Odyssey Interactive Expands its MyYearbookBuilder System to Offer Digital Yearbooks to Colleges and UniversitiesNew Milford, Connecticut (November 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading publisher of digital yearbooks for high school, is proud to announce the arrival of our much anticipated MyYearbookBuilder College platform enabling colleges and universities (grades freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) to produce state-of-the-art digital yearbooks. Traditional paper yearbooks, from elementary school through college, are an estimated $500 million-a-year industry in the United States. However, this industry has been in steady decline due to escalating publishing costs and documented evidence showing that paper yearbooks fight to stay relevant in the Facebook era. “Odyssey Interactive’s MyYearbookBuilder.com offers students a low cost, state-of-the-art alternative to expensive paper yearbooks and ensures that the year-end staple remains universally available,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “It’s the perfect marriage between tradition and technology, which will quickly overcome the economic problems related to paper yearbook publishing,” said Joseph Durdock. MyYearbookBuilder College is an online, electronic yearbook publishing system that integrates all facets of the yearbook creative development and production process. It’s a powerful tool that provides a centralized point of entry for yearbook content collection, organization and management, which includes photographs, audio, video and type-written text. The end result is a unique eYearbook that contains self-expression, artistic design, sophisticated technology and rich, interactive experiences. All parts of the traditional yearbook have been preserved in the MyYearbookBuilder College publishing system including the ability to sign via eSignatures, and students can also sell advertisements in the form of eYearbook banner ads. “Odyssey Interactive has combined the best of social media with the traditional paper yearbook for colleges and universities searching for rich media and more interactive viewing experiences,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “Considering our past success with high school and middle school digital yearbooks, this is simply a natural progression for the MyYearbookBuilder publishing system.” For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Expands its MyYearbookBuilder System to Offer Digital Yearbooks to Middle School Students New Milford, Connecticut (October 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading publisher of digital yearbooks for high school, is proud to announce the expansion of its MyYearbookBuilder system to include publishing digital yearbooks for middle school (grades 5, 6, 7 & 8). Today, kids grow up keeping in touch online, posting photos and messages on Facebook or MySpace pages, and they identify more with their own network of friends rather than the entire school. However, these popular social-networking sites lack the organization and structure of the traditional yearbook and remain an inadequate substitute at the end of the school year. Odyssey Interactive has combined the best of digital and social media with the traditional paper yearbook for middle schools searching for rich media and more interactive viewing experiences. “This is an exciting time for middle school administrators and represents unprecedented opportunity,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “With MyYearbookBuilder ,maybe most important is the fact that middle schools can now get the respect and attention they deserve from their publishing company, regardless of order volume or student body size,” MyYearbookBuilder Middle School (MS) is an online, electronic yearbook publishing system that integrates all facets of the yearbook creative development and production process. It’s a powerful tool that provides a centralized point of entry for yearbook content collection, organization and management, which includes photographs, audio, video and type-written text. The end result is a unique eYearbook that contains self-expression, artistic design, sophisticated technology and rich, interactive experiences. All parts of the traditional yearbook have been preserved in the MyYearbookBuilder MS publishing system including the ability to sign via eSignatures, and students can also sell advertisements in the form of eYearbook banner ads. “MyYearbookBuilder MS will be especially attractive to our middle schools and younger students because absolutely no HTML or programming knowledge is required, a creative wizard guides our users through the portrait development process and an upload wizard assists with adding photos, videos and audio files,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “In addition, we find comfort in knowing that our system is not an open communication forum and that we’ve taken all necessary precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience” For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive is Proud to Announce the Delivery of its Digital Yearbooks on EcoDisc by Duplium New Milford, Connecticut (September 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is proud to announce the delivery of its digital yearbooks on Duplium’s revolutionary EcoDisc. Duplium’s EcoDisc is a “greener” alternative to the traditional digital video disc (DVD) with equal function and compatibility; it functions exactly like a conventional DVD. The EcoDisc follows the same specifications for printing and labeling and has also been tested and certified by the Professional Multimedia Test Centre and tested by Testronic labs. The EcoDisc offers all the performance and capabilities of the traditional DVD, but now with a smaller carbon footprint and minimal environmental impact. In manufacturing terms, the EcoDisc produces 52% less carbon dioxide emissions, incorporates 50% less polycarbonate and consumes 50% less energy, along with not requiring a toxic bonder. “Protecting the environment is not only a moral imperative, but also our corporate responsibility,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “We’re excited to be able to deliver our digital yearbooks on EcoDisc.” There are no disadvantages to using Duplium’s revolutionary EcoDisc, only benefits. Deliver your next yearbook on EcoDisc and you can proudly demonstrate your school’s commitment to the environment. “Our transition to EcoDisc reflects Odyssey Interactive’s ongoing commitment to the environment,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “However, besides the environmental advantages, we’re benefiting from a new medium that is thinner, lighter, more flexible and significantly more durable. This is a great product!” For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive’s MyYearbookBuilder.com Adopts Digital Yearbook Mobile Device Platform New Milford, Connecticut (August 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high schools and other institutions, is proud to announce the availability of MyYearbookBuilder.com on the mobile device platform. Today, we are witnessing a mobile revolution in which the handheld device is quickly becoming the primary access point to the Internet. The convergence of faster, ubiquitous wireless networks with more sophisticated mobile devices is enabling access to information at any time, and in virtually any location. “Mobile phone usage among students today is virtually universal, presenting our team with a unique opportunity in yearbook publishing “said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Our users can immediately access MyYearbookBuilder.com, and their memories, from any web-enabled handheld mobile device,” said Mr. Durdock. Upload photographs, send signature requests and preview your school’s yearbook as it is being built online, all in the palm of your hand. MyYearbookBuilderMobile runs on all handheld devices and smart phones having mobile web access. In the spirit of applications, students can also download rich, interactive mobile apps designed for specific devices like iPhone, Droid and BlackBerry. “We now offer the power of MyYearbookBuilder in the palm of your hand, which is just another step in the advancement of the digital yearbook and student yearbook publishing,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Schools are moving more towards digital yearbooks because of increased budgetary pressure. This article brings the subject to light, but does not mention Odyssey Interactive. We have contacted the author regarding this. However the article is as follows: http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/07/pf/yearbook_online/index.htm NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — As graduation day arrives, students will say goodbye to their classmates and teachers. And many are departing without a traditional yearbook to preserve those memories. State budget cuts and the weak economy are causing elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country to either do away with yearbooks or look for more