West Chicago Community High School Project Alumni

West Chicago Community High School
p r o j e c t a l u m n i

West Chicago Community High School
326 Joliet St.
West Chicago, IL 60185
- Click For Official School Web Site -

This web site is not affiliated with West Chicago Community High School.

November 28^th, 2024, 4:44am

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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a short list of some frequently asked questions, if you can't find what you are looking for here please send me a message using the Questions/Comments form.

Registration Problems
I signed up but I didn't get my password?
I get logged in and then as soon as I click on something it asks me to log in again?
I am trying to log in and it says that I am using an invalid username and/or password?

Pricing
How much does it cost?
Will the price ever go up?
Why would I want to pay for this service?
Can I find out how many of my classmates have signed up before I pay?
Can I get a refund?
Why do you restrict access to non-paying members?
I don't want to pay by credit card or PayPal, can I just send a check?
Who is OutreachONE Media Services?
Is this site affiliated with West Chicago Community High School?

Membership Types
What can I do with my free membership?
What can I do if I contribute the $10.00?
What about professional reunion planners?

Privacy
Will my email address be made public?
How safe is my personal information here?
What about the security of my credit card information?
How do I remove myself from the directory?

Function
How will I know if somebody is trying to contact me?
Someone keeps sending me messages and it is really annoying. How can I stop this?
I am the reunion organizer for my class, how do I plan an event?
How do I find out about my class reunion?

Advertising
Are there going to be a lot of banner and pop-up advertisements here?

West Chicago Community High School Project Alumni
Who runs this site?

Registration Problems

Q: I signed up but I didn't get my password?

Your welcome email is sent immediately, but sometimes do to network traffic, email service provider configurations, etc... it might take a few minutes to get to you. Under normal circumstances your welcome email will arrive in 10 to 20 seconds. I would considering the email missing if you do not get it in 20 minutes, and there are a few reasons why this might happen.

If you are using some type of SPAM protection you should first check to see if it was placed in your Junk or Spam folder. Additionally you might want to add this email address to your address book: no-reply AT projectalumni.org (replace the AT with an @). This might help system generated email to get through your spam filter.
If you don't find it in your Spam folder, a typo in your email address is the second most likely possibility. To see if this is the case simply sign up again (you will have to choose a different username) and carefully enter your email address. Be certain to choose a different username and if you don't get an error message saying that someone else is already using that email address you know that you entered it incorrectly the first time.
Now we know the email address was entered correctly, the third most likely possibility is that your service provider is completely blocking the email for some reason. There really is not much you can do about that except to sign up for a free email account at Yahoo! or some other free email provider. Right now, I know of no ISPs that are blocking these emails, but it has been known to happen.
If you have done everything above including signing up for a different free account and still don't receive your welcome email you are just having a bad day! But please let me know by using the contact form so I can look into it, it may be a problem on this end.

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Q: I get logged in and then as soon as I click on something it asks me to log in again?

This is almost certainly a problem with your browser not accepting cookies. In order to use this site you must have cookies enabled. The cookies I use are not evil cookies, they simply contain your username and password so that the web site knows that you are allowed to be there. There are directions on how to enable cookies on the page that tells you to log in again. [Back To Top]

Q: I am trying to log in and it says that I am using an invalid username and/or password?

There are a couple of possibilities here. First be sure you are entering your correct username and password, they are case-sensitive. Try using the "Forgot Password" link to send yourself your login information. You can enter your username OR email address there and the system will send you the information instantly.
Is this the first time you are trying to log in? If it is AND it has been longer than 7 days since you initially registered what happened is your pending registration expired and was removed. This is easy. Simply sign up again.
When all else fails send me a note using the contact form and I will get it straightened out for you.

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Pricing

Q: How much does it cost?

Basic features are free. You can post, view and RSVP to any reunions or events that might be planned for your class or the school. The extended features which allow you to communicate and reconnect with old friends require a one-time only contribution of just $10.00.

Since this site is brand new our directory of alumni is small. If you are in a hurry to find somebody you might want to try Classmates.com, just be aware that they charge almost $40 a year to be able to contact somebody and the site is flooded with advertisements, but they do have a large directory of alumni. Hopefully we will catch up soon and save everybody a lot of money. [Back To Top]

Q: Will the price ever go up?

