TCHS Alumni News

News Views: TCHS Alumni News Log

ASSOC. EDITOR NEEDED Info

What's going on here? Site upgrade installed; testing continues

Nov 19, 2009 - Housekeeping

A new version of our Members system has been installed. There are many changes from the old roster. We hope that the new system will increase service to alumni and your enjoyment of the site. Suggestions and bug reports are welcome.

Login is now universal. If you sign in (from any page) you will have access to your personal profile and many other features. If you are an advertiser you will soon have fully integrated editing in the Sponsor Directory linked to your membership.
A Public Member List on the home page lets anyone list registered members but does not reveal any personal information or allow contact. Sign in to see comprehensive lists and additional information about members. (Thanks to Barbara S for this suggestion.)
The new Personal Profile, summarized with a general statement about yourself, has several extended features, with more coming soon:
- Each member can submit Updates, brief statements of current activity. You can link your updates to any URL. Your updates may appear in the summary on the home page for members only, or elsewhere on the site. Your most recent update appears with your name in class and member lists.
- Blog freely in your personal Journal. Use your journal as a biography, to tell us stories about your life in TC and elsewhere.
- Use your Message Center to exchange messages with classmates and other friends without sharing your "real" contact data. The system will notify you whenever a new message is waiting.
- You can embed links to display externally sourced Graphic Media (e.g., pictures from Flickr or movies from YouTube). Depending on the link you include, the external media may appear right in your profile. [Example (login required): Founder's Profile]
- You can link your TCHS Alumni profile to other Social Media like Twitter, Facebook or instant messaging services.
- Coming Soon: Friends, Favorites, Interest Groups (e.g., music, sports..., to complement your default class year group.

Why have we made this change? The old roster was developed on the foundation of a commercial directory and as such fell gradually out of phase with the needs of the association and with contemporary technology. We have retained the Directory for sponsors and local businesses as part of our fundraising effort in support of the site. UPDATE: 9/17/09 - Deceased members have not been fully integrated into class lists yet. This should happen shortly.

Comments

reesclark60 - Nov 19, 2009 at 6:35 PM

UPDATE: The content update is complete. Two additional features will be added soon, a Friends list and a Favorites list. Profile editing will be under review during the next few days. Thanks to our beta testers! Notice of any bugs and ambiguities will be appreciated. This update is yet another reason to subscribe and help support one of the best alumni association sites on the 'net.

reesclark60 - Nov 19, 2009 at 7:03 PM

KNOWN BUGS AND INCOMPLETE FEATURES: First, In order to get the interactive profile data moved to the new platform we have not brought forward members' telephones or addresses, which are confidential and used only by the editors. We will be adding these elements to the database - still private - soon. Second, pending further notice, probably before Thanksgiving, avoid revising your personal information via the Edit form, which is still undergoing final online testing. In the meantime, enjoy updating your friends on your activities with Updates blog on in your Journal, and link your home page to your pictures and movies. If you have time to help write documentation or contribute tips and techniques please write to the editor.

reesclark60 - Nov 19, 2009 at 7:05 PM

ONE MORE THING: Please sign in and have a look at the member list. Some members were never or incorrectly linked to a class year in the old database. Listing all members reveals these people; if you see your name or that of a friend without a class year, please write to me and I will manually correct the database.

reesclark60 - Nov 20, 2009 at 8:13 AM

Oh, swell! Sorry, but the class lists are deranged due to an upload error. We're working on it.

reesclark60 - Nov 20, 2009 at 8:27 AM

Names are incorrectly displayed on messages in the Message Center. Stored values are correct.

reesclark60 - Nov 23, 2009 at 8:12 PM

Fixed the class lists issue. Fixed the message name problem. Don't be surprised when your address appears on your profile; it's just there to show you what information we have about you. When others load your profile from a member list, the confidential information does not show. Another good reason to safeguard your passwords.