classmates.com

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classmates.com
Type of site
Social networking service
OwnerH.I.G. Capital
Created byRandy Conrads
URLwww.classmates.com
CommercialMixed
LaunchedNovember 17, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-11-17)[1] (as Classmates Online, Inc.)

classmates.com is a social networking service. It was founded on November 17, 1995 by Randy Conrads as Classmates Online, Inc.[2] and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It currently is the leading online social network service in the United States for bringing high school alumni together with over 90 million members. Classmates also offers the largest library of digitized yearbooks available anywhere on the Internet, with over 470,000 yearbooks available online.

Classmates.com has an archive of old high school yearbooks that have been digitized, and members are able to purchase yearbook reprints. Other features[3] include private messaging, conversations, class lists, reunion planning, and the ability to see who visits your profile and leaves their name. The site also allows you to view schoolmates who said they remember you, and what they remember you for.

History[edit]

United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD) acquired Classmates Online in 2004[4] and owned and operated the company as part of its Classmates Media Corporation subsidiary[5] until 2015.

In 2010, Classmates.com changed its name to Memory Lane, which included a website redesign,[6] and included nostalgia content like movie trailers, songs, and photos. In 2011, Classmates dropped the Memory Lane brand. Classmates Media operated online social networking and loyalty marketing services under the Classmates.com[7] and MyPoints[8] brands, respectively.

In August 2015, Classmates was acquired from by PeopleConnect Holdings, Inc., a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, making it the second acquisition after PCH’s purchase of Bellevue, WA based Intelius, Inc.[9] Classmates is now operated as a division of PeopleConnect,[10] which also owns Intelius.

In 2020, PeopleConnect completed a merger with The Control Group, a provider of B2C information services including online background checks & reverse phone lookups located in San Diego, California.[11]

Classmates Media Corporation's business model is based on user-generated content and revenue from paid subscriptions and advertising sales.[4]

As of 2023, under the PeopleConnect leadership team including CEO Steven Gray & CFO Sach Barot, the B2C information services division of PeopleConnect operates from the San Diego location, with the Classmates division, led by President Sarah Howe, located in Bellevue, Washington.

Users and ranking among other social networking sites[edit]

The only 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.[12]

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 paying subscribers.

In 2006, television program The View mentioned Classmates.com as having more than 40 million[13] 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[14] (the last years that individual site rankings were broken out). As more users have moved to Facebook, the site has fallen in popularity. Classmates.com was one of the first social networks.

As of 2015 (the year the company turned 20), Classmates had over 70 million current members.[15]

Privacy[edit]

Classmates.com members use real names,[16] not screen names, including maiden names. 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[edit]

It is free to register as a basic member of Classmates.com. Basic members can:

  • Create profiles and search the entire social networking service for friends
  • Get emails about people they have never met visiting their profile,

Classmates+ (formerly Gold) members, who pay a fee, may also:

  • read and reply to every message in their Classmates Inbox
  • see the names of others who have visited their profile
  • see who remembers them and how they’re described as being remembered
  • receive a discount on yearbook reprints

Digital yearbook collection[edit]

Classmates.com has an archive of over 470,000 yearbooks from the US, some dating back to the 1880s. This represents the world’s largest (and continually growing) digital yearbook collection. Classmates.com acquires these yearbooks and then scans them, creating digital copies that can be viewed online. Many of these yearbooks are available to purchase in hardcover or softcover reprints.  

The oldest yearbook on site is from 1886, from Central High School, Manchester, NH.[17]

Reunions[edit]

Classmates.com members can plan and attend reunions on site. In 2020 Classmates.com also rolled out the virtual reunion(10) feature so that schoolmates can get together without having to travel, which was a new option during the height of Covid.

In 2022, Classmates.com users organized over 30,000 reunions on the site.

In the media[edit]

In a Yahoo! Life UK article on July 8, 2022, the costume designer of the Netflix show Stranger Things was reported as telling Australia’s Harpers Bazaar magazine "We looked at real kids from the time period. I spent lots of time on Classmates.com, which has assorted yearbooks, gathering images of real students in different parts of the country. I also found lots of D&D club group photos which lent lots of inspiration for the Hellfire Club."[18]

In October 2022, Insider Magazine[19] used celebrity yearbook photos for an article, many of which came from the Classmates.com yearbook archive.