Probably not, but if so, not by much. I am dedicated to keeping this site affordable to everybody. The price you pay now is a one-time fee, so if the price does increase it will not affect anybody who has already paid. Right now it is important to get the word out that this site exists... by contributing now you are helping with this effort and making the site much more usefull and valuable in the future. Contributions are being used to pay for advertising on Google and other search engines. [Back To Top]

Q: Why would I want to pay for this service?

Well, I started this project because I was on one of the big alumni sites and I wanted to contact a classmate I hadn't talked to since graduation. Well when I saw how much it cost to join I decided that we weren't really that great of friends anyway.

Seriously, I found a way that I could provide this service to the alumni of West Chicago Community High School and make the fee such that people would actually take advantage of it. I do have to concede though that those other big sites do offer some features that you probably won't ever find here, like yearbook scanning, dating services, access to other schools, etc... But I figure if you want those things the price here is cheap enough that you could join in both places.

Remember, your contribution here is a one time fee, you don't have to pay it every month or every year. Once you join your in for as long as the site is up and running. [Back To Top]

Q: Can I find out how many of my classmates have signed up before I pay?

No, you must pay the small membership fee to gain access to the Alumni Directory. I know the first people to sign up are going to think they got scammed so if you just don't feel like you want to be patient I will give refunds to anybody that asks within 14 days of their payment.

One of the reasons that you can not see how many or who is signed up before you join is because I don't want to facilitate the "I'll sign up when there are more people here..." kind of attitude. Hopefully this will help the membership grow faster.

I've been asked before, "Why don't you just make it free and ask for donations?" Well, donations do not work for two reasons. First, most people don't donate and it costs money to advertise, host, and maintain the site. I wish it could be completely free but the site requires some type of income stream for it to grow and I don't want to fill up the site with advertising. Second and most important in my opinion, if I opened the site directory up to everybody regardless of whether they paid I would get a lot of non-alumni joining hoping to advertise to you in a direct manner. By charging a small fee it really keeps the directory clean of those that do not belong and keeps your membership here much more private. Spammers and advertisers will not pay any amount of money, they will just move on to the next site. [Back To Top]

Q: Can I get a refund?

Yes. You can request a refund for ANY reason for 14 days after paying your membership fee. Just click on "Payment History". If you are still in your 14 day refund window you will find a "Request a Refund" link there. [Back To Top]

Q: Why do you restrict access to non-paying members?

I believe that those who pay for this service are more likely to provide legitimate information and not abuse the site. By restricting posting privileges to paying members it also should really eliminate or at least minimalize the amount of SPAM in the forums and the private messaging system.

The reason I started this project in the first place was to provide an easy, "all in one place", AFFORDABLE area to obtain information about upcoming reunions and events. Nobody should be left in the dark about this information so reunion information will be available to all members regardless of whether they contributed any money or not. [Back To Top]

Q: I don't want to pay by credit card or PayPal, can I just send a check?

Sure, you can even send cash, although I wouldn't recommend it. To get the information for sending a payment the old fashioned way look for the applicable link on the "Upgrade" page. You will find the mailing address along with a button to email you all the information as well. You must be signed in (using your free membership) to get there. [Back To Top]

Q: Who is OutreachONE Media Services?

That is a company that I started back in the early 90's doing web design work. This site is one of my projects and I am collecting the contributions into my business account. [Back To Top]

Q: Is this site affiliated with West Chicago Community High School?

No, this site is not affiliated in any official capacity with West Chicago Community High School. [Back To Top]

Membership Types

Q: What can I do with my free membership?

Alumni Reunions & Events
Your free membership will allow you to post, view, and RSVP to reunions and other events. However, you will be unable to view the RSVP list (unless you are the organizer of the event).
Alumni Profiles
You will be able to keep your personal profile/biography updated, but you will be unable to view other alumni profiles.
Alumni Directory
You will be listed in the alumni directory, but you will be unable to view the directory.
Alumni Mail
Contributing members will be able to contact you through the web site, and you will be able to read and respond to that message. However, you are unable to initiate contact with anybody because you do not have access to the Alumni Directory.
Alumni Forums
You will not have access to any of the forums.

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Q: What can I do if I contribute the $10.00?

