Classmates,
We have been working on a major update to our website (www.usna1978.org) which recently went live. The Class website serves as the main portal to our class news, history, and directory. This update upgraded the photo section in a major way, added several new subsections under the Class History section and added a new section for our sponsored ship, the USS Porter, DDG-78.
Some specifics:
- Photo Section: In the photo section you can now search the photos by classmate, company, timeframe and event. When you upload a photo you will have the option of adding all those characteristics to the photo. There are five main categories: Academy Years, In Uniform, Post Military Life, and 35th and 40 Reunions. Each of these categories has specific labels for the photos. As a result of labeling the photos, the photos are now tagged to your classmate profile. We’ve already updated most of the existing photos, and we will continue to update the rest in the next few weeks. We are doing our best to label everyone in the photos and put the correct timeline on it, but if you find a photo with guys not identified, the wrong title or timeline please let the webmaster know (webmaster@usna1978.org) and he will make changes.
- Class History: Four new subsections have been added to the Class History section: Academy Years, Sea Stories/Professional Articles, Video/Oral Histories, and Website History.
Under the Academy Years subsection, we have added the following pages:
- Company Photos for all four years. The Plebe Year Photos are already online, expect to see Youngster, Second Class and First Class year photos in the next few months. Also for your viewing pleasure, we have added photos of our Company Officers.
- First Class Leadership – Brigade, Regiment, Battalion and Company Stripers
- Athletics with separate pages for our NAAA Hall of Fame members, Lettermen, and Sport Captain
- June Week award and scholarship winners
- NAPSters and Foundation Classmates
Sea Stories/Professional Articles are designed to capture professional articles that Classmates have written over the years, as well as, written recollections from our time in uniform.
Video/Oral Histories is an area where we hope to post oral and video histories from classmates’ experiences at the Academy, in uniform, and after leaving the military. We also hope to find and link videos of our classmates who have been featured in documentaries.
Website History – screenshots of our six different websites.
So, what do we need you to do?
- First, please visit our website using your current user id and password.
- When you sign on, you will see the same homepage but the images will be a little brighter and crisper.
- If you click on the WordPress symbol in the top left corner you see that you have four options:
? Dashboard – does not apply, part of the WordPress core.
? Classmate Profile – allows you to update your personal profile
? Upload Photos – allows you to upload photos and label them. The system requires all content to be managed by the system administrator, so photos must be approved and published by the administrator.
? Profile – also part of the WordPress core, allows you to personalize the website’s colors and format if desired.
- After you examine the new website, update your classmate profile and don’t forget to complete the personal paragraph and upload a current photo. Also, upload photos you have from our Academy Years, in Uniform and since you left the military.
- If you are a grad and your Firstie photo is not on your profile, please let the webmaster know.
- Continue to visit our website for Class News and more content as we populate sections that are “Coming Soon!”
- Speaking of Class News, please forward any news you see about classmates or the Academy that you think we should add to the website.
- Also, if you have authored any professional articles, military or not, or know of a classmate who has, we want to add them to our website. Please forward them to our webmaster.
- Finally, this is your website, so please share any ideas for what you’d like to see on our website. We intend to expand and grow the website and would like your ideas on what features you would like added.
Fair winds…
Glen
Glen Woods
President, USNA Class of 1978