I just received an email from Classmates.com announcing that their message boards are now free. Why would they do that? Could it be a reaction to  MySpace quickly becoming the #1 site on the Internet for class networking?

While Classmates has filled an interesting niche for years, it looks like MySpace's fast growing - and potentially larger already - network of users connected through interests, bands, friends of friends, and schools, could post a real threat to Classmates.

I must admit that I'm not much of a Classmates user. I'm between my 10-15 year reunions, and logged in for the first time in a long time based on the dates of unread messages in my Message Center. On the other hand, while I'm a relative newcomer to MySpace, I can easily grasp the viral effect the site has. I've used the site to get back in touch with friends from schools I've attended, and always check the new MySpace additions from those same schools.

MySpace doesn't have the reunion-specific features Classmates has developed over the years, but how many reunion organizers really use Classmates for the organizing features? I imagine reunion organizers rely on Classmates and other services more for access to contacts before using other tools like email, phone calls, Evite, or the good old Postal Service for distributing reunion notices.

Have you ever organized a class reunion?

Did you use Classmates or other online sites to track down classmates?

How would you track down classmates today, and would you use any online tools for organizing the reunion itself?