Classmates.com
Encyclopedia
Classmates.com is a social network service
created in 1995 by Randy Conrads
who founded Classmates Online, Inc.
The social media
website was originally designed to assist members in finding friends and acquaintances from kindergarten
, primary school, high school
, college
, work and the United States military. In 2010, CEO Mark Goldston described the transition of the website "to increasingly focus on nostalgic content" such as "high school yearbooks, movie trailers, music tracks, and photographic images." To this end, and to appeal more to older users, the website name was changed to Memory Lane, which included a website redesign.
, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD) acquired Classmates Online in 2004 and continues to own and operate the company as part of its Classmates Media Corporation subsidiary.
Classmates Media operates online social networking and loyalty marketing services under the Classmates.com and MyPoints brands.
Classmates Media also operates the following international sites designed to enable users to connect with old friends:
Classmates Media Corporation's business model
is based on user-generated content
and revenue
from paid subscriptions
and advertising
sales.
.
The previous time Classmates appeared on Hitwise's top 10 list of social networking websites was June 2009, when it appeared tenth with 0.45% market share.
In early 2008, Nielsen Online
had ranked Classmates as number three in unique monthly visitors (U.S. home, work) among social networking sites. As of June 30, 2008, Classmates Media had more than 50 million members, but only 3.8 million pay subscribers.
In 2006, television program The View mentioned Classmates.com as having more than 40 million members in the United States
and Canada
.
According to the Online Publishers Association Paid Content U.S. Market Spending Report, Classmates.com was Number 4 among the Top 25 Web Destinations Ranked by Consumer Content Revenue in both 2002 and 2003 (the last years that individual site rankings were broken out). As more users move to Facebook, the site has fallen in popularity. Alexa.com shows Classmates.com to be the 4,211 most visited website on March 12, 2011, falling from the top 1,000 as recently as January 2010.
for friends. Basic members may also post to and read community message boards and view information about upcoming reunions, but they may not email anyone 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 doesn't become apparent until an email is already composed and sent. Basic members who try to send emails or view profiles are funneled to a page where they can upgrade to Gold member status for a fee. Gold members, who pay a fee, may view other members' profiles, photos, biographies, timelines, interests, announcements and send email to and receive email from any member, view notes posted on their profile bulletin board, see the names of others who have visited their profile and signed their guest book, access and use tools for planning reunions and create their own private groups.
field tested several companies to determine how easy or difficult it was to cancel their service, Classmates.com was one of the companies that received their worst rating.
Classmates.com also routinely sends e-mails indicating that one of the recipient's classmates is looking for him/her. Allegedly, this is frequently untrue, and Classmates.com currently faces a lawsuit for this practice (which, if the allegation is true, constitutes fraud). In addition, Classmates.com does not allow members to provide each other with private e-mail addresses, street addresses or phone numbers since this would allow the members to communicate with one another outside of the site and therefore not pay for communications.
announced a settlement with six companies, including Classmates, as part of a probe into the discount club industry. Classmates was among the retailers that agreed to pay $2.1 million toward refunds and consumer education. Under the scheme investigated, consumers who signed up for discounts or cash-back promotions were asked to enter their payment information; entering this information triggered small, easy-to-overlook recurring charges on the accounts, billed to unfamiliar company names. Classmates' share of the settlement amounts to $960,000 and a commitment to end these practices.
.
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
created in 1995 by Randy Conrads
Randy Conrads
Randy Conrads attended Oregon State University, graduating in 1972 with a bachelors degree in industrial engineering. Before founding Classmates Online, Inc. Conrads worked for Boeing for twenty one years. Classmates.com became a very popular website and Conrads received many honors including...
who founded Classmates Online, Inc.
The social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
website was originally designed to assist members in finding friends and acquaintances from kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, primary school, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, work and the United States military. In 2010, CEO Mark Goldston described the transition of the website "to increasingly focus on nostalgic content" such as "high school yearbooks, movie trailers, music tracks, and photographic images." To this end, and to appeal more to older users, the website name was changed to Memory Lane, which included a website redesign.
Corporate Information
United OnlineUnited Online
United Online is a public company formed by the 2001 merger of NetZero and Juno Online Services. The company's range of products and services has evolved significantly since inception, primarily through a series of acquisitions that have included Classmates Online , MyPoints and FTD Group, Inc. ....
, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD) acquired Classmates Online in 2004 and continues to own and operate the company as part of its Classmates Media Corporation subsidiary.
Classmates Media operates online social networking and loyalty marketing services under the Classmates.com and MyPoints brands.