In June 2023, People Magazine also used Classmates.com[20] celebrity yearbook photos for an article.

Classmates.com has also been in the media[21][22] for high school romance connections.

Legal allegations[edit]

5 District Attorneys in CA (including LA) filed a consumer protection lawsuit – Classmates updated its subscription renewal disclosures and settled the claim.[23]

Email settlement[edit]

Classmates.com were alleged to have sent 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). A class action lawsuit was brought against Classmates.com in 2008. The lead plaintiffs in the case were David Catapano and Anthony Michaels.[24] Classmates.com agreed to pay $2.5 million to its users to settle the lawsuit.[25]

Piggybacking and post-transaction marketing[edit]

Classmates.com was accused of piggybacking and post-transaction marketing.[26] Parent company United Online earned $70 million from marketing practices under investigation in 2009 by the Senate Commerce Committee. United Online denied the allegations and maintained that customers were provided clear disclosures before agreeing to transactions.[27]

Settlement on hidden online shopping fees[edit]

On August 18, 2010, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo 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.[28] Under the alleged practice investigated, consumers who completed online purchases were presented with discounts or cash-back offers, and accepting these offers triggered small, easy-to-overlook recurring charges billed to unfamiliar company names. Classmates' share of the settlement amounts to $960,000 and a commitment to end these practices.[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Classmates.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  2. ^ CBS News, August 30, 2003. In Search of the Past.
  3. ^ https://www.classmates.com/siteui/member_benefits. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ a b "No. 2 Internet service provider buying Classmates Online Archived 2007-11-04 at the Wayback Machine", Seattle Times, October 26, 2004.
  5. ^ "Classmates.com Parent United Online Acquires School-Focused Friend Finder SchoolFeed". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. ^ Todd Bishop (February 23, 2011). "Classmates.com brand demoted in 'Memory Lane' site launch". TechFlash.com. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  7. ^ "Find Alumni, View Yearbooks, and Plan Class Reunions". Classmates. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  8. ^ mypoints.com
  9. ^ "United Online". www.unitedonline.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  10. ^ "The most trusted place to learn about people". Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Livingstone advises PubRec on its merger with PeopleConnect | Transactions | Livingstone Partners". www.livingstonepartners.com. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ^ "Top 10 Social Networking Websites & Forums - June 2009". Marketingcharts.com. 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  13. ^ ARA Content, Zip Publishing (1 February 2006). "Take a Second Chance with that First Love". The View. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Paid Content U.S. Market Spending Report" Archived 2006-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, Online Publishers Association, May 2004
  15. ^ "Classmates CEO Celebrates 20 Year Mark, Examines Evolution of Social Media". Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  16. ^ David Kirkpatrick (February 2011). The Facebook Effect. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781439102121. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  17. ^ https://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/central-high-school/127072?page=1. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ https://uk.style.yahoo.com/winona-ryder-gave-personal-jeans-091500578.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ^ https://www.insider.com/celebrities-in-high-school-2017-5. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ https://people.com/celebrity/celeb-yearbook-photos/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-18-lv-reunion18-story.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ^ https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Sometimes-a-first-love-was-just-meant-to-be-2606367.php. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ^ https://www.subscriptioninsider.com/topics/regulation-and-compliance/classmates-com-to-pay-up-to-550k-for-violating-california-auto-renewal-law. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ Singel, Ryan (November 12, 2008). "Classmates.com User Sues; Schoolmates Weren't Really Looking for Him". Wired. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  25. ^ "Revised Classmates.com Settlement Provides More Money to Class Members". Top Class Actions. 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  26. ^ Sandoval, Gred (15 March 2010). "Classmates.com tied to more dubious marketing tactics". Cnet.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  27. ^ Sandoval, Gred (23 November 2009). "E-tailers snagged in marketing 'scam' blame customers". Cnet.com. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  28. ^ "UPDATE 1-Cuomo says 6 settle on hidden online shopping fees". Reuters. August 18, 2010.
  29. ^ "Cuomo Obtains $10 Million In Settlements With Companies That Tricked Consumers Into Signing Up For Discount Clubs With Hidden Fees". New York Attorney General's Office. 2010-08-18. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-13.

External links[edit]

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