The Death of the [Year] Book, Thanks to Facebook
Online social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are now leading to the decline of college year books and other printed alumni publications.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise, considering the goals of Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes when they launched Facebook from their Harvard dorm rooms back in 2004.
Facebook was originally intended to be an alternative, or even a better version, to the typical printed "facebook" that many colleges distribute to incoming students. It lets them get a look at who their classmates will be, usually listing hometowns and a few other personal facts.
After Harvard, Facebook was made available to Stanford. And Columbia. And Yale. And soon the rest of the whole entire world, it seems.
With pictures, personal details, and the capability for constant updates and expanding connections, new online social networks make the traditional yearbook obsolete. Many colleges are cutting back on their print runs. Some, like Purdue University in Indiana, are discontinuing their printed yearbook, called "Debris," after this year, citing a decrease in "sales, reserve funds and student interest." (Oddly enough, the title of this final edition is "Bringing It Back." Perhaps it should have been "Putting It Out Of Its Misery?")
An Economist columnist cites high costs for printed yearbooks – as much as $75 per copy – as a primary reason for new graduates deciding not to buy the books. But maybe its just easier and more satisfying to stay in touch with fellow alums online.
And while you can write "Best Friends Forever" in your yearbook, in the online world you can use your link to actually stay in touch over time. [Source: Economist]
Filed under: Computers, MySpace, Back to School Guide 2008
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Devynn @ Jul 13th 2008 4:10PM
my alma mater's last yearbook came out my freshman year, 99-00. they stopped doing it b/c it stopped selling. of course, they didn't do much to promote it either. so facebook and myspace stepped into a void that the colleges left wide open for them due to their own lazy, damn near non exisistant PR for yearbooks. of course, if colleges really want their yearbooks to stick around, they'd use facebook and myspace in their promotions for the yearbook. i doubt it'll happen, tho, due to the rising costs of attending college. gotta get kids in the seats before you put their faces anyhere!
ChrisS @ Jul 28th 2008 1:45PM
Of course, in 20 years, your facebook account will probably be long gone along with your friends' accounts at that time as well. At least with a physical book, you have something archival that you can reminisce over, show your kids for a laugh, etc. And nobody's trolling my yearbook for embarassing pics taken during my "animal house" days.