Classmates Media also operates the following international sites designed to enable users to connect with old friends:
- StayFriends.de (Germany)
- StayFriends.se (Sweden)
- StayFriends.at (Austria)
- Trombi.com (France)
Classmates Media Corporation's business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
is based on user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
and revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
from paid subscriptions
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
sales.
Users and ranking among other social networking sites
As of November 2010, Classmates was not among the top 10 social networking websites and forums, as measured by HitwiseHitwise
Experian Hitwise is a global online competitive intelligence service which collects data directly from ISP networks to aid website managers in analysing trends in visitor behavior and to measure website market share. The Hitwise product is a commercial platform whereby customers pay Hitwise a...
.
The previous time Classmates appeared on Hitwise's top 10 list of social networking websites was June 2009, when it appeared tenth with 0.45% market share.
In early 2008, Nielsen Online
Nielsen Online
Nielsen Online, a service of the Nielsen Company, provides measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior. Previously a majority investor in both companies, Nielsen purchased NetRatings and BuzzMetrics in the...
had ranked Classmates as number three in unique monthly visitors (U.S. home, work) among social networking sites. As of June 30, 2008, Classmates Media had more than 50 million members, but only 3.8 million pay subscribers.
In 2006, television program The View mentioned Classmates.com as having more than 40 million members in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
According to the Online Publishers Association Paid Content U.S. Market Spending Report, Classmates.com was Number 4 among the Top 25 Web Destinations Ranked by Consumer Content Revenue in both 2002 and 2003 (the last years that individual site rankings were broken out). As more users move to Facebook, the site has fallen in popularity. Alexa.com shows Classmates.com to be the 4,211 most visited website on March 12, 2011, falling from the top 1,000 as recently as January 2010.
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 revealed unless self-disclosed by members one-on-one.Registering and networking
It is free for people to register as a Basic member of Classmates.com. Basic members can create profiles and search the entire social network serviceSocial network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
for friends. Basic members may also post to and read community message boards and view information about upcoming reunions, but they may not email anyone 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 doesn't become apparent until an email is already composed and sent. Basic members who try to send emails or view profiles are funneled to a page where they can upgrade to Gold member status for a fee. Gold members, who pay a fee, may view other members' profiles, photos, biographies, timelines, interests, announcements and send email to and receive email from any member, view notes posted on their profile bulletin board, see the names of others who have visited their profile and signed their guest book, access and use tools for planning reunions and create their own private groups.
Controversial business practices
It is standard practice for Classmates.com to auto-renew memberships at the end of each billing period. In December 2006, when PC World magazinePC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
field tested several companies to determine how easy or difficult it was to cancel their service, Classmates.com was one of the companies that received their worst rating.
Classmates.com also routinely sends e-mails indicating that one of the recipient's classmates is looking for him/her. Allegedly, this is frequently untrue, and Classmates.com currently faces a lawsuit for this practice (which, if the allegation is true, constitutes fraud). In addition, Classmates.com does not allow members to provide each other with private e-mail addresses, street addresses or phone numbers since this would allow the members to communicate with one another outside of the site and therefore not pay for communications.
Settlement on hidden online shopping fees
On August 18, 2010, New York Attorney General Andrew CuomoAndrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
announced a settlement with six companies, including Classmates, as part of a probe into the discount club industry. Classmates was among the retailers that agreed to pay $2.1 million toward refunds and consumer education. Under the scheme investigated, consumers who signed up for discounts or cash-back promotions were asked to enter their payment information; entering this information triggered small, easy-to-overlook recurring charges on the accounts, billed to unfamiliar company names. Classmates' share of the settlement amounts to $960,000 and a commitment to end these practices.
False Advertising Lawsuit Settled
Seattle-based Classmates.com has agreed to pay up to $9.5 million to its users to settle a lawsuit that accused the social network of sending fraudulent emails that told recipients their old friends from school wished to reconnect (and the recipients would need to buy Classmates.com memberships to receive their old friends' contact information). The lead plaintiffs in the case, David Catapano and Anthony Michaels, would each receive $20,500 as part of that provision.Piggybacking
United Online, the parent company of Classmates.com, earned $70 million from marketing practices under investigation in 2009 by the Senate Commerce Committee involving piggybacking a second credit card transaction with membership to Classmates.com involving a loyalty programLoyalty program
Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward, and therefore encourage, loyal buying behavior — behavior which is potentially beneficial to the firm....
.
See also
- Names DatabaseNames DatabaseThe Names Database is a social network, owned and operated by United Online, the parent company of Classmates.com, with headquarters in Orem, Utah. Unlike most social networks, it requires that new registrations include five email addresses of friends or acquaintances...
owned by Classmates.com. - List of social networking websites
- social mediaSocial mediaThe term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...