Classmates.com is a social networking service created in 1995 by Randy Conrads who founded Classmates Online , Inc.
Summary
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- 1 Design
- 2 Privacy
- 3 Registration
- 4 Sources
- 5 External links
Design
It was originally designed to assist members in finding friends and classmates from kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college, work, and the United States military . In 2010 , CEO Mark Goldston describes the transition from website to focus increasingly on content such as “high school yearbooks, movie trailers, music tracks and photographic images”. To this end, and to attract more older users, the website’s name was changed to Memory Lane , which included a redesign of the website .
Privacy
Classmates.com members use real names, not screen names (although some members use a “fake name”). Member privacy is protected through a double blind email system , so email addresses and contact information are never disclosed unless disclosed by members one to one.
Registry
It is free for people to register as a basic member of Classmates.com. Basic users can create profiles and search the entire social networking service for their friends. Basic users can also post and read through community messages and view information about upcoming meetings, but cannot email someone or view other members’ profiles. They can write emails and send them, but the recipient cannot read them unless the sender becomes a paid member. This does not become apparent until an email is already written and sent.
Basic members who try to send emails or view profiles are funneled to a page where they can upgrade to gold membership for a fee. Gold members , who pay a fee, can view other users’ profiles, photos, bios , timelines, interests, announcements and send to address and receive email from any member, view the notes posted on the profile bulletin board, view the names of other people who have visited your profile and sign your guest books, access and use of meeting planning tools and creating your own private groups.