cost-effective publishing options. Research firm IBISWorld estimates that the traditional yearbook publishing industry has seen sales to schools decline by 4.7% a year over the past few years. The decline has come as both public and private schools struggling with insufficient funding put their limited resources toward areas like staffing instead publishing yearbooks — many of which go unsold, especially in recent years as disposable incomes have suffered. “Our country is handing out pink slips to teachers right and left, and if it comes down to teachers versus yearbooks, yearbooks are going to lose,” said Marc Strohlein, principal at consulting firm Agile Business Logic. This is the first year that Indiana’s Huntington University isn’t offering yearbooks, after budget constraints forced the school to reallocate the $40,000 year it typically spends to publish 750 yearbooks. “Budgets being what they were and the economy being what it was, forced our hand on this one,” said Ron Coffey, Huntington’s vice president for community development. “But I think given the economic times, the students are understanding of the difficulties that we and other schools are experiencing.” Students at Mokena Junior High School, in Illinois, won’t be taking home yearbooks either, after the school district lost funding for all extracurricular activities this year. And Blaine High School in Washington is in the same boat, and likely won’t be handing out yearbooks next year due to a severe lack of funding for the program. First Published: June 7, 2011: 9:17 AM ET http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/07/pf/yearbook_online/index.htm For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Offers a Novel Paper Yearbook Option to Accompany Digital Yearbooks New Milford, Connecticut (April 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is excited to announce the release of its new paper yearbook publishing system, which is designed to produce simple paper yearbooks that accompany MyYearbookBuilder digital yearbooks. “It is a well-known fact that yearbook signing day is an important part of the whole yearbook experience, and this cannot be completely replaced by the availability of electronic signatures,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Our paper yearbook option is a critical addition to the Odyssey Interactive product portfolio, which offers students the much requested hand signing experience,” said Mr. Durdock. Odyssey Interactive’s paper yearbook, which conveniently fit inside the DVD case, feature a heavy-weight paper cover, 20 to 30 pages of full color photographs and 10 pages of standard paper for recording signatures and messages. “In order to remain competitive in our tough industry, it was important to listen to our customers and complete this product development,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “It’s an exciting addition with great capabilities, but this is by no means designed or intended to be a stand-alone solution or replace the traditional paper yearbook.” For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Embraces Twitter and Facebook as an Integrated Marketing Communication Vehicle New Milford, Connecticut (March 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive officially launched both Twitter and Facebook accounts in 2011 in order to keep existing customers up-to-date with new developments, and to create awareness about the many benefits of digital yearbook publishing. According to a recent study by Nielson Company, social media is now used as a discovery tool by over eighteen percent of the online population, and this number is expected to grow. With increasing demand for alternatives to printed yearbooks, social media is a tool that can be utilized to stimulate awareness for advanced digital yearbook publishing solutions. Schools, students, teachers and parents are actively using social media tools, like Twitter and Facebook, to find and share information about technological developments in the education sector, MyYearbookBuilder is one such development. “Over ten percent of our web traffic in 2011 can be attributed to social media and we expect this to double by the end of the year, and range from twenty five to forty percent in 2012,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, “We are witnessing a radical shift in consumer behavior. At Odyssey Interactive we have the foundation set to take advantage of this shift. We are directly engaged with schools, parents, yearbook advisors and yearbook committees using social media.” Research by Cone Inc has shown that consumers now expect companies to have a presence in social media. An estimated sixty percent of all Americans now use social media and the majority of those users interact with companies on social media websites. Roughly one in four social media users interact with companies more than once a week. “Social media is also essential to providing superior customer service and gaining strategic insight,” stated Andrew. “Social channels provide a unique opportunity for us to monitor customer feedback, recognize trends and be proactive. “ Although numerous recent reports show how businesses plan to incorporate social media into their marketing mix, a recent study by BIA/Kelsey reports that many small- to medium-sized businesses are slow to incorporate the strategies into their plans today. “Social media was a natural fit for us as a company with a SaaS based platform like MyYearbookBuilder, and as the market leader in digital yearbook publishing solutions,” stated Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. Whilst MyYearbookBuilder is not a publicly open forum, like Twitter or Facebook, the platform does allow student interaction and participation within a secure online environment. The digital yearbook is collaboratively developed and managed online, via interaction between students and the yearbook committee. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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One of the biggest challenges that schools have today is implementing a yearbook program. Yearbook programs require a strong team environment to be successfully implemented. As a key part of school fundraising revenue, the yearbook program is bound by general business guidelines and that is why it is important to understand the structure of a successful yearbook staff. Create a school digital yearbook program for freeDigital yearbooks have changed the process of how yearbook programs can be organized. An efficient digital yearbook team can provide a platform for a successful fundraising season and develop a strong team building experience. MyYearbookBuilder is a yearbook program platform that can enhance the overall team building experience and help raise funds more efficiently. Teams always need a leader. In journalism terms we call this leader the Editor In Chief. This could be done by two people, dividing the duties. The editor in chief is responsible for working with entire staff and creating a plan to produce a quality digital yearbook on deadline. MyYearbookBuilder allows the editor in chief to take personal responsibility for the digital yearbook as well as work with all section editors to make sure their jobs are getting done and that they are providing leadership for those working for them. The editor in chief can use MyYearbookBuilder to read all copy and captions and get the digital yearbook published on time. The managing editor works for the editor in chief and handles tasks assigned by the editor in chief. The managing editor will help manage the digital yearbook using MyYearBookBuilder. A primary responsibility of the managing editor is to work directly with section editors and writers. The managing editor may be responsible for photographs or be a liaison with the photo editor to make sure that photography requests are being handled. Digital media technology has changed the way yearbooks can be published. Now you can add video, audio and images using MyYearbookBuilder. The multimedia editor makes sure that all digital multimedia is ready to be published. The multimedia editor keeps an assignment calendar and constantly reminds others about upcoming shoots. Digital yearbooks add video and audio that will store on a yearbook DVD. Learn about digital yearbook multimediaEach section of a digital yearbook can be assigned to a section editor who is responsible for the development of every aspect of their section. Sections can include student life, organizations/clubs, sports, classes, academics, advertising and community. All section editors are responsible for section plans and check the work of others to make sure quality and deadlines are met. Section editors will work as part of the leadership team as core team members. Staff writers are responsible for content delivery. They work according to design specifications set by the leadership team. Staff writers can use MyYearbookBuilder to create an interactive digital yearbook that can be personalized with audio, video and images. Photographers will develop multimedia content using digital cameras. They should recognize what makes a good picture and practice good photo composition. They will have to record names of people in photos and the date and the place they conducted a content section shoot. The should also capture information not obvious in the photo. Contact us, we want to help you create a great yearbook program. