April 06, 2004

Starting Over

Welcome to the second incarnation of BetaXiDelts.org. I have resurrected the site based on numerous conversations I had with others at Ray O'Neal's memorial service - the gist of which was that we all feel the need to stay in touch better, and perhaps organize a regular get together of sorts so that funerals don't become our de facto reunions.

The purpose of this message is to outline some initial thoughts I have about this site and it's potential role in allowing us to stay in touch more efficiently. I hope that you will utilize the comment function of this site to add your thoughts about any of what comes below.

Purpose
The purpose of this site, as stated above, it to facilitiate communication between a group of alumni of the Beta Xi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta from Tulane University. It is hoped that this communication will be a central repository of, and distribution point for, information that will result in a better awareness of the status of individuals and their respective families, location, careers, and other life events. Furthermore, the site should assist in organizing regular social gatherings in larger metro areas (i.e. New York, D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta), as well as a large reunion occuring every other year or so.

Membership
Due to the fact that I am a member of the Class of '89, I expect that most of the people that will be interested in participating in this endeavour - at least initially - will be from classes within a few years either side of mine. Due to the demise of the chapter soon after, I don't forsee that we will have much in common with the new generation of Beta Xi Delts, and, frankly, I don't think we as a group will have much in common with the Delts that came more than 5 or 6 years before us. That being said - I don't think we should formally restrict our membership in any way, but that is a topic that is up for discussion.

Site Content and Services
My initial concept of this site includes the following features.

  • A membership function that restricts access to those with a username and password.
  • A member directory with contact information, a couple of recent photos, and perhaps a short profile of the person.
  • A mailing list feature that will allow distribution of emails to the entire group simply by sending the message to one centralized address.
  • The regular posting of updates submitted by individuals about themselves or others.
  • A section dedicated to upcoming social events and news about planning for the next reunion.

Format
The format you see here is simply a basic framework with which to get started. If the interest is there, I will customize the site.

Disclaimer
I tried this after Kevin Netting passed away, but didn't get much response. I have no desire to bear the entire weight of this thing on my shoulders, but am more than willing to contribute time and energy if a core group of other folks will do the same.

I look forward to your feedback.

YF Dean

Posted by Betaxi at 08:30 AM | Comments (4)