Inspired by popular social networking Web sites Friendster and TheFacebook.com, one member of the Class of 2004 has created a site to help his classmates stay in touch.
About 25 percent of the class has signed up with the Brown Book Class Directory 2004, which Tim Bentley '04 started in May. Brown students can access the site using their NetID and create a profile including their name, location, e-mail address and what they will be doing in the future.
The Brown Book aims to help graduates find out each other's plans and locations - and without any existing service filling that need for the period immediately after graduation, many students have found the site helpful. "It's nice to know what people are doing and where they're going to be," said Chitra Akileswaran '04.
Akileswaran, who is currently in Providence doing research related to her thesis and preparing for her upcoming trip to South Africa with the Fulbright program, says she has seen many Brown students in town over the summer. But in the future, when classmates are more scattered, the directory will be a valuable tool, she said.
"Even if you didn't know the person at Brown, it's nice to know there's an alum (where you are)," she said.
Brown hosts an online alumni database, but graduates will not have access to it until their Brown e-mail accounts are de-activated at the end of summer, said Julie Roderiques, assistant director of young alumni and undergraduate programs at Alumni Relations. At that time, graduates will receive an alumni e-mail account and have the opportunity to create a profile for Brown's database. The database currently holds about 70,000 alumni profiles, Roderiques said.
On both the Brown database and the Brown Book directory, responsibility for creating and updating profiles lies with the graduates.
Christian Garnett '04 joined the Brown Book after receiving an e-mail about it from Bentley. "People need to find out about it. Once people find out about it, it makes a lot of sense," he said.
As for Friendster and TheFacebook.com, many students say they still use the sites, but only occasionally.
Josh Gang '03 said people with whom he communicates through Friendster are people he would have stayed in touch with anyway.
Some students prefer to avoid online networks altogether. Ali Fiddler '04 said she would rather stay in touch with phone calls and visits than using an online site. She has not joined Bentley's directory, and she has abstained from both Friendster and TheFacebook.com.
But, she said, "I may be the lone hold-out."
Herald senior staff writer Kira Lesley '07 can be reached at klesley@browndailyherald.com.
