 , a Boeing engineer list Randy Conrad developed a new kind of Web land site . Conrad attend high-pitched school in the Philippines . He attended college in the United States and began operate for Boeing after graduation . As the World Wide entanglement begin to grow in the public awareness , Conrad got an idea .
Conrad wanted to track down a classmate he bonk back in high schooltime . But despite the global nature of the World Wide Web , he was n’t successful . He sit down down with his boy to calculate out a way to make it easier to reconnect with erstwhile champion and schoolfellow . finally this project developed into Classmates.com , the first grownup societal networking website on the entanglement [ source : Kaiser ] .
Today , the situation incur more than 16 million visitors per month [ root : Compete ] . While other land site like Facebook and MySpace have membership that dwarfs Classmates.com ’s , the original on-line social meshwork still attracts young users .
Classmates.com departs from most other on-line societal networks in a big way – many of its feature are only available to agiotage members . To take advantage of everything Classmates.com has to offer , users must purchase a amber membership . The price of rank depends upon the length of the agreement . Shorter terms result in a higher price per calendar month .
While this think that Classmates.com has a clear business model – something other social networking sites have struggled with in the past – it has also led to controversy . We ’ll take a closer flavour at what you’re able to do on Classmates.com as well as why some people criticize the Web site ’s marketing scheme .
Using Classmates.com
Creating a basic Classmates.com profile is devoid . To establish a profile , you simply bring down the site and identify the school you advert . For users in the United States , this process start with the visitant selecting the appropriate state , city and schoolhouse . This launch the visitor to a membership form .
To link up Classmates.com , you must provide your name , escort of graduation , natal day and e - chain armor destination . You also must create a parole for your invoice . Once you ’ve filled out that information , you ’ll be prompted to buy a membership package . parcel range in price and duration – the longer the term of rank , the lowly the price .
If you do n’t need to buy a membership , you may continue to use the web site with a detached profile . The website will chair you through a profile - building process . This includes upload a profile photo , fill out a short verbal description of what you ’ve been up to since graduation and invite other the great unwashed to join the web . After that , visitant will have the option to enroll in MyPoints , a web site that lets user trade amass points for products .
Once all that ’s done , you could fill out your visibility with more information about who you were in school , what you do now and the thing you wish to do . you may also see to see who else from your school is on the help or take quizzes for fun .
Of course , the main reason to use Classmates.com is to reconnect with old schoolfellow . The site features a search engine that let you consider other people who went to the same school day you attended . you could restrict searches to the year you graduated if you wish , and you could catch other profiles , too . But unless you raise to a Gold membership you may not get much far than that .
Benefits of Classmates.com
A free Classmates.com score gives you admittance to only a few features . you’re able to create your visibility and deck it out to your heart ’s content . you could also look at the profiles of fellow exploiter . And you may participate in group discourse on content boards . But after that , your option begin to dwindle .
If you want to be able-bodied to send messages to blighter members , you ’ll have to upgrade to a atomic number 79 membership . To leave a message on another mortal ’s public bulletin board requires at least one of the two of you to have a atomic number 79 membership . you’re able to designate your localisation on a map with a free account , but to look at anyone else ’s emplacement you ’ll have to pay for a rank .
Other Gold rank feature of speech let in effect - planning tools . Using these , you may make invitations for gatherings and reunification . you may also see the names and messages left by people who have visited your visibility . A Gold rank feed you the option to build a private photo record album and subject matter board , too .
In many way , the rank structure of Classmates.com resembles an on-line dating service more than other online societal internet sites . send substance on other services is usually free to all phallus . But many dating site take users to give for a membership before they can actually make liaison with other appendage .
If you do upgrade to a full membership , you ’ll be able to take advantage of all the feature . You ’ll have the ability to contact other members and organize events . However , these features will be somewhat limited depending upon the account status of the people you attempt to contact . Some may make a visibility only to abandon it later rather than upgrade to a full membership .
Having to pay to access basic features might annoy some users . But that ’s just one of several complaints that some people have aspire at Classmates.com .
Complaints About Classmates.com
One of the most uncouth charge even out at Classmates.com has to do with vitamin E - mail . The company ’s marketing strategy involves sending message out to likely members to lure them to join . While some people shrug this off as spam , others have found it to be trespassing and shoddy .
That was the vitrine for Anthony Michaels . Michaels received a substance from Classmates.com exact friends of his from eminent school day had been trying to site him . Based on this e - ring mail content , he decided to buy a Gold membership with the site . Once he did , he was surprised to light upon that none of his friends had looked for him at all . He process Classmates.com for false advertising in 2008 [ source : Singel ] .
Another complaint aim at Classmates.com involves charge . Some users have claim that they intended to sign up for a tryout report but were load for a membership later . Classmates.com would renew a user ’s subscription automatically , charging the mortal ’s account . Some claimed that they proceed to be billed for rank even after attempting to cancel their accounts several times [ source : Raphael ] .
If you do have a trouble with Classmates.com , it may be unmanageable to get in touch with someone who can avail . If you abide by the links back to the Classmates Media Corporation situation , you ’ll chance a contact lens data link . The liaison connects you to an online class in which you provide your name , east - mail and sound number as well as your message . Finding a phone number is more intriguing .
While the Better Business Bureau has given Classmates.com low grades in the past , as of August 2009 its rating was an A+ . That suggests the internet site has become much more adept at respond to and resolving client complaints . That ’s good intelligence for Classmates.com members . But with the rise of other sites like Facebook and MySpace , how many hoi polloi are willing to pay off for the ability to post a message to an old acquaintance ?
We have Classmates.com to thank for getting the online societal networking model off the priming . While some may send away its line of work poser as being out of touch , the site has succeeded in helping long - lost friends reconnect .
discover more about social networking through the links on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
