ClassCreator offers some great features. They offer a free trial.
ClassCreator.com is a premium website builder whose only focus is class reunions.
They live and breathe class reunions and are very knowledgeable about the subject.
This kind of focus on class reunion website technology is one of the main reasons why we were so impressed with their product offering.
Their focus leads to several product updates every year along with some great support through the forums, phone and email.
The review below covers a lot of ground but if you want a synopsis, read the Class Reunion Website Builder Reviews.
This article is broken down into three sections and they are:
- Getting started with creating class reunion websites
- Website Features (cool stuff you should have)
- Pages you can create
Getting Started With Class Reunion Websites
Creating a class reunion website can be intimidating of you have no experience. With ClassCreator.com, a website for your class reunion can be created in less than an hour. And it will have all the features that you want as well. Here are the things about ClassCreator.com that stood out to us.
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor
ClassCreator.com uses a WYSIWYG editor which makes creating a class reunion website very simple with no programming knowledge. The ClassCreator.com website wizard makes it very simple to create attractive websites with the exact layout you are looking for before your site goes live.
Templates And Design
ClassCreator.com has dozens of themed templates. Simply select the theme that is appropriate (They have them categorized by the decade you graduated in for easy selection), pick the color scheme, and add your school logo.
Help Videos
We like video tutorials. Short of live training, a video tutorial is a must have feature and ClassCreator.com has plenty to get you going. If you are confused about something (e.x. how to add video to the website), then watch their video training and you’re on your way. The video tutorials are what differentiates them from the competition.
Upload Classmate Information
Adding classmates is as easy as getting a list of emails and uploading them to the website.
Once you have all the names uploaded, ClassCreator.com will automatically create a list of missing classmates. As people sign up for the reunion on the website, their names will automatically get removed. This alone will save you a bunch of time since you won’t have to track which classmates are still missing.
Also, it is very easy to download a list of all classmates, missing classmates, or registered classmates with ClassCreator.
Website Features (cool stuff you should have)
Ability to take donations
The donations box is very easy to set up. Just turn the donations module on by entering your Paypal email address and you can start to accept donations.
Dozens of Third Party Objects
One thing that makes ClassCreator.com very different from other class reunion website builder is that they allow for a lot of third party software to be added to your website. For example, if you wanted to add a countdown to the class reunion clock or a music playlist to the website, you can do so very easily with a third party plugin.
Other third party objects that can be added are photo montage makers (One True Media), photo slideshows (Photobucket – very very cool), Youtube.com videos, Flickr.com, and class reunion cartoons (CSL Cartoon stock). There are many more objects that can be added and a full list is available on ClassCreator.com.
You can slice and dice your email list instead of having to send out the same message to all classmates. For example, you would not want to send “Last chance to register” emails to classmates that have already committed to coming. With ClassCreator.com, you can exclude people from any mass email so it is easier to send targeted messages.
Selling Class Reunion Tickets
Selling class reunion tickets is easy to set up. Simply set the price and website will be ready to accept payments via credit card. They also have an option to collect payments via Paypal.
There is a 4.9% credit card fee on each transaction (this is lower than all the companies we rated in our class reunion website builder review).
Monies collected are sent via ACH (Direct deposit into your account) and can be deposited into your account twice a month for free.
Where We Live
This is a list of where every classmate that registered on the website lives. This list is generated automatically and is a nice feature to have on the home page of the class reunion website. You can also generate a map showing where everyone lives now.
Missing Classmates
You already have enough things to keep track of so one less would be great, wouldn’t it? ClassCreator.com keeps a tab on missing classmates automatically. As classmates join, the list of missing classmates is automatically updated to reflect the change.
Birthdays
Want to display upcoming classmate birthday’s on the class reunion website? ClassCreator.com makes this easy as well with a simple module that you can place on the website.
Multiple Administrators
If you have multiple people handling the class reunion website, you can have different logins for each. This comes in very handy when you want the finance committee to update the budget, the fundraising committee to update the money raised to date, or anyone else that needs to update the class reunion website. Everyone can have their own id and password and can make appropriate changes under their own names.
Nametags
We have mentioned that you can create name tags using MS Word (Creating Class Reunion Name Tags), but another way to create them easily is with the ClassCreator.com name tag generator. Name tags can be automatically generated and are compatible with Avery labels which makes things even easier.
Videos
If you have any videos from your prom, or graduation or any other gathering at the school, post them right onto the website. Adding the videos is simple and the videos will generate a tremendous amount of interest on the class reunion website and in the message boards. Keep in mind that you will have to upload the videos to Youtube.com (free).
Polls and Surveys
Creating customized surveys (questions that require detailed answers) and polls (mostly multiple choice questions) is simple and can be done with a few simple clicks of the mouse.
Polls can be used for trivia questions or to ask classmates simple questions (e.x. Which hotel should we reserve a block hotel rooms at?).
Surveys can be used for Memory Book Questionnaire or pre and Post Class Reunion Surveys.
Premium or Platinum Membership
ClassCreator.com offers two different levels of membership to their class reunion website builder. The premium membership offers all the above and the platinum one offers functionality below.
A platinum membership includes a chatting feature that allows live chats through a webcam. The chats can include multiple people or can be private too. Once the feature is activated, your classmates can see who is online and can chat with each other. This feature helps foster an even better experience and increases the stickiness of the website. Plus, the more time people spend on the website communicating with classmates, the more prone they are to attending.
The platinum account also offers additional storage space which comes in very handy if you expect to keep the class reunion website even after the class reunion is over. Many classes like to keep in touch via the website by chatting, and posting updated pictures. The storage limit however, is 1GB which is on the low end. Competitors like MyEvent.com offer unlimited space.
Once you have a platinum account, you will have access to 10 email addresses so when you send out updates, they will be from your domain (e.x. sarah@reunionclass65.com).
Instant messaging is another feature that is much like the live chat except it is one on one and not for chatting with groups of people.
Pages You Can Create
Creating different pages in ClassCreator.com is easy and you can create as an unlimited number. Aside from the home page, you can create:
- Memory book questionnaires,
- Classmate profile Pages,
- Post reunion surveys
- Registration pages,
- Announcements page – Classmates can use this page to make personal announcements about themselves (We’re moving, we’re expecting etc.)
- In memory – Create a page to honor deceased classmates
- Photo Albums,
- Forums – ClassCreator.com offers unlimited classmate forums with easy to maintain threads
Pricing
ClassCreator.com offers three pricing tiers. There is the free ad supported one, the premium version ($19/month) and the platinum version which is $24/month. You can also buy a full year or multiple years to lower the per month price.
ClassCreator.com would make a great choice for anyone that wants an easy to use class reunion website builder that offers good support (friendly, too). They back their product with a guarantee and are constantly providing updates to add more functionality.
This class reunion website builder gets a rating of ‘A’ in both functionality, pricing, and value offered.
What To Do Next?
Read our Class Reunion Website Builder Reviews to compare all the vendors side by side.