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive is Passionate about Education and Committed to Investing in Students by Providing a Private Scholarship Fund for our Users New Milford, Connecticut (February 1, 2011) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is now offering a student scholarship to help high school graduates offset the rising cost of attending college. The cost of attending college is rising at alarming rates, far faster than inflation. Most in-state public schools have increased tuition costs. Odyssey Interactive remains passionate and committed to investing in students interested in post-high school education. The Odyssey Interactive Scholarship Fund is a private and independent entity controlled by Odyssey Interactive. The group promotes education, giving, and community involvement. The Scholarship Fund is internally funded, and reserves proceeds from each yearbook sale. “We believe that MyYearbookBuilder is a great educational tool to prepare students on the yearbook committee for majors such as English, Education and Journalism,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Each year, by application and random selection, limited scholarship awards are available to students attending high schools that are participating in Odyssey Interactive’s eYearbook program,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “During these tough economic times, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult for many students to cover the skyrocketing costs of college expenses,” mentioned Andrew Edwards, VP, Marketing and Business Development. “An Odyssey Interactive scholarship benefits a student in many ways; it can help to purchase books or school supplies, pay for housing or cover other college expenses.” To be eligible, applicants must be attending a school that is producing an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook and also pursuing post-high school higher learning (2 or 4-year college, community college, trade school, business school or equivalent higher education institution). Proof of enrollment to an institution of higher education must be provided before receipt of scholarship award. The scholarships will be awarded by August 1 of each calendar year. Additional restrictions may apply. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Online Yearbook Publishing Solution MyYearbookBuilder Offers Higher Fundraising Potential New Milford, Connecticut (December 1, 2010) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is proud to offer an online, digital publishing system that makes more money for fundraisers. At wholesale, electronic yearbooks are about 35% less expensive to manufacture than comparable paper yearbooks, which means more profit for fundraisers. However, in addition to raising more money per order, fundraisers also benefit from the opportunity to sell more yearbooks to more students because of the lower list price. “In an environment where schools are struggling to keep yearbooks alive, where schools are cutting sports programs and other extracurricular activities, MyYearbookBuilder offers a much needed alternative fundraising solution that drives more profit, while requiring less planning and work than a traditional pasta dinner” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. Depending on price sensitivity and fundraising goals, electronic yearbooks can sell for $40 per copy in the beginning of the school year and then cost $60 or more by year’s end – an increasing scale commonly used to maximize fundraising potential. Considering a wholesale price of $25, fundraisers would earn $15 per order at the beginning of the year and $35 per order at year’s end. Furthermore, our standard practice of offering free and unconditional use of the MyYearbookBuilder.com publishing system guarantees zero additional expenses during the production phase, which results in maximum fundraising revenue. Lastly, while most paper yearbook publishers require a final count long before closing, digital yearbooks can be ordered up until the last day of production without penalty. “Today’s fundraisers must be creative. It’s not enough to just be different; fundraisers have to work hard to reach the largest possible audience and turn energy into income for the school,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “The uniqueness of our product and the relevance to students ensures maximum participation and fundraising potential. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Frequently Asked Questions What materials can I incorporate into an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook? The maximum photograph file size you can upload is currently 5 MB; we accept only “*.JPG” (JPEG) format. The ideal pixel dimensions (resolution) should be at least 640 x 480 pixels for a landscape picture and 480 x 640 pixels for a portrait picture. How “personalizable” are Odyssey Interactive eYearbooks? While the architecture of the yearbook is static, there are opportunities to customize the yearbook navigation window with school colors, logos and other graphic representations. Additionally, the yearbook committee has full artistic control over the yearbook disk cover and various case inserts. Yearbook committees can have school-wide competitions for best design or manage the graphic design process internally. No changes in graphic design and/or architecture can be made without additional charge. Schools interested in creating a custom architecture must submit their request to Odyssey Interactive by September 30th. All custom design requests must be received by Odyssey Interactive no later than December 30th to guarantee an on-time delivery. How much information can be stored in an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook? Can I incorporate MyYearbookBuilder into my yearbook or journalism class? As the administrator, can I control the material that is posted to the public yearbook? How long is the eYearbook available for editing online? When are the actual eYearbooks delivered to high schools? How long is high school eYearbook data stored on MYYEARBOOKBUILDER.COM? Does Odyssey Interactive offer a paper yearbook to supplement the disc version? Does Odyssey Interactive maintain permanent archives of all eYearbooks? Does Odyssey Interactive offer a standard warranty? Basically, Odyssey Interactive does offer a limited Warranty. Odyssey Interactive warrants that (a) its eYearbooks will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials for a period of one (1) year from the date of receipt by customer and (b) that the medium on which the eYearbook is contained will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one (1) year. Does Odyssey Interactive have a licensing agreement for each album? You are granted a non-exclusive license to use the original purchased eYearbook on unlimited computers. Odyssey Interactive’seYearbook (including any images, icons, graphics, animations, audio, music, and text incorporated into the Software) is protected by copyright laws. However, you may NOT make copies of your eYearbooks. You may not give copies of your eYearbook to other persons, or duplicate eYearbooks by any other means, including electronic transmission. You may NOT copy the printed materials accompanyingeYearbooks, and print copies of any user documentation. Odyssey Interactive eYearbooks do also contain trade secrets, and in order to protect them, you may NOT decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise reduce the eYearbooks to human-perceivable form. Further, you may NOT modify, adapt, translate, rent, sublicense, assign, lease, loan, resell for profit, distribute, or network Interactive’seYearbook, disk, or related materials or create derivative works based upon Odyssey Interactive’s eYearbook or any part thereof. Does Odyssey Interactive require project sign-off and milestone approvals? Once an eYearbook milestone has been achieved and approved by the customer, no additional retrospective changes will be made without incurring additional expenses by the customer. Regretfully, we can not offer unlimited revisions. Does Odyssey Interactive require a down-payment or deposit to begin production? Is there a fee associated with using MyYearbookBuilder.com? Charges are incurred if, and only if, you enter into a publishing agreement and elect to purchase a copy(s) of the final eYearbook. For the individual student, failing to purchase a copy of the final eYearbook may result in the omission of personalized material like “Favorites” and “Year In Review” (for example); however, at a minimum, every student will have an eYearbook portrait with name, grade-level and a primary picture. How do we promote the sale of the Odyssey Interactive eYearbook?
