Alumni class notes: print or online?

In January, I sent a quick-and-dirty, unscientific survey on alumni class notes to college and university editors to find out more about their use online. Thanks to the 32 editors who responded. Here are the results:

• Do you post your alumni class notes online?
• 71.9% Yes
  
• 28.1% No
  
  
• If you post your notes online, how do you post them?
  
• 43.5% PDF of entire print magazine
• 30.4% Special Web page devoted to notes
• 17.4% Magazine Web site
• 13.0% Searchable database of class notes
• 4.3% News section of online alumni community/network
  
  
• For those who post their notes online, have you reduced or removed them from your printed magazines or newsletters?
• 66.7% No, we post complete class notes in print and online
• 13.3% Removed from print publications entirely
• 13.3% Other
• 6.7% Yes, we have reduced the number of class notes published in print
  
  
• Are your class notes publicly accessible online?
• 45.5% Yes, anyone can view and search our class notes
• 36.4% Yes, but the class notes can't be easily searched
• 18.2% No, they are in a password-protected site for alumni
  
  
• How often do you update your class notes online?
  
• 52.2% Every time magazine is published
• 4.3% Twice annually
• 17.4% Quarterly
• 4.3% Every two months
• 21.7% As submitted
  
  
• What are the sources of your notes? (Check all that apply.)
  
• 90.3% Alumni submissions
• 74.2% News clippings
• 25.8% Class representatives
• 16.1% Other: development office research, campus sources, obits only from news clippings, other alumni (but double-checked)
  
  
• For how long do you post individual class notes online?
• 86.4% Permanently, as part of the magazine issue
• 9.1% Six months
• 4.5% Two years
  
  
• Who updates the online notes?
• 28.6% Alumni relations staff
• 38.1% Alumni magazine staff
• 33.3% Communications/PR staff
• 23.8% Other (student workers/interns, magazine designers)

As educational institutions everywhere try to find ways to save costs, many are choosing to move their class notes online from print publications. Pros: the move lowers printing costs and can drive traffic to your alumni Web sites. Cons: security concerns from alumni, potentially reduced interest in the print publications, and issues of information permanence.