In January 2013 I searched Google on “Garrett Alumni Association,” a long-existing non-profit organization connected to my home town in Garrett, Indiana, and was delighted to find (or so I thought) that indeed they had finally gone digital. Wanting to support this organization, I paid $50 for a lifetime membership using a Visa credit card. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in what I found: the site to which I paid $50 actually has no connection at all with that organization, and the very next day I clicked to delete my data from its registry, because I didn’t want my name or photo to be used in marketing this site to other Garrett alumni.
I felt completely duped. What happened?
First, I must admit that my closer examination after the fact did discover a bottom page disclaimer: AlumniClass.com is not affiliated with and is independent of any school, school district, alumni association or any other websites. So I was at fault. Caveat emptor! Buyer beware, and I was not wary enough. You don’t search for disclaimers when you believe you are dealing with your school alumni association. And I feel that the http://www.alumniclass.com/garrett presentation was designed to mislead:
For instance, consider the header Alumni Newsletters:
Alumni Newsletters
After enrolling, I found that these “newsletters” contained no news whatsoever! Just a few names, many fewer photos of classmates similarly duped, and advertisements. Not at all what one would expect given the text presentation above.
Then consider this text:
Upgrade to a lifetime membership (if you have not already) for a one time fee of $50. The lifetime membership option normally costs $100, so don't miss out on this offer! Proceeds benefit our Garrett Alumni Site. Use this link to upgrade now.
The red print is my doing, but the text itself was purely http://www.alumniclass.com/garrett . Really now, “benefit our Garrett Alumni Site?” Exactly what unwary dupes like I and a few others wanted to do for the authentic, non-profit, true Garrett Schools Alumni Association – but I hazard that no one at all wanted to “benefit” this commercial site with no genuine connection at all to the organization we cherish.
Finally, this trickery is bolstered by the site’s claim that they are a “leading source for Garrett High School Railroaders Apparel, Merchandise, Gear, Sportswear and Clothing [and much more related text].” The implication is that since GHS owns the rights to its name and logos, then there must be a genuine relationship between GHS and alumniclass.com; but that is a lie: Garrett High School Principal Matthew Smith has told me there is no relationship whatsoever between GHS and this site.
To be clear about the title “Beware Faux School Alumni Association Web Sites”: faux means false or imitation, as in “faux mink fur.”
Now, as my belated wariness revealed, http://www.alumniclass.com/garrett is exactly what it says (in the fine print) it is: a for-profit “association” with no authentic ties to the organizations people expected to find per their Google search. To a layman’s mind, this is certainly imitation, and false.
A Successful Recourse
Using language very much as presented above, I appealed this charge to my credit card company, and the $50 charge was reversed.
My Relationship to the “True”
Garrett Schools Alumni Association per
I started attending Garrett Schools Alumni Association meetings in February, simply as an interested observer hoping to help in some way. Carolyn DePaolo edits its annual newsletter promoting the mid-July activities, which will be mailed this very week to roughly 500 names, most of whom have been paying the nominal, annual $5 membership, which anyone can afford.
Obviously this list is quite incomplete. Names aren’t added in any case until the graduating class’ 25th anniversary, addresses cannot always be found, most potential members don’t pay the annual $5, and numerous names slip through the cracks due to undocumented address changes.
Given the inevitably incomplete mailing, the postal expense, and printing charges, the advantage of internet communication is obvious. Ultimately there should be a dedicated web site (any volunteers?), but for now this is what we are doing:
The very limited mailing will go out as always, but in addition:
· Invited people to send an email to GarrettAlumni@yahoo.com, from which they will be sent the Garrett Schools Alumni Association newsletter (or a link to it) once it is complete.
· EVERYONE is then encouraged to print the registration, send the basic $5 to support the Alumni Association …
· And if you can, attend some of the various special weekend events, including the Friday Walk Around Town, golf (requires registration), the Saturday Luncheon (requires registration), and Saturday tours of the new High School.
· But I (Stephen Rowe) am not soliciting, nor will I accept any money for anything so related. This GarrettAlumni@yahoo.com email address is purely a temporary bridge until the Association develops a real web site, and all money should be sent directly to the Garrett Schools Alumni Association at the address printed on its newsletter.
In the meantime, we hope You will share this post and whatever electronic information you receive from GarrettAlumni@yahoo.com with classmates and friends: send them email, share this post on your Facebook wall, call them, and talk to them, as relatively few people are going to see this particular post. This should be a banner year for these events given the tours of the new High School.
And You – looking forward, if you would like to set up and administer an official Garrett Schools Alumni Association web site, come to a monthly meeting and volunteer: 2nd Mondays, 7:00PM, at the Methodist Church across from the library (west door).
Finally, a Note on Class Newsletters
I have been writing a monthly GHS ’70 class newsletter since July 2012, of which you can see some excerpts at http://ghs70news.blogspot.com. These have been very worthwhile - helping to connect people is good in its own right, and the newsletters are enjoyed by many.
But beyond this “good enough reason in itself,” I have a dream that ultimately, stronger connections might promote a flow of resources, time, and talent back to Garrett. There are so many people out there who might leave legacy gifts to the library, community center, etc, if only they should think to do so. Likewise with living expertise, time, and talent, especially as people move toward and enter retirement. There is so much that might be done … So let’s get connected! Reach out, participate, and share! Start a class newsletter of your own.
(watch for the period between Rowe and OriGraphics)
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