OMG, I just found "Show Yearbook Photo" . . .

LMAO! Have any of you pitiful few who read this tried out the "Show Yearbook Photo" button yet? I think I looked at it long ago when I was evaluating whether or not we wanted to buy into this system, this engine through which we bring you the Reunion website and all it's fabled wonders but I had forgotten about it. If you haven't, do try it. At least try it out on the "Attending Reunion" list. Now that we have a bigger group identified to attend the Reunion (although not all have registered which is worrisome) we are starting to see something coalesce. And having a picture of every person who's going to attend would be quite enlightening. If you haven't tried it, the system will build a page of yearbook photos of everyone who's signed up to go. Now how cool is that? Does everyone else see it? I have different permissions from all of you (except, of course, Debby Rimmer nelson who's my back-up. Back-up. Ha! Debby can sling code with the best of them.) and I forget what the users see. Hmm. I think that it should become a priority to post a yearbook for every person who has signed up to attend. The rest maybe can be filled out a little bit at a time.

The product that we use, by the way, is called Classcreater.com and . . . well you can see what capabilities using it has brought to the table. That first website we had, that kludged-up code I slung out onto a server? Ha! You're lucky I was able to give you what you had; I was hand-jamming code and names into that system on a daily basis. But this product? I have no complaints. I am able to bring things on-line with a mere "click" of a button and it happens, just like that. (See, Bonnie thinks I know more about it than I really do . . . let's just let her keep on believing that.) Truly, I would heartily recommend ClassCreater.com for any of you who might need a system like this. And did I mention that we don't pay ANYTHING for this? We could, it is true, buy an upgrade for about $100 a year that would put us in a position to bring even MORE on-line with an enhanced package. They're bringing on new stuff every two-three months or so and I'm pretty impressed so far. With such a wide range of applications to use, we do lose a lot in the way of customization though. I mean, there's some real estate (sorry, programmer-talk) I just can't touch. But I wish I could change that awful GREEN theme color. I'd rather see something a little more on the hip side. What do y'all think? I may change it anyway and then ask for feedback.

But people, please don't look at our class website as a done deal when the Reunion's over. I would expect that there'd be a great deal of interest in maintaining it for quite some time. We've established lines of communication that many thought were only pleasant memories. With this simple, free engine we have spun a very elaboate, but quite efficient network of all those people that we can contact. You see, we've gone global this time. I see that the simple email system we use here on the site really gets a lot of use. I send out a lot myself; but mostly an ash and trash detail having to do with the site. (At first I tried very hard to send out a message to everybody when they registered but got quickly overwhelmed and somehow just . . . stopped. I really need to get back into that.) A lot of other people are using it too. Now that we can connect so easily, what's to stop a group of people in California from having a small Reunion out there or one in North Carolina? There certainly seem to be a lot of our clasmates who live there. Maybe I should go and look at the map again on the home page. Isn't that cool? Just another automatic function we get to use here. Nah. I'm to lazy to flip to that window and break my train of thought. . . . stream of consciousness . . . Mr. Taylor would have called it.

Pictures. THAT'S the task I really need some help on. I joke about how much of this is just a choice on a menu, but there really is a lot of work associated with it and I'm kept quite busy. I really could use an offer from someone to scan pictures out the yearbooks for me so I can post to the classmate profiles. Someone who knows their way around a scanner because I need hi-res and all the same size, resolution, and "look," with maybe some PhotoShop thrown in if necessary. They could be emailed to me a little bit at a time so I can post them. If there's anyone out there who'd like to take this on, it would be greatly appreciated.

I did say at the beginning of this blog that this was going to be a way for you to see behind the scenes at what goes on to put the Reunion together. Here's what happens at a typical meeting: we meet say, every couple of weeks and go through an agenda of action items and report submissions on new members, Reunion registrations, checks received, review the contract with the hotel, the contract with the band, raffle ticket sales, $$ in the bank accounts, and so on. Oh yeah, there's a lot to keep track of. Last meeting we addressed and stuffed envelopes with flyers and sent them out to lost classmates' last known addresses. (LOL, if you're reading this blog don't expect to get one. We know where YOU are.) We haven't had a meeting since I started writing this so there's not been anything to report. We have a meeting coming up soon I think. Bonnie keeps us all up on when and where to meet. Maybe we should include a copy of the agendas on here from now on. Anybody interested in seeing them?

But at the next meeting, I have an idea I'm going to propose. I'm not going to say what it is but I'm going to push hard for something I think will be a smash hit if I can get Reunion Committee buy-in and cooperation. Trust me! You'll love it!

But I've rambled on here long enough. Next time.