The Yearbook Blog

My “google alert” on yearbook blogs brought this post to my attention. It is written by the spouse of a nationally-award-winning adviser who argues the point that video yearbooks will replace traditional books eventually. It is very well written with some very valid points. You can read the entire post yourself at this link:

http://www.interregnum.amberhorizon.com/tales/?p=63

Here is a summary of some his main points:

• Video yearbooks are free
• Video yearbooks can be easily distributed
• If you lose your video yearbook, you can easily obtain another one

Yes, all of those points are true. However, we have to look at whether a video yearbook can replace ALL of the benefits of a printed yearbook. Since I already explained my point about this in a previous post about Social Network Sites replacing yearbooks, I won’t go into detail again here. You can read the other post by clicking here.

But here are a couple of points I’d like to make in defense of the printed book vs. the video yearbook:

• Everyone in the school is in a printed yearbook. It is not just about capturing highlights of certain events (as in a video yearbook). It’s a reference tool. Printed yearbooks list every student in every grade (and club… and team…). Can you imagine them trying to do that in video format? How boring would that be?
• Video yearbooks do not allow behind the scenes coverage and commentary that printed books do (or at least well-written ones). Just like movies, video yearbooks can only capture what can be seen. That’s why I always prefer the book version over the movie version of the same book. The book always gives additional insight into the thoughts and characters of the story. A printed yearbook can do the same; although not every school takes advantage of this.
• (As the author’s wife points out in his post,) Video yearbooks cannot be autographed. And if you ask most yearbook owners after they graduate, it’s the signatures and messages that are the most sentimental.

As I said in my other post, this kind of panic seems to arrise every time new technology is introduced. See below…

This article was printed in 1930, and I’m pretty sure notebooks are still around.

MY CONCLUSION:

Video yearbooks can’t replace traditional yearbooks. They make great supplements, but they can’t replace them. However, are traditional yearbooks losing sales to video yearbooks? I have no real statistics, but I can guess that yes, they probably are. However, this is because students believe video yearbooks can replace traditional ones, and they are the consumer.

So does the yearbook industry have a problem? Yes. The solution? We need to convince students of the value of a printed yearbook. As a former English teacher, I know that this is just about as difficult as convincing them that the book is better than the movie. But if JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer can do it, so can we! (but without filling our books with witches and vampires)

Do you have an opinion? I’d love to hear it? Leave us a comment below!

Monroe Clark Middle School in San Diego, CA, has found a creative way to raise money and increase coverage. They are selling “Page Numbers.” For only $2, students and staff members can pay to be pictured holding the page number! Great idea, Monroe Clark!

Here’s the actual posting on their website:

http://www.monroeclark.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=87635&id=0

This headline caught my attention on several blogs this week. The full story is posted here…

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2009/03/02/20090302yearbooks0303.html#comments

Basically, the article questions whether or not social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are replacing traditionally printed yearbooks. After listing other factors that affect yearbook sales — including transient student population and poor economy — the article concludes…

To get kids to buy the yearbooks, said Jim Barbour of Herff Jones, which produces yearbooks, printers must help schools develop more viable marketing approaches.

Kids are relying less on e-mails and more on text messages to get information, so a teen might receive a text from a pal on the yearbook staff reminding him that it’s time to order.

It takes much more these days to hawk the book than a couple of kids sitting in the cafeteria at lunch. Those who are true to their school need to hear why the annuals are something they will want someday.

“I wouldn’t say the yearbook is dying, but I think we need to tell people why it’s alive,” Barbour said.

DetentionSlip.org (an education news blog) picked up on this story, and comments:

If they were smart, schools would get on top of this and buy a bunch of domain names to begin hosting digital yearbooks for the future. Statistics are showing that some yearbook sales have dropped as much as 50%. Tough break for Jostens, but it seems teens aren’t as stimulated by these over-priced memoirs as they are by the internet and cell phones.

My opinion…

Well, anytime new technology is introduced, a panic is created regarding the survival of the “old technology.” In some cases, the panic is absolutely valid. Did DVD replace VHS? Yes! DVDs provide exactly the same value as VHS, but better. Did the microwave replace the oven? No! There are just some things that don’t taste good from the microwave. So does a microwave provide the same value as an oven? No, there are times when the speed of a microwave are needed, and there are times when the quality of an oven is needed.