How do I motivate students to buy eYearbooks early? When do we need to submit the final quantity for our eYearbook order? How do I decide on the eYearbook selling price? How do I determine ad rates? How do I keep track of eYearbook orders? What forms of payment are accepted? Does Odyssey Interactive offer any financing options? Does Odyssey Interactive offer incentives to customers that elect to prepay in full? How long does it take to produce an eYearbook? Does Odyssey Interactive offer albums for other special occasions? How do I get started? For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder: A “Greener” Alternative to Traditional Paper Yearbook Publishing New Milford, Connecticut (September 1, 2010) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is proud to offer a “greener” alternative to traditional paper yearbook publishing through its flagship product MyYearbookBuilder (www.MyYearbookBuilder.com). On average, each person in the United States uses 749 pounds of paper every year (187 billion pounds per year for the entire population, and by far the largest per capita consumption rate of paper for any country in the world.) Each year, millions of pounds of highly toxic chemicals such as toluene, methanol, chlorine dioxide, hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde are released into the air and water supply from paper manufacturing plants around the world. “As a consumer today, it’s becoming more and more important to focus on green initiatives and consider the environment when making decisions,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Therefore, businesses also have the responsibility to create and offer more environmentally-friendly solutions to today’s consumer demands.” There are many eco-friendly advantages to making the switch to electronic yearbooks. First, the environment benefits from our no longer using paper as the primary distribution medium. Secondly, eYearbooks eliminate the need to recycle hazardous printing solvents, metal printing plates and paper waste at a printing facility, which helps to save trees and the environment. Lastly, the smaller weight and volume of the final product decreases transportation costs and also reduces the demand for fossil fuels. “We’re proud to offer a responsible alternative to cutting down billions of trees annually for paper publishing, which ensures a safer, healthier and cleaner environment for generations to come,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder Offers an Alternative Solution to Schools Loosing Yearbooks in Tough Economic Times New Milford, Connecticut (May 1, 2010) – During these difficult economic times, Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is excited to promote MyYearbookBuilder as the alternative solution to waning interest and rapidly rising paper yearbook publishing costs. Parents might remember yearbooks as an end-of-year staple, but today paper yearbooks jockey for position with other student must-haves like gas, prom tickets and the latest electronic gadgets. Students have a lot of choices and many of them focus on instant gratification. In twenty years, it might be fun to drag out a yearbook and reminisce of times spent with friends in high school, but a video game or cell phone might be more exciting right now. “Traditional paper yearbooks fight to stay relevant in a growing online social networking world as rising costs and vast limitations compete directly with teenager interest in keeping in touch online, posting photos and messages on Facebook or MySpace for free,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. In addition to battles with short-term rewards, economics are at play with determining the fate of the yearbook. Production costs have been steadily increasing over past years and yearbook programs are being forced to reduce page count/color to cover budget gaps. Additionally, economic conditions and greater uncertainty have forced businesses to abandon the practice of purchasing ads in local school yearbooks, eliminating valuable cost subsidies. The net result is a rise in student purchasing price and a steady decline in yearbook revenue, which inevitably leads to permanent closure. Yearbook teams continue to do whatever it takes to try to keep the tradition alive and boost fundraising revenue. Many times, this desire might call upon students to purchase early by offering a reduced price or alternatively adding a premium onto late purchasers. However, in the end more and more high schools fall victim to escalating production costs, rising purchase prices and declining interest, which cripple fundraising efforts if not ultimately leading to the end of a time-honored tradition. “Odyssey Interactive’s MyYearbookBuilder.com offers students a low cost, state-of-the-art alternative to expensive paper yearbooks and ensures that the year-end staple remains universally available,” said Mr. Durdock. With MyYearbookBuilder, students benefit from being able to produce higher quality yearbooks, at a more affordable purchasing price. Schools using the yearbook as a fundraiser benefit from the lower production cost, which means more money for the individual school for athletics, books & other extracurricular activities. Further, all schools, regardless of location or financial situation, would have access to producing the highest quality yearbook commercially available. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder General Information (Digital Yearbooks)MyYearbookBuilder.com is an online, electronic (“eYearbook”) publishing system designed to record, highlight and commemorate the past school year for middle school, high school and/or a college/university. It’s a novel system and a unique method for creating and publishing electronic yearbooks using the Internet as the primary content collection vehicle and a proprietary multi-tiered user account structure. The final product is an eYearbook delivered on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM or USB Drive, which contains self-expression, artistic design, sophisticated technology and rich, interactive experiences. School Registration (online)To begin production, the school must first register with Odyssey Interactive at www.MyYearbookBuilder.com. This registration process will enable the school administrators and/or yearbook adviser to open an eYearbook database and also create a private and secure account from where to manage the eYearbook production, which will ultimately be completely converted into an interactive CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or USB Drive at the end of your school year.
To be accepted into our program, a registration must be completed and submitted by an adult (25 years of age or older) and active member of the high school faculty/staff seeking registration. Absolutely NO exceptions will be made to this rule. For students seeking registration, we appreciate your interest in our product and look forward to serving you in the future. However, please contact your high school principal or an appropriate member of the administration staff for registration. To register your high school, please select the “START A YEARBOOK” button on our splash page or the main navigation page and submit the accompanying application form. This action will initiate the opening of an eYearbook account and database, which needs to be authorized by Odyssey Interactive before it can be populated by the registering school. During this inactive period, an Odyssey Interactive representative will contact the applicant via telephone and/or email for verification, qualification and a free, no-obligation consultation. In addition to registering online, all applicants will be required to sign a publishing agreement for their respective school. Account AccessAll registered schools receive a school code and password for yearbook access, along with a private admin account user name and password. All students create a user name and password for their own yearbook access and portrait building, which requires a valid email address for identification, registration and tracking purposes.
