Features:
The Organizer is a very modular website in design. Components can be added and taken out to provide a safe and productive Community Website for your school’s organizing bodies. Some features include, but are not limited to:

• A custom website address (http://www.yourschoolhere.com). See previous sites for real examples.
• News on the front page with a comment system
• A Calendar that can list multiple events for one day in an easy to read and navigate manner. Events can be added months in advance.
• An Image Gallery that requires no experience to use. Easily upload photos of your school events.
• A Store for your Spirit Wear such as School T-shirts, hoodies and lanyards. It works by entering student information so the organizer can prepare the order before the student goes to pick it up. Perfect if you don’t have a lot of time to stand in line and put together orders on the spot; get it done ahead of time. No personal information or credit card is required!
• A Message Board to post information for students, for organizers of events to get to together and plan events with other members of a team. You can also send out newsletters and keep your students up to date on meetings or even classroom assignments. This is the most popular and comprehensive feature of the Organizer. Not all the features can be listed here.

This isn’t a complete list of what the YONGE Organizer is capable of and its benefits. It can be tailored for your needs. If a feature isn’t listed, contact me with a question and I will answer you, chances are, it can be done.

Benefits:
The benefits of an online community have a near instant payoff. In today’s society, online communication has replaced mail and even phone calls. Students enjoy their online communities such as Nexopia and Facebook, so why not have them enjoy their own safe community to call their own? Some benefits users have noticed are:

• Access to information for group planners
• Communication between users via the Message Boards
• A website tailored to your school colours, logo and style. I will use any information you provide me with about your school to ensure the website represents it as much as possible.
• Keeping your community members informed with news posts, newsletters and other online communications done in a safe environment.
• Content is moderated by Staff that chooses to administrate and select trusted Students that have a passion for technology.
• Students register with the real name to ensure conduct and effective communication between members, so you know who you are talking to.
• Fast Technical Support. Although I am a student, I always find time to work out any problems that may arise that I can assist in fixing.

Security:
Unlike most popular social networking sites, the YONGE Organizer is quite safe. An account must be created using your full name to gain access to the sites features like the news, calendar and forums. The site is protected by Anti-Bot technology developed by Karl Benson, who has created many modifications for the SMF platform that is used as the base of the Organizer. Personal information is submitted by the choice of the user and they can also choose what information appears. The individual can setup their account to display nothing but their name, not even an email address. A name is required for the security of the rest of the community to ensure identity and monitor content.

Powered By:
The YONGE Organizer is powered by the free scripts SMF and PhAlbum. They generously lend their support to the project by keeping their programs free and open for public use. Without their existance and others like them, these kinds of projects would be impossible to get off the ground without thousands of dollars and endless hours. Their information is proudly displayed on all YONGE Organizer sites to show where credit is due.