So what’s this have to do with yearbooks? Well, does Facebook and MySpace offer the same value as a yearbook, but better? No! Will your Facebook page be around in 20 years? Probably not. Will your yearbook be around? Yes! Can your friends sign your MySpace? Yes, but is it a sentimental reflection of the year? Most likely not. Does your Facebook page feature the girl in your class that you never talked to who will be elected President in 20 years? Not if you never talked to her. Even if your MySpace page is still up in 20 years, it will probably be drastically different, while a yearbook remains a “time capsule” of that year.

What does this mean for you?

As a yearbook adviser or staff member, it is your job to communicate the value of a yearbook to your school. Do not assume students can figure this out on their own! Why do you think yearbooks are more valuable than social network sites? Are you including this value on your posters or in your announcements?

Whenever old technology is threatened by new technology, the best thing to do is to evolve the old technology to work with the new. Have you seen some of the new home phones, like the Hub by Verizon? (Here’s the link on cnet.com) When they noticed that cell phones were replacing home phones, their solution was to create a home phone that worked with your cell phone. In other words, don’t think of Facebook and MySpace as your yearbook’s enemies. Think of them as your friends. How can you use these sites (along with YouTube, blogging, texting, etc…) to help market your yearbook?

Do you have an opinion? Chime in with your comments below…

I hear this complaint a lot from schools. Now, if your school is fine with this and happy to print a book just for the Seniors, then this post is not for you.

Most schools want to sell more yearbooks, but just can’t seem to get the rest of the school interested. If this is the case in your school, the first thing you need to ask is, “Why?” What is it about your yearbook that only appeals to Seniors? Why don’t Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen find value in your book? If you’re a typical school with this problem, then the reason probably includes several of the following…

• The Senior portraits are much larger than the rest of the school
• The Senior section is probably in color while the rest of the book is black and white
• The Senior section includes senior quotes or signatures under their photos
• Only seniors get to buy ads
• You have a special section of the book dedicated to senior activities
• The yearbook staff is mostly, if not all, seniors
• If the staff is mostly seniors, the candids are probably mostly of seniors
• If the staff is mostly seniors, then only seniors are being told when and where to buy a yearbook (and how great it is)

So what do you do? Here are some options to make your yearbook more valuable to underclassmen…

1. Put more photos of Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors in your book! Make it a point to check the coverage in a spread for representation of all grade levels
2. If you’re including spreads on special Senior activities, don’t ignore the activities of other grade levels
3. If your Senior portraits section is much better than the underclassmen, then lessen the difference. Senior portraits can still be bigger, just not 5x bigger. They can still be the only portraits in color, but then include a Student Life section in color that includes candids of underclassmen as well.
4. Allow other grades to purchase ads. They don’t have to be as big and elaborate as Senior ads. Maybe they’re text only. You can call the spread “Message Board”, “Text Messages” or “Shout Outs.” Charge kids $5-$25 to just print a couple of lines
5. If you have a lot of polls and quotes in the Senior section, make sure you’re doing the same in the other sections as well. Make the questions specific to that grade level, “What’s the worst thing about being a Freshman?” or “What are the top 5 hardest things about being a Junior?”
6. Recruit more underclassmen for your staff! This will ensure that underclassmen are being covered. If it doesn’t work out in the school schedule, form a Yearbook Advisory Committee made up of representatives from all grade levels. Maybe they meet once a month after school, and give their input on what underclassmen want to see in the yearbook.
7. Make sure you’re marketing to the entire school, and not just the Seniors. If the only reminders to the school are that Senior ads are due or Senior quotes are due, then the rest of the school is going to assume the book is only for seniors.
8. If you have a special section in your book dedicated to senior activities, consider making this a supplement that only seniors get and charge Seniors $10 more for their book!

Hope these tips help, and if you have ideas of your own, please share them below!

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando middle school student has raised more than $1,500 in her quest to purchase school yearbooks for her homeless classmates.

Rebekah Jenkins and her friends, all of whom are eighth-graders at Lee Middle School, have raised enough money to cover the cost of 68 students’ yearbooks. Jenkins said any extra money raised will be used to buy gift cards from Wal-Mart or Super Target for the students’ families.

Jenkins said she got the idea to help her classmates when she was ordering her yearbook.

“I was just thinking how sad it is for some of them not to have a yearbook, and how unfortunate they are not to remember everything that happened,” Jenkins told WKMG-TV.

Jenkins said she talked to her friends about the idea and they began fundraising.

Click here to read the full story.