Student Account First time users must create a student account, once a school is registered and an eYearbook has been opened. This is accomplished by “signing-in” to the eYearbook database via “New User?” access, which requires providing the appropriate school code and school password. Once completed, students submit the accompanying registration form to open an individual student portrait. Returning users can quickly and easily sign in to their eYearbook by selecting the appropriate school code from our drop-down menu (“Returning User” access) and also providing their user name and password. The student account enables any students to build and customize their own eYearbook portrait, add photographs, audio files and video files, along with creating a social network via the eYearbook “Buddy” system and electronically sign other student eYearbooks. Students can also search the eYearbook and preview the eYearbook in the student account. While we do offer the ability to “remember” user name and password on a computer, for security purposes, and especially in instances when signing-in to the database on a shared computer, we strongly urge and recommend that users maintain “forget me” sign in access. “Forget me” access will completely sign users and the user’s computer out of the publishing system, so no returning user can go back into the prior student account and add/edit/delete portrait information. Administrator Account This account is to be used and managed by the yearbook editor, and also any authorized members of the school yearbook committee. Computer CompatibilityOdyssey Interactive eYearbooks will be compatible with all current computer systems including:
Browser CompatibilityMyYearbookBuilder.com is designed so that eYearbook production will be compatible with all current Internet browsers including:
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder Offers Cutting-edge Digital Technology While Maintaining All of the Features and Elements Common to the Traditional Paper Yearbook New Milford, Connecticut (February 1, 2010) – Odyssey Interactive’s MyYearbookBuilder combines the best of the traditional paper yearbook with the best capabilities of the internet, in a safer and closed production environment. MyYearbookBuilder digital yearbooks incorporate cutting-edge digital media technology, while simultaneously offering all of the features common to the traditional paper yearbook. Odyssey Interactive eYearbooks may contain hundreds or even thousands of pages, with virtually unlimited color photographs, audio, video and personal profile information. “It’s the perfect marriage between tradition and technology, which will quickly overcome the economic problems related to paper yearbook publishing,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Our system also produces a physical yearbook, structured as such, that offers a fixed starting point and ending point, which is not available with online social-networking sites,” said Mr. Durdock. Students manage a portrait that can hold up to 24 of their favorite photographs, video files and audio clips. In a safe, controlled and monitored environment, students can also write about themselves, their interests and their school year, or even sign a friend’s eYearbook and create friendship networks. Similar functionality is also available for clubs, athletics, events, memorials and dedications, but in no case is any advanced material required. Most importantly, however, all sections of the traditional yearbook including signatures and senior superlatives have been preserved in our system, and students can even sell advertisements in the form of eYearbook banner ads. “MyYearbookBuilder.com is the first of its kind and also the only product of its kind,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Production TimelineStep 1: Consultation Step 2: Application and Publication Agreement Note: The online application and publication agreement must be completed (signed) by a member of the school’s faculty, staff or administration; students are NOT permitted to authorize an eYearbook. Further, before an eYearbook can be fully authorized, a verification and reference check will be completed by Odyssey Interactive. *Recommended Deadline: by September 30, 20** Step 3: Organize a Committee Step 4: Delegate Responsibilities
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Frequently Asked Questions What materials can I incorporate into an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook? The maximum photograph file size you can upload is currently 5 MB; we accept only “*.JPG” (JPEG) format. The ideal pixel dimensions (resolution) should be at least 640 x 480 pixels for a landscape picture and 480 x 640 pixels for a portrait picture. How “personalizable” are Odyssey Interactive eYearbooks? While the architecture of the yearbook is static, there are opportunities to customize the yearbook navigation window with school colors, logos and other graphic representations. Additionally, the yearbook committee has full artistic control over the yearbook disk cover and various case inserts. Yearbook committees can have school-wide competitions for best design or manage the graphic design process internally. No changes in graphic design and/or architecture can be made without additional charge. Schools interested in creating a custom architecture must submit their request to Odyssey Interactive by September 30th. All custom design requests must be received by Odyssey Interactive no later than December 30th to guarantee an on-time delivery. How much information can be stored in an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook? Can I incorporate MyYearbookBuilder into my yearbook or journalism class? As the administrator, can I control the material that is posted to the public yearbook? How long is the eYearbook available for editing online? When are the actual eYearbooks delivered to high schools? How long is high school eYearbook data stored on MYYEARBOOKBUILDER.COM? Does Odyssey Interactive offer a paper yearbook to supplement the disc version? Does Odyssey Interactive maintain permanent archives of all eYearbooks? Does Odyssey Interactive offer a standard warranty? Basically, Odyssey Interactive does offer a limited Warranty. Odyssey Interactive warrants that (a) its eYearbooks will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying written materials for a period of one (1) year from the date of receipt by customer and (b) that the medium on which the eYearbook is contained will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of one (1) year. Does Odyssey Interactive have a licensing agreement for each album? You are granted a non-exclusive license to use the original purchased eYearbook on unlimited computers. Odyssey Interactive’seYearbook (including any images, icons, graphics, animations, audio, music, and text incorporated into the Software) is protected by copyright laws. However, you may NOT make copies of your eYearbooks. You may not give copies of your eYearbook to other persons, or duplicate eYearbooks by any other means, including electronic transmission. You may NOT copy the printed materials accompanyingeYearbooks, and print copies of any user documentation. Odyssey Interactive eYearbooks do also contain trade secrets, and in order to protect them, you may NOT decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise reduce the eYearbooks to human-perceivable form. Further, you may NOT modify, adapt, translate, rent, sublicense, assign, lease, loan, resell for profit, distribute, or network Interactive’seYearbook, disk, or related materials or create derivative works based upon Odyssey Interactive’s eYearbook or any part thereof. Does Odyssey Interactive require project sign-off and milestone approvals? Once an eYearbook milestone has been achieved and approved by the customer, no additional retrospective changes will be made without incurring additional expenses by the customer. Regretfully, we can not offer unlimited revisions. Does Odyssey Interactive require a down-payment or deposit to begin production? Is there a fee associated with using MyYearbookBuilder.com? Charges are incurred if, and only if, you enter into a publishing agreement and elect to purchase a copy(s) of the final eYearbook. For the individual student, failing to purchase a copy of the final eYearbook may result in the omission of personalized material like “Favorites” and “Year In Review” (for example); however, at a minimum, every student will have an eYearbook portrait with name, grade-level and a primary picture. How do we promote the sale of the Odyssey Interactive eYearbook?
How do I motivate students to buy eYearbooks early? When do we need to submit the final quantity for our eYearbook order? How do I decide on the eYearbook selling price? How do I determine ad rates? How do I keep track of eYearbook orders? What forms of payment are accepted? Does Odyssey Interactive offer any financing options? Does Odyssey Interactive offer incentives to customers that elect to prepay in full? How long does it take to produce an eYearbook? Does Odyssey Interactive offer albums for other special occasions? How do I get started? For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook SectionsMy Dedication/ColophonThe dedication is a brief statement from the editor, which focuses on a faculty/staff member, a prominent school supporter, a contributor, the senior class or other entity. The colophon lists all yearbook staff members and acknowledges the hard work of committee members and volunteers. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My MemorialOften, students will have to deal with the death of a classmate and/or teacher during the school year. Should that happen, this section is set aside to eulogize the deceased. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My PortraitThis section offers personalized portraits for all high school students. This section is authored by a Student Account. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My TeachersThis section offers personalized portraits for all members of the high school faculty. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My StaffThis section offers personalized portraits for all members of the high school staff and administration. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My AthleticsThis section chronicles the accomplishments of high school athletic programs, by season and team, which includes team photographs, season highlights, action pictures and a list of all members. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My ClubsThis section describes school clubs (often referred to as student organizations). This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My Student LifeThis section chronicles activities undertaken by students, such as trips abroad, activity trips, sporting and other special events. These pages consist of photo-journals displayed with or without captions. Members of the yearbook committee write editorial and journalistic content about life as a student, current events (local, national and international) and other matters of interest to the peer group. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My SnapshotsThis section is available for storing candid photographs, which do not necessarily fall into a previously mentioned eYearbook section. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes uploading picture files, only. My NewsThis section is available for students/yearbooks to document news-related events that occur during the school year. Topics may include US news, World news, economic, politics, sports, life and/or technology. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing, only. My AwardsThis section is available for students to nominate their classmates for “superlatives” or “class celebrity awards” (such as “most likely to succeed,” “most athletic,” “most spirited” and “class clown”). This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading audio, video and picture files. Word Processing includes:
My DiaryThis section allows students to create diary entries spanning the entire school year. Diary entries may be brief and perfunctory or lengthy and hold greater sentimental value. This section is authored by a Student Account. Data entry includes word processing. My BuddiesThis section allows students to create an intra-yearbook, social network. Buddies are the names and portraits of up to 100 students you like most. My SignaturesThis section allows students to write personalized messages about the preceding year and summer to fellow students. Messages may be brief and perfunctory or lengthy and hold greater sentimental value. This section is authored by a Student Account. Data entry includes word processing. Word Processing includes:
My AdsMany eYearbooks gain revenue by including a section for ads from local businesses. This section allows students to sell yearbook ads to local businesses. Ads sold by a high school may incur additional production charges to create the ad and are only incorporated into the final productioneYearbook. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes uploading picture files, only. My JourneysParents, family members and friends can use these secondary yearbook ads to congratulate a senior or group of seniors for their accomplishments. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing and uploading picture files. My PatronsWhile businesses, friends and even family members may not have the financial resources to contribute a formal ad to the yearbook, many individuals may still wish to make small contributions to the production. This section allows students to collect yearbook contributions from the general public and provide appropriate recognition. This section is authored by an Editor Account, requiring Admin Account approval. Data entry includes word processing. Word Processing includes:
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder Product Requirements
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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MyYearbookBuilder General Information (Digital Yearbooks)MyYearbookBuilder.com is an online, electronic (“eYearbook”) publishing system designed to record, highlight and commemorate the past school year for middle school, high school and/or a college/university. It’s a novel system and a unique method for creating and publishing electronic yearbooks using the Internet as the primary content collection vehicle and a proprietary multi-tiered user account structure. The final product is an eYearbook delivered on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM or USB Drive, which contains self-expression, artistic design, sophisticated technology and rich, interactive experiences. School Registration (online)To begin production, the school must first register with Odyssey Interactive at www.MyYearbookBuilder.com. This registration process will enable the school administrators and/or yearbook adviser to open an eYearbook database and also create a private and secure account from where to manage the eYearbook production, which will ultimately be completely converted into an interactive CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or USB Drive at the end of your school year.
