Yearbook Staff Meets Challenge of Home Page Development
Having a presence on the World Wide Web is not a top priority of most yearbook staffs for a number of reasons. Most significant is the time involved in developing and maintaining a home page. However, some staffs are trying to meet the challenge head-on by naming a staff member the official webmaster and launching a web site to promote their yearbook.
That is what the Profiles yearbook staff at Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., has done. They went online last spring, developing a home page that featured the 1997 Profiles yearbook, which was aptly themed, “Breaking New Ground.”
Adviser Rick Lanning said the site was originally developed by last year’s webmaster, John O’Neill. Updates have been added by David Linsey, the staff’s new webmaster.
Lanning said without their hard work and dedication, the site would not exist.
“It can be really time-consuming and it hasn’t been something the entire staff has been involved in,” he said. “I’ve just been fortunate to have two students interested enough in it to devote time to it.”
Since being the staff’s designated webmaster is secondary to the yearbook deadline, launching the home page has involved a lot of extra “after-hours” work, Lanning said. For example, he said Linsey spent a great deal of his time this past summer updating the site to include a section called “The First 40,” which commemorates the yearbook’s 40th anniversary.
“That was a big project,” Lanning said, noting that the section features photographs of all 40 yearbook covers. “Currently, he’s working on a preview of this year’s book. He’s a workaholic.”
Those navigating the site can preview photos and spreads from the 1998 Profiles, “Timepieces,” as well as learn about the yearbook staff and how the book is produced. Sound files are also a part of the home page with a greeting welcoming visitors to the site and a recording of the school’s fight song.
Lanning said the home page is less about marketing and more about communication.
“It gives us a chance to communicate with our student body – to share information about yearbook and to show them what our plans are and what we’re doing,” he said.
The yearbook staff is leading the way for their school district, according to Lanning. He said a district home page is in the works and will eventually be linked to their site.
Linsey, a senior, said he enjoys working on the web site and has received a great deal of positive feedback.
“Those who have seen it, love it,” he said. “They’ve given me rave reviews. It just keeps getting better, I think. We’ve really juiced it up during the first year. We’ve jumped from ground zero to quite high in just one year.”
Frequent updates, such as those featured in the “Monthly Gallery,” are important to the overall maintenance of a home page, according to Linsey.
“You want to keep people coming back to your site. They won’t come back if they know you haven’t added anything new.”
Linsey said the home page is a great way for the yearbook staff to share their work with fellow students.
“The yearbook comes out once a year – at the end of the year,” he said. “It’s a great way for them to see how we’re progressing. They don’t have to wait in anticipation for when the book comes out. This way, we can show them pieces of it throughout the year.”
Linsey said he knows having a home page is not something all yearbook staffs would welcome, acknowledging that many staffs want to keep all aspects of their book secret until it is unveiled. In addition, he said the time involved in developing and maintaining a site plays a big role.
The time factor is something staffs need to strongly consider before they decide to go online with their yearbook, Linsey said.
“They need to know it takes a lot of time, a lot of knowledge to get a home page started and keep it going,” he said. “If they’re willing and able to make those sacrifices, it can be very rewarding in the end.”