Alumni Reunions & Events
Your free membership will allow you to post, view, and RSVP to reunions and other events. You will also be able to see the RSVP list and see who is attending and who is not.
Alumni Profiles
You will be able to keep your personal profile/biography updated, as well as view all other alumni profiles.
Alumni Directory
You will be listed in the alumni directory, and be able to view the alumni directory. It is set up to be easily browsed by class or last name.
Alumni Mail
You will be able to contact anybody in the alumni directory (unless they have specifically elected not to be contacted) through the web site. Even if they are not contributing members they will be able to read and respond to your message.
Alumni Forums
You have access to all of the forums.

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Q: What about professional reunion planners?

I just finished adding support to make it easier for professional reunion planners to add events. You can enter multiple events under one account.

It Is Free!
Sign up just like an alumni except in the "Graduation Year" select "Pro Planner". Enter the name of the person you want as the contact for inquries. After you submit the registration you will be asked to enter the name of your company. You will be sent an email with your password, after you login using that password you can enter your event information. Easy as pie!
It asks me if I want to upgrade, what's that about?
You do not need to upgrade if all you want to do is enter event information. However, if you want to take advantage of the forums it might be a good idea to upgrade, but it's certainly not required. Everything on the upgrade page applies to you as well, so if you want to try it out and then decide it's not for you, you can ask for a refund.
What happens after I enter an event?
After you submit your event information an email is sent out to all of the classmates that are registered for that year group informing them that new reunion information is available at the site. You can also provide links sending people to your web site to register or find out more detailed information.
How do I edit an event that I have previously entered.
First, go to the appropriate event details page, in the upper right corner click on "Edit This Event".

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Privacy

Q: Will my email address be made public?

No, your email address is never given to anybody, even to other classmates. If someone would like to contact you they can initiate the communication on this web site and you will receive their message as an email from this site. You can then decide to provide your email address to the person or continue using the web site as a medium of communication. Also see the privacy policy. [Back To Top]

Q: How safe is my personal information here?

You can rest assured that I will never sell, trade, rent or give your contact information to anybody. See the privacy policy for more information. [Back To Top]

Q: What about the security of my credit card information?

No credit card information is kept on the server. In fact I never see your credit card information at all. I use PayPal to process all of the electronic payments and they are a reputable, safe, and large company (now owned by Ebay by the way). They are in the business of safeguarding your information. As a side note, there is no longer a requirement to open up a PayPal account when you use PayPal's payment service. [Back To Top]

Q: How do I remove myself from the directory?

Just click on the "Contact Us" link on the top of any page and let me know that you want to be removed. If you are not logged in be sure to include your username or your name and year. [Back To Top]

Function

Q: How will I know if somebody is trying to contact me?

When someone sends you a message an email will be delivered to you alerting you that you have a new message on the site. You can turn this feature on and off by going to "New Mail Alerts" under the Alumni Mail menu. [Back To Top]

Q: Someone keeps sending me messages and it is really annoying. How can I stop this?

I've actually never been asked this but just in case it happens I thought I'd address the issue here. Just click on the "thumbs-up" icon next to this persons name in the Alumni Directory, this will change it to a "thumbs-down" and they will be added to your "Ignore List". They will no longer be able to send you messages. [Back To Top]

Q: I am the reunion organizer for my class, how do I plan an event?

Planning a reunion or any event is very easy, well not actually planning it but posting the announcement is very easy, simply click on "Create/Edit Event" and add your event information. This feature is available to everybody, not just designated planners, and not just to people who have contributed money. You don't have to wait for an official reunion to have a get-together. [Back To Top]

Q: How do I find out about my class reunion?

The first thing you have to do is register; it's free and easy. Once you log in you can learn about class events simply by clicking on the "View Events" link on the main menu. [Back To Top]

Advertising

Q: Are there going to be a lot of banner and pop-up advertisements here?

No way! I don't really think that the traffic on this site would ever make that worth the inconvenience it would cause to you. [Back To Top]

West Chicago Community High School Project Alumni

Q: Who runs this site?

Well I do... My name is Steve Plant, I live in the Wiregrass area of Alabama. I started this project after finding the cost of the other alumni sites to be just too exclusive. I already owned a small web design business (OutreachONE Media Services) and thought I could at least provide the basic services required for an alumni site at a price everyone could afford. Since I created one site for one high school I found it easy to create sites for anybody that asked, eventually growing to over 300 high schools now and over 50,000 members. [Back To Top]