To be accepted into our program, a registration must be completed and submitted by an adult (25 years of age or older) and active member of the high school faculty/staff seeking registration. Absolutely NO exceptions will be made to this rule. For students seeking registration, we appreciate your interest in our product and look forward to serving you in the future. However, please contact your high school principal or an appropriate member of the administration staff for registration. To register your high school, please select the “START A YEARBOOK” button on our splash page or the main navigation page and submit the accompanying application form. This action will initiate the opening of an eYearbook account and database, which needs to be authorized by Odyssey Interactive before it can be populated by the registering school. During this inactive period, an Odyssey Interactive representative will contact the applicant via telephone and/or email for verification, qualification and a free, no-obligation consultation. In addition to registering online, all applicants will be required to sign a publishing agreement for their respective school. Account AccessAll registered schools receive a school code and password for yearbook access, along with a private admin account user name and password. All students create a user name and password for their own yearbook access and portrait building, which requires a valid email address for identification, registration and tracking purposes.
Student Account First time users must create a student account, once a school is registered and an eYearbook has been opened. This is accomplished by “signing-in” to the eYearbook database via “New User?” access, which requires providing the appropriate school code and school password. Once completed, students submit the accompanying registration form to open an individual student portrait. Returning users can quickly and easily sign in to their eYearbook by selecting the appropriate school code from our drop-down menu (“Returning User” access) and also providing their user name and password. The student account enables any students to build and customize their own eYearbook portrait, add photographs, audio files and video files, along with creating a social network via the eYearbook “Buddy” system and electronically sign other student eYearbooks. Students can also search the eYearbook and preview the eYearbook in the student account. While we do offer the ability to “remember” user name and password on a computer, for security purposes, and especially in instances when signing-in to the database on a shared computer, we strongly urge and recommend that users maintain “forget me” sign in access. “Forget me” access will completely sign users and the user’s computer out of the publishing system, so no returning user can go back into the prior student account and add/edit/delete portrait information. Administrator Account This account is to be used and managed by the yearbook editor, and also any authorized members of the school yearbook committee. Computer CompatibilityOdyssey Interactive eYearbooks will be compatible with all current computer systems including:
Browser CompatibilityMyYearbookBuilder.com is designed so that eYearbook production will be compatible with all current Internet browsers including:
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Committee Organization StructureWith any project as complex as the yearbook, organization is the key to success. Therefore, we highly recommend using job descriptions to organize the yearbook team and allocate production tasks. Assigning work by job description ensures that each team member understands what is expected of him or her, and also allows the faculty adviser to see to it that all jobs needing to be completed are covered by a member of the team. Fortunately, the production team required to publish an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook is very similar to that needed to publish a traditional paper yearbook. Included below are the most common eYearbook team member titles and their job descriptions. When preparing to assign these positions, consider the size of the staff and the talents and capabilities of each team member. Advisers at smaller schools may need students to double-up on duties, while advisers at larger schools may reformat the staff organization chart yearly depending on the number of people and their skills. For example, the yearbook team could be managed by one editor-in-chief who oversees everything and reports to the faculty adviser. Or, the editor-in-chief position could be split among two, three or four co-editors who oversee various functions, and they all independently report to the faculty adviser. Another format would be to have section editors at a more managerial level like co-editors, and have specific tasks delegated to assistant editors or reporters. The business manager is a person who could use assistants, if available, to handle the commercial ad sales, senior ad sales, book sales, budgeting, and accounting. Business manager also can be at the level of a co-editor. The best way to determine optimum structure is to review the yearbook tasks and timeline, look at your available staff, and then decide how to organize your staff for maximum performance and productivity. Job Responsibilities: Editor-in-Chief Among the duties:
Managing Editor Among the duties:
Co-editors Among the duties:
Copy Editor Among the duties:
Photo Editor Among the duties:
Business Manager Among the duties:
Design Editor Among the duties:
Section Editor Among the duties:
Technology Director Among the duties:
Photographers/Videographers Among the duties:
Reporters Among the duties:
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Officially Launches its Online Digital Yearbook Publishing System at www.MyYearbookBuilder.com New Milford, Connecticut (July 1, 2009) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is excited to announce the launch of our flagship product MyYearbookBuilder available at www.MyYearbookBuilder.com. The new website is intended to host our online, electronic yearbook publishing system and afford easy access for all users. “Not only is this an exciting time for all of our employees and also a tremendous accomplishment, it’s a game changer,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. MyYearbookBuilder.com is an online, electronic yearbook publishing system that integrates all facets of the yearbook creative development and production process. It’s a powerful tool that provides a centralized point of entry for yearbook content collection, organization and management, which includes photographs, audio, video and type-written text. The end result is a unique eYearbook that contains self-expression, artistic design, sophisticated technology and rich, interactive experiences. Traditional paper yearbooks, from elementary school through college, are an estimated $500 million-a-year industry in the United States. However, this industry has been in steady decline due to escalating publishing costs and documented evidence showing that paper yearbooks fight to stay relevant in the Facebook era. Yet, overall interest in yearbooks and preserving memories remains as important today as it was 20 or 40 years ago; the problems facing yearbooks are economics and the inevitable transition to digital technology. Kids grow up keeping in touch online for free, posting photos and messages on Facebook or MySpace pages, and students identify more with their own “community” of friends rather than the entire school. However, these popular social-networking sites lack the organization and structure of the traditional yearbook and remain an inadequate substitute at the end of the school year. “For the past century, student yearbooks have been limited by the paper on which they’re printed; in today’s digital world, the skies the limit. MyYearbookBuilder is the revolution that yearbook producers have been waiting for,” said Mr. Durdock. All parts of the traditional yearbook have been preserved in the MyYearbookBuilder.com publishing system including the ability to sign viaeSignatures, and students can also sell advertisements in the form of eYearbook banner ads. So, the difference is simple – MyYearbookBuilder provides more yearbook for less price. The MyYearbookBuilder solution incorporates more color, more pictures, more personalization, and more self-expression, more profit for fundraising and allows more days for collecting yearbook content, which are all limitations of the traditional paper yearbook. “MyYearbookBuilder is the perfect marriage