By Kristi Spurgeon and Amy Wilkinson
Let’s get together
You are invited—to a gathering of a different sort
If you haven’t already, stop by Walla Walla College’s
new Alumni Central website. “This is going to be a great way to keep
in touch with people. With work and family, life gets so busy, but the site
is an easy way to stay connected with friends and to let other people know
what is happening in your life,” says one alumnus.
Connecting with your wwc classmates has never been easier than with the recent
launching of the redesigned Alumni Central website. The new site is designed
to serve as an online community for Walla Walla College alumni, helping them
keep in touch or catch up with old friends.
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Creating a profile is the first step toward sharing pictures, chatting with fellow alumni, or searching our database for lost friends. Follow these five steps to get your personal account up and running. 1. If you haven’t created a free account yet, log on to www.alumni.wwc.edu and click on the link “Create New Account” on the left side of your screen. Submit the registration information and you are ready to set up your personal profile. 2. Once you are logged in, click on the “My Account” link on the left side of your screen. 3. Click on the “Edit” tab and fill out the account settings form. This is the place where you can submit an e-mail address and your picture. 4. Once you have filled out the account settings form, move on to the next link, which is “My Contact Information.” This form allows you to check and/or edit the address the college has on file for you. If you have moved recently or have changed your name, this link will be especially useful. 5. Finally, click on the link “My Profile” to fill out a short questionnaire so fellow alumni can know what you’re up to. And voilà, you are ready to connect with thousands of alumni all over the world. |
Although the site includes many options that may seem complicated, the website is user-friendly. “We designed the Alumni Central website for all users—those who spend all their time on computers and those who rarely touch one,” says John Ash, a 1992 graduate and Alumni Central programmer. “There is something for everyone. The more people who use the site, the more our community will grow and the more useful it will be.”
REGISTERING
The website is secure and only registered users are allowed to see the information
you add. By registering at www.alumni.wwc.edu you will have full access to
the site. After signing in it is possible to update your official contact
information in the Alumni Center records at wwc (click on “My Account,”
then “Edit,” then “My Contact Information”).
ALUMNI PROFILE
It all starts with the Alumni Central profile. That’s the information
you place on the website that other users can see, including the city you
reside in, your current job, family status, and contact information. Once
your profile is created (see sidebar opposite) you can browse through other
profiles or use the search function to look up your freshman-year roommate.
For those leery about entering personal information, there is another option—say
you did find your long-lost roommate’s profile but it didn’t include
contact information. You can send him a message through the Alumni Central
website without even knowing his e-mail address.
PHOTOS AND FORUMS
You can upload photos of your family or special occasion, browse through pictures
of your classmates and alumni events, and converse with other alumni on the
Alumni Central chatbox or on the forums. Forums are an open, online conversation—all
users can comment on a certain topic or respond to what others have said.
CAREER NETWORK
One useful feature of the new website is the Career Network. The Career Network
is designed to connect alumni and allow them to share their expertise with
other alums or current students. Career consultants volunteer to provide information
about their industry or the job-hunting process. They can also invite students
to job-shadow them at work or connect them with valuable contacts in the profession.
On Alumni Central you can register to become a career consultant or search
for someone offering advice about your profession.
“It’s a tangible way to share your knowledge and expertise with students and other alumni,” says Nelle Cornelison, director for the wwc Career Center. “Our ultimate goal is to have alumni of every career and industry represented so students can tap into that professional experience.”
ALUMNI INTERVIEWS
Alumni interviews are also featured on the website. Each month, read a new
interview with a wwc alum and see what your classmates have been doing since
their time at college.
“We hope Alumni Central brings our alumni together to form a stronger community,” says Corina Car, director of alumni relations. “Although we can only offer Homecoming weekend and alumni events so often, the website is always there for alumni to interact with each other and create relationships.”