Classmates.com is a social media website that allows the user to find and contact all of those people whose names and faces we may not remember from old high school yearbook archives. It is a great site to reconnect with old friends from kindergarten to grammar school all the way through to high school and college. More importantly, with the ability to share current as well as past photos, we can check out who has receding hair lines or expanded midsections.
It even provides access to old military buddies and comrades in arms. Since most of the younger generation have grown up with the Internet, email, Facebook and other social media tools used to keep in touch, this site is perfect for the older generation who were not given this luxury back in the “good ol’ days”. HowStuffWorks covers details on how Classmates.com works in their article on it.
Ever wonder what happened to the head cheerleader in high school that you had a thing for?
In 2003, CBS News did a cover story of two high school sweethearts reconnecting through the site’s old high school yearbook archives to reignite their love affair. Ever wonder what happened to the head cheerleader in high school that you had a thing for? Log on to Classmates.com and see what she’s up to. How about the senior high school football captain that made your life as a freshman a living hell? He’s there too! You might have to compare his current picture to the picture in the old high school yearbook archives to recognize him though.
Contact an Old Friend or Buy a Yearbook Reprint
Classmates.com is simply a fun way to go back in time without having to wait for a class reunion. The basic membership allows access to old high school yearbook archives, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of interacting with your old friends. You can search and create profiles, but you can’t send emails back and forth until you join as a full member. Full memberships are available in 3 month, 1 year, and 2 year increments, ranging from $15 to $59 respectively. However, make sure you browse around the website a little before buying a subscription because they generally have promotional offers.
For some yearbooks, there is even an option to have them reprint the yearbook and send it to you. This could potentially be a really great gift for someone! They charge $99.95 for a hardcover reprint and $79.95 for a softcover reprint.
Legal Issues with Hosting Old High School Yearbook Archives
Some people are not so fond of the service though. In 2008, a PC World journalist published an article titled, 5 Reasons I Hope Classmates.com Gets Sued Into Oblivion. To no surprise, in 2012 Classmates.com did actually get sued but the case only equated into paltry $3.93 payouts that totaled to $800,000. But with an active membership of 40 million users, $800,000 is chump change. Regardless, now is the time to take advantage of the services available from Classmates.com; it might not be available forever.
Classmates.com serves up old high school yearbook archives for American and Canadian schools. The umbrella company also hosts Classmate.com-like websites geared towards other countries under their Stayfriends brand.