between the traditional paper yearbook and online social-networking sites like Facebook, which offer self-expression and individualism,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Data Integrity & Network SecurityFrom managed firewalls and intrusion detection to daily backups, we take appropriate physical, electronic and procedural security measures to protect your production and secure all personal information from unauthorized access and/or disclosure. Core Infrastructure: Information Technology Additionally, our data centers are built with N+1 redundancy throughout, including multiple HVAC systems and redundant power. Every month, the backup diesel generators are tested to make sure they are in proper functioning order in case of power grid failure. The data center’s physical security is entrusted to 24/7×365 live monitoring, CCTV, and biometric access control system. Content Delivery Network via Edge Caching Our content delivery network also enhances the user experience in three important ways: Faster load times mean less time spent waiting to upload yearbook content. Distributed content eliminates the impact of heavy traffic or outages in a single area, increasing our Web site availability. Swift data transmission makes audio and video files play more smoothly during online preview. Managed Backup Security and Protection: Intrusion Detection Firewall Protection For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Safety & SecurityMyYearbookBuilder.com is NOT a social networking portal available to the general public; rather, it’s a restricted-access, closed community devoted to the online publishing of digital yearbooks for registered clients. We take appropriate physical, electronic and procedural security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access and/or disclosure. Safety and Security:The safety and security of our users are our top priority. As such, we closely monitor all MyYearbookBuilder.com activity on a daily basis. Any and all access violations and/or violations of the terms of use agreement can and will be reported to the proper authorities and may be prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law permits. Account Access Editor Accounts The administrator may assign tasks to individual editors. The editors can then complete the tasks and send work back to the admin for review and/or approval. If changes are necessary, the administrator can resend the submission back to the original editor. Alternatively, the administrator can approve the work for publishing into the eYearbook. Only the administrator can post community-related content to public eYearbook. Global Overwrite Global Dictionary Screener If a student types a restricted word and then attempts to upload the content to the public eYearbook, the action of selecting “Submit” will immediately result in an error message indicating the identification of a word not permitted in the eYearbook; the posting is immediately rejected. To proceed, the inappropriate language must be deleted by the student. Student-users do have the opportunity to go back into their current page and make necessary changes. However, in addition to the student’s on-screen warning, notification is also immediately sent to the admin account, which records the offender and what was attempted to be submitted. Photograph Screener The photograph screener is an admin feature that previews all photographs that have been submitted for posting. The administrator can elect to “approve” or “delete” a photograph submitted by a student. Delete completely removes the photograph from the system; all photographs are linked to their submitter in the screener, so the administrator can quickly and easily identify/contact the student that submitted the material. Upon approval by the administrator, the photograph is released from holding and will appear in the submitting student’s eYearbook page. Multimedia Screener The multimedia screener is an admin feature that previews all audio and video that has been submitted for posting. The administrator can elect to “approve” or “delete” an audio or video file submitted by a student. Delete completely removes the file from the system; all audio and video files are linked to their submitter in the screener, so the administrator can quickly and easily identify/contact the student that submitted the material. Upon approval by the administrator, the audio/video file is released from holding and will appear in the submitting student’s eYearbook page. Buddies Signatures Report A Concern Webmaster For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Launches Corporate Website at www.OdysseyInteractive.com New Milford, Connecticut (April 1, 2009) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is excited to officially “go-live” with our corporate website www.odysseyinteractive.com. The new website is intended to provide valuable information regarding Odyssey Interactive products and technology, including MyYearbookBuilder. Odyssey Interactive is now open for business 24 hours a day, and customers can learn about the company’s unique products and publishing technology at their convenience, at any time and any location. “In an effort to better serve our customers, facilitate the gathering of information regarding our products and also separate out Odyssey Interactive’s online production environment from our marketing and sales messages, we’ve launched OdysseyInteractive.com,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Our corporate, marketing and sales-related information will be hosted at www.OdysseyInteractive.com. Our publishing system will be located at www.MyYearbookBuilder.com, and will remain free of unnecessary distractions,” said Mr. Durdock. The advent of the Internet allows customers, anywhere in the world, to access information at anytime. Schools and organizations can now use this advantage to work on digital yearbooks at anytime, anywhere and at any pace. The Web is a fast-changing technological environment, which requires the most up-to-date Internet applications for competitive success. Odyssey Interactive continues to innovate in the online digital yearbook publishing space. “By separating our two online functions, we believe that we will be better able to tailor our message for the target audience, maximize our web presence in search engines and more effectively brand both our company and individual product line,” said Andrew Edwards, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Traditional paper yearbooks fight to stay relevant in a growing online social networking world as rising costs and vast limitations compete directly with teenager interest in keeping in touch online, posting photos and messages on Facebook or MySpace for free. Parents might remember them as an end-of-year staple, but today paper yearbooks jockey for position with other student must-haves like gas, prom tickets and the latest electronic gadgets. Students have a lot of choices and many of them focus on instant gratification. In twenty years, it might be fun to drag out a yearbook and reminisce of times spent with friends in high school, but a video game or cell phone might be more exciting right now. In addition to battles with short-term rewards, economics are at play with determining the fate of the yearbook. Production costs have been steadily increasing over past years and yearbook programs are being forced to reduce page count/color to cover budget gaps. Additionally, economic conditions and greater uncertainty have forced businesses to abandon the practice of purchasing ads in local school yearbooks, eliminating valuable cost subsidies. The net result is a rise in student purchasing price and a steady decline in yearbook revenue, which inevitably leads to permanent closure. Yearbook teams continue to do whatever it takes to try to keep the tradition alive and boost fundraising revenue. Many times, this desire might call upon students to purchase early by offering a reduced price or alternatively adding a premium onto late purchasers. However, in the end more and more high schools fall victim to escalating production costs, rising purchase prices and declining interest, which cripple fundraising efforts if not ultimately leading to the end of a time-honored tradition. Fundraising Fact Check:At wholesale, electronic yearbooks are about 35% less expensive to manufacture than comparable paper yearbooks, which means more profit for fundraisers. However, in addition to raising more money per order, fundraisers also benefit from the opportunity to sell more yearbooks to more students because of the lower list price.
