See Your News on Boston.com

Have you ever tried to post an announcement in your local paper, only to be blindsided by hidden costs or sudden fees? It happens to a lot of people. You write your announcement, excited to think of seeing it in your local paper, but then you find out you have to pay $50 just to get it published!

xtra xtra is easing those frustrations. As you might remember, we’ve partnered up with Boston.com, the official website for The Boston Globe. Any xtra xtra milestone that’s tagged to communities in and around Boston will appear on Boston.com’s local “Your Town” pages. Your announcement will appear on this popular site for everyone to see—for free.

If you’re in the Boston area, start creating and sharing free milestones today.

  • Make It.—Sign up for a free account at xtra xtra, and click “Create a Milestone” to create your personalized announcement.

  • Tag It.—Link your posting to the schools and communities that want to hear about it. Tag multiple towns to make sure everyone sees your news.
  • Share It.—Share your milestone on Facebook and Twitter, or email it to friends and family using our helpful address book tools.
  • See It.—See your posting on xtraxtra.com and on your local “Your Town” page at Boston.com.

Posting with xtra xtra is a great way to get maximum visibility for your milestones. You can share your news with friends and family across the country with one single posting, and it’s completely free.

Go to xtraxtra.com to get started!

Til next time,
CH

Join Our Team!

xtra xtra is hiring interns for the fall semester. Specifically, we’re looking for college students in and around Boston to join us for some exciting and innovative marketing projects. This is a great opportunity to gain experience, hone new skills, and earn some money.  Here are a few of the projects our interns will be working on…

  • Helping to generate local content by venturing into local communities
  • Hyperlocal brand development
  • Develop and implement marketing campaigns
  • Build relationships with local content sources
  • Represent xtra xtra to new partners and contacts
  • Work outside the office at events and projects throughout Boston

This is a results-driven marketing position with the possibility of bonus pay, and it’s a great fit for students of marketing, communication, and journalism (other majors are also welcome to apply). Hours are flexible, but enthusiasm is required!!

If you know someone who might be a good fit for our team, encourage them to email Cooley at cooley@xtraxtra.com for more information!

  • Sep 3, 2010 by admin
  • Our Team
  • No Comments

We’ll take “Boston Facts” for $500, Alex…

xtra xtra and Boston.com are putting the latest local announcements right at your fingertips. Boston-area users can visit Boston.com/YourTown to find news and announcements from their favorite towns. It’s a fantastic partnership that gives you even more ownership on your local news because—with xtra xtra—you get to write it!

It’s hardly a surprise that xtra xtra and Boston.com would make such a great team. The city of Boston was the site for several “firsts” in our nation’s history, and many of these complement our milestone categories. Take a look at these Beantown trivia facts and discover how xtra xtra can help you with your present-day milestones.

  • America’s 1st elementary school was founded in Boston in 1639. Every school is special, and we feature milestones from over 34,000 schools and universities. Click “Search by School” at xtraxtra.com to start searching; you’ll find great news from lots of wonderful schools–including those in Boston!
  • Dickens gave his first reading of “A Christmas Carol” in Boston in 1867.–Create free holiday cards and seasonal announcements. It’s a great option for connecting with your favorite communities at the most wonderful time of the year.
  • The Boston Tea Party is reenacted every year on Dec. 16 in the Boston Harbor.–The Tea Party was a memorable event for the Boston community in 1773. Share your community events and celebrations at xtra xtra to ensure an extra enthusiastic turnout.
  • The Boston-docked USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel.–Commemorate your newest military achievements with a milestone. Tag itt to all of the towns your hero has called home to ensure everyone knows about the accomplishment.
  • Polaroid was launched in Boston.–Polaroid made it easy to take pictures, and xtra xtra makes it easy to share them. Post local photos to capture celebrations, scenery, and memorable moments for the whole community.
  • The first “Running of the Brides” was held at Filene’s Basement in 1947.–Run to xtra xtra to create free wedding and engagement announcements. You can tag them to the bride and groom’s hometowns and alma maters to keep everyone in the loop.

We encourage you to celebrate a “first” of your own and visit xtra xtra. No matter where you are, you can create and share free announcements with all of your favorite schools and communities.

Til next time,
CH

How-To: Suggest a School

As we mentioned last week, there are over 34,000 high schools and universities in the xtra xtra database. We’ve done our best to feature all of your favorite schools in the list, but it’s possible one got past us.

We feature a user-friendly “Add A School” feature that makes it easy for you to add your alma mater to our database. Follow these simple steps to get started.

  1. Choose “Search By School” at the top of the page and start typing the name of your school. If it’s in the database, you can click the school and start browsing for milestones. If your school is not listed, however, just click “Add A School.” (**Make sure your pop-up blocker is disabled.)
  2. In the pop-up box, enter the name of your school along with its city/state. You can enter more than one school at a time.
  3. Click “Submit,” and you’re all set! We’ll add your school as soon as possible so you can start searching and sharing.

You can also access the “Add A School” feature when you create milestones and add photos to the site. Just click “School Not Listed?” in Step 3 as you tag your post to your favorite communities.

Enjoy checking out schools on xtra xtra. You could be the first to post with news and announcements for everyone to enjoy, or you might discover a posting with exciting news about a former teacher or classmate. Celebrate back-to-school season by reconnecting with your favorite schools!

Till next time,
CH

It’s Always a Class Reunion at xtra xtra

Do you miss school? The fun of games on the playground? The thrill of gossip in the high school cafeteria? The freedom of life in college?

We miss school, too, so that might be one of the reasons why there are over 34,000 colleges and high schools in the xtra xtra database. The main reason? We want to help you reconnect with your favorite schools and classmates. That means we have over 34,000 individual school pages with news, updates, and announcements written and shared by your fellow alums.

