The days of wondering what happened to old classmates are gone thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. And the days of organizing class reunions through mailings sent by school alumni organizations are also over, according to Time magazine .
The ability to locate former classmates through the Internet has these organizations and other groups such as Reunited Inc. scrambling to find new ways to stay relevant.
Some thought social-networking sites might kill reunions, but for most, they are heightening the excitement as more classmates are easily contacted through groups on the sites.
"It's enticing. It's like a little preview, seeing everyone's life online. And whether you're happy that someone is not doing as well as you or you're happy that they look amazing, you get to see it all in person," Holly Goshin, who helped plan Massachusetts' Sharon High School's 20th reunion, told Time.
Since the alumni associations aren't being used as much to organize the reunions, however, some colleges are suffering from a lack of donations from former students. "We've lost our monopoly over the data on how to communicate with schoolmates," said Andrew Shaindlin, executive director of the Caltech Alumni Association. "We need to step back and figure out how to remain relevant, because there may be some point three or five or seven years from now when we're going to hold a reunion and almost nobody is going to sign up."
In addition to Facebook, sites such as CollegeReunions.com can help you plan your next reunion.
Labels: class reunions, Facebook
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 10:05 AM