Depending on price sensitivity and fundraising goals, digital yearbooks can sell for $40 per copy in the beginning of the school year and then cost $60 or more by year’s end – an increasing scale commonly used to maximize fundraising potential. Considering a wholesale price of $25, fundraisers would earn $15 per order at the beginning of the year and $35 per order at year’s end. Furthermore, our standard practice of offering free and unconditional use of the MyYearbookBuilder.com publishing system guarantees zero additional OI expenses during the production phase, which results in maximum fundraising revenue. Lastly, while most paper yearbook publishers require a final count long before closing, electronic yearbooks can be ordered up until the last day of production without penalty. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Digital Yearbook Features and BenefitsAll parts of the traditional yearbook have been preserved in our system including eSignatures, and students can also sell advertisements in the form of eYearbook banner ads. So, the difference is simple…we provide MORE for LESS COST!!!
Key Features of MyYearbookBuilder.com:
Benefit of Digital Yearbooks:Digital Multimedia Self-expression & Personalization Digital Yearbooks come to life as the entire school becomes involved in the production process, contributing memories, emotion and personality. Digital Yearbooks are about 35% less expensive to produce than a comparable paper yearbook, which means more profit for fundraisers. Digital Yearbooks can be delivered within 14 to 21 business days. This means that schools can keep their yearbooks running longer and also be including more memories from the ends of school years like spring athletics and prom. Because we maintain a permanent archive, obtaining a replacement or additional copies, at any time, is quick and easy. The environment benefits from our no longer using paper as the yearbook distribution medium. CD & DVDs eliminate the needs to recycle hazardous printing solvents, metal printing plates & paper waste at a printing facility, which helps to save trees and the environment. Whether your yearbook program is an extra-curricular activity or a credited journalism class, our publishing system offers a variety of activities and tools that educators require to teach and manage students. Upload photographs, send signature requests and preview your school’s yearbook as it is being built online, all in the palm of your hand. MyYearbookBuilder Mobile runs on all handheld devices and smart phones having mobile web access. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive Announces the Hiring of Andrew Edwards as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development New Milford, Connecticut (January 1, 2009) – Odyssey Interactive, the nation’s leading producer of digital yearbooks for high school and other institutions, is proud to announce the hiring of Andrew Edwards to fill the position of Vice President, Marketing and Business Development. “We are lucky to have someone of Andrew’s background and expertise join our company,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Mr. Edwards will be a perfect fit for us, as we rapidly grow our business.” Mr. Edwards will be responsible for strategic planning including corporate positioning market and competitive analysis, customer segment selection and penetration plans, and related product positioning, for overseeing marketing communications including branding, public relations, advertising, white papers, trade shows, seminars and events collateral materials, analyst and market research management, and website design and content either directly or on an outsourced basis, for overseeing product management including market and customer research for market and product requirements, interface with engineering for product development, product pricing and product lifecycle management and for overseeing product marketing including product launch management, sales training, presentations, sales tools, competitive analysis and general sales support. “We expect to grow and achieve above-average financial returns by controlling a significant share of our overall market and also by leveraging our sustainable competitive advantages in the areas of content development, computer programming and multimedia production; Mr. Edwards is both the leader and manager that can make it happen,” said Mr. Durdock. Mr. Edwards was previously the Marketing Manager at Skin For Life, Inc. where he created the foundation for the company’s strategic marketing and sales support efforts. During his tenure, the marketing and sales efforts under his direction contributed to consistent revenue growth. He was also previously employed by Smiths Detection and by The MacDonald Partnership. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (B. Comm.) from Stellenbosch University, graduating with distinction in Marketing Management. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Production ServicesOdyssey Interactive boasts a tremendous repository of technical skills and intellectual property that’s required for creating unparalleled multimedia solutions. Production Services:We possess a state-of-the-art digital production studio and an experienced staff of multimedia developers, who provide our clients with account services throughout the entire creative development and production process. Our client-focus, proven methodologies and detailed project management ensure that all of our projects will be completed on-time, within your budget and to specification. Expert Programming Capabilities Include:
For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C.Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing companyspecializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Company Profile:Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a fast-growing, entrepreneurial organization that is operated by a dedicated team of management experts and experienced multimedia professionals. We are in business to produce cutting-edge eYearbooks, which are delivered directly to our customers on CD- or DVD-ROM and also through the Internet. Odyssey Interactive will achieve and sustain a national reputation as being the premiere producer of digital eYearbooks for high school; our continuing success as a business will benefit our customers, our families, and the communities in which we operate. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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Odyssey Interactive is Founded to Deliver Affordable, Superior-Quality Digital Yearbook to High Schools and Other Institutions New Milford, Connecticut (October 1, 2008) – For over a century, yearbooks have been produced by high school students and other institutions to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. This time honored tradition has been enjoyed by many, but remained limited by the media on which they have been printed. Today, Odyssey Interactive has opened its doors to providing affordable, superior-quality digital yearbooks to high schools and other institutions that are searching for rich media and more interactive viewing experiences. Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a fast-growing, entrepreneurial organization that is operated by a dedicated team of management experts and experienced multimedia professionals. We are in business to produce cutting-edge eYearbooks, which are delivered directly to our customers on CD- or DVD-ROM and also through the Internet. Odyssey Interactive boasts a tremendous repository of technical skills and intellectual property that’s required for creating unparalleled multimedia solutions. “We possess a state-of-the-art digital production studio and an experienced staff of multimedia developers, who provide our clients with account services throughout the entire creative development and production process,” said Joseph Durdock, Founder and Chief Executive at Odyssey Interactive. “Our client-focus, proven methodologies and detailed project management ensure that all of our projects will be completed on-time, within budget and to specification,” said Mr. Durdock. Odyssey Interactive will achieve and sustain a national reputation as being the premiere producer of digital eYearbooks for high school; our continuing success as a business will benefit our customers, our families, and the communities in which we operate. For further information, please contact Mr. John McClane. About Odyssey Interactive Odyssey Interactive, L.L.C. is a frontier, multimedia publishing company specializing in the development of custom digital solutions for archiving high school audio, video and photographs into interactive electronic yearbooks. Keywords: digital yearbook publishing company | free digital yearbook software | free video yearbook software | free dvd yearbook software | free interactive yearbook software | free electronic yearbook software | free online yearbook software
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