Unlike Classmates.com, xtra xtra is completely free. You can read and post your announcements at no cost, and each posting can be tagged to your favorite towns, high schools, and colleges. It’s a great way to stay connected to your favorite schools and the friends you made there.

You can find all kinds of information on your school page. Here are a few of the headlines from the Boston College page (it’s my alma mater—go Eagles!)…

  • Air Force Reserve Airman Jason W. Clark—Jason graduated from BC in 2004. This milestone helped me discover he’s taking new strides in the military with the Air Force.
  • Brian Donaher Honored by BC High—Donaher, a teacher at BC High, earned a Masters’ Degree from BC. This milestone told me about his contributions as a teacher in the community.
  • Lisa Rooney: Fabulous at Forty!—A birthday announcement was posted for Lisa Rooney, a BC grad and the wife of xtra xtra founder Paul Rooney. It detailed her achievements since BC and included a picture of Lisa with her husband.
  • Veronica Corning Takes Her Skill to BC—Veronica will be a freshman at BC this fall. This milestone outlines her talents in tennis and the skill she’ll bring to Boston College.

You can also find professional updates from former classmates, birth announcements, weddings, and other special milestones. Visit xtra xtra and see what’s new with your favorite schools. Just choose “Search By School” and start typing a school in the search field.

Don’t forget to create a free milestone to share with your classmates, and have fun exploring different schools and towns!

Til next time,
CH

  • Aug 27, 2010 by cooley
  • xtra xtra
  • No Comments

Tweet All About It

xtra xtra features the latest tools and tricks for sharing your milestones with friends and family. You can post milestones to Facebook and send them via email, and now we’ve added the newest goody from our friends at Twitter: the Tweet button.

It’s similar to the “Add To Wall” tool you use for sharing on Facebook. The Tweet button is a quick and easy way to share content with your Twitter followers. Simply click the Tweet button on the page you’d like to share and log in to your Twitter account. The milestone will be placed in a textbox that you can then personalize with your own words.

Here’s an example of the final product. I used the Tweet button to share my niece’s birth announcement on Twitter.

It’s easy to get started if you already have a Twitter account. Visit xtraxtra.com, find some milestones, and start sharing. You can also follow xtra xtra on Twitter at @xtraxtrawebsite.

Till next time,
CH

Logo Logic

Mashable.com recently posted an article called “Four Things To Consider When Creating A Business Logo.” It was a very interesting read, especially since developing a new logo was part of xtra xtra’s redesign last winter. The logo is an important reflection of the company and its brand, and we considered many different options as we sought out the right one.

Ryan Simpson, a contributor to logosauce.com, created the following logos for xtra xtra. These were developed very early in xtra xtra’s history—in fact, they were made well before the site even launched!



We liked the color in the logos created by logosauce.com users, but we ultimately chose a circular logo featuring a megaphone in shades of light blue and yellow. The megaphone represents our site’s commitment to sharing news clearly and effectively, and it also complements our tagline, “Read All About It.” That logo was part of the company’s identity for most of 2009 until we simplified it to one color during our site redesign. Our most current logo is a soft shade of blue, and it reflects our modern and sleek approach to sharing milestones and announcements.

Till next time,
CH

  • Aug 23, 2010 by cooley
  • xtra xtra
  • No Comments

Happy Pop-Culture Birthday!

Many famous faces were born in this week in history. Bill Clinton, Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Amy Adams, Davy Crockett, Robert De Niro, and Meriwether Lewis are among those who have celebrated birthdays between August 16 and August 20.

In honor of this week’s birthdays, we’re featuring a few of our favorite birthday cakes that have been inspired by pop culture. These were made by Dodi Wheeler of CrazeBake, a unique bakery based in Jackson, Michigan. Her fantastic creations would make any milestone memorable, and we’re excited to share a few with you today.

These were a few of my favorites. You can celebrate a birthday with your favorite “Farmville” characters, or enjoy a four-foot lightsaber cake would that could even make Darth Vader smile. Detroit Red Wings fans would love the inspired jersey cake, or you can “one up” your age with Mario and the gang. Click the image to find more of Dodi’s work; it’s really impressive!

If you know someone commemorating a special milestone, celebrate with something sweet! You could also create a free posting at xtraxtra.com to share the news with your favorite communities!

Till next time,
CH

Welcome Home.

We’re excited to share “Soldiers Coming Home,” a heartwarming YouTube video that’s lately been making the rounds on Facebook. As its name suggests, the video features dozens of moments when a soldier returns to the surprise of his or her family. From tearfully jubilant kids to breathless spouses and laughing parents, the video captures the joy one feels when a hero comes home.

YouTube Preview Image

There wasn’t a dry eye in the xtra xtra office by the time we finished the video, and it made us all appreciate the wonderful sacrifices of our soldiers and the people who love them.

Do you have a similar story to share? Celebrate your hero in a comment below, or create a free military announcement honoring your soldier’s achievement at xtraxtra.com.

Till next time,
CH

Scholastic Milestones

Many schools are celebrating their own achievements today after US News & World Report released its annual rankings of American colleges and universities. We were excited to see a few of our alma maters on the list, so we’ve been thinking of ways to recognize the students and teachers at these universities.

xtra xtra features a special category devoted to academic announcements. Here are a few ways you can use this particular category to celebrate great achievements…

  1. Celebrate Graduations and Commencements
  2. Share Milestones for Collegiate Organizations and Clubs
  3. Recognize Those Added to the Dean’s List
  4. Announce Winners of Academic Awards and Recognitions
  5. Spotlight Scholarship Recipients
  6. Acknowledge a Faculty Member’s Promotion or Tenure

Keep xtra xtra in mind for these special academic achievements. You can tag your post to the school and your favorite communities, and it’s completely free!

Til next time,
CH