Why PressParade?
In considering PressParade, you may ask yourself, "Why should I use  a PressParade student profile to showcase myself instead of other products and online services?"

The question/answer FAQ below will help you better understand how PressParade is different and the advantages that PressParade provides.
Frequently Asked Questions 
Answers to the most frequently asked questions.

  1. Can't I just use a free Blog, Wiki, or web site to create my profile?

  2. Other services and tools can include video and pictures, what makes PressParade different?

  3. Other services contact colleges or provide colleges with the capability to search their database to recruit students.  Why don't you provide this capability?

  4. Are there any other options for distributing my profile besides online access?

  5. Can I use PressParade for purposes other than promoting myself to a college?

  1. Can't I just use a free Blog, Wiki, or web site to create my profile?
      
    Yes, in some instances this may be a good solution for you - especially if you are creating a basic, text oriented student profile and cost is an important consideration.

    However, put yourself in the position of admissions officers, coaches, and other interested parties.  They have limited resources and time to review student profiles sent by prospective applicants.  A concise, easy-to-use profile format that also provides a rich source of information about you is more likely to be reviewed and have an impact. 

    PressParade enables you to easily create a professional looking student profile that provides your audience with quick access to a portfolio of your work (e.g. video performances, electronic news articles, digitized school work).  With PressParade, your focus is primarily on collecting and uploading your content, instead of designing a custom web site or other presentation.

    Your PressParade subscription also provides additional tools to help you better manage your promotional campaign.  Our contacts and communications event manager tool enables you to input and track your contacts with college coaches, recruiters, and admissions personnel.  The built-in email application enables you to easily compose and send emails containing your student profile.  Finally, interactive guides help you better understand the recruiting and college admissions process.

    Since our business model is based on users paying a low monthly subscription fee, there are no advertising banners or other ads to detract from the quality and professionalism of your student profile.

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  2. Other services and tools can include video and pictures, what makes PressParade different?
    PressParade is all about rich content.  Not only can PressParade display video and pictures, but also PDF files, .MHT graphics/text files, and PowerPoint slideshows.  These formats enable students to easily include news articles and electronic versions of their school work, presentations, and projects.

    While other products may let you upload video, PressParade also gives individuals viewing your profile frame-by-frame, stop action control of video.  This is ideal for coaches who want to break down a student athlete's technique.  

    PressParade's Bio not only includes your picture, but also an optional video introduction.  Your Bio can also include links to supporting documents (e.g., transcript, letters of recommendation) and external web sites.

    You can also add detailed comments to each item included in your gallery, enabling you to tell your audience why a video clip, PDF file, news article, etc. is significant.  This helps you frame your work in a way that guides your audience towards your point of view.

    Finally, a PressParade student profile provides a central storage point to collect all of your data and content.  This is helpful when you need to complete an application or provide information to a coach or admissions officer.

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  3. Other services contact colleges or provide colleges with the capability to search their database to recruit students.  Why don't you provide this capability?

    Although recruiting services may tell you otherwise; college coaches and admissions personnel are interested in students that demonstrate a strong interest in attending their college.  Our philosophy is to provide you with a tool that enables you to proactively present yourself to colleges and help establish a relationship with the individuals representing those schools.

    Although colleges actively recruit elite athletes, musicians, and scholastic achievers, this is not the case for the majority of students seeking a college opportunity.

    Parents and students often make the mistake of thinking that colleges will locate them and that letters of interest received from coaches and other administrators mean that a scholarship offer is on its way.  PressParade provides you with the opportunity to take control of this process instead of erroneously operating under the illusion that colleges will somehow "find" you and offer a scholarship.

    Should you decide to register with a recruiting service or submit information to a student prospect database, consider also creating a PressParade student profile to present your video and other rich content.  Within PressParade's Bio, you can easily add a hyperlink to connect people viewing your PressParade profile to your other service's profile.  Likewise, you can add a hyperlink on your other service that displays your PressParade student profile.  Most importantly, be proactive in your efforts to secure the best college or other postsecondary opportunity!

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  4. Are there any other options for distributing my profile besides online access?
    Unlike many recruiting and student profile services that only offer online access, PressParade also offers an optional CD-ROM package.  These disks duplicate your profile on a media that you can hand out at camps and other events.  These CD's complement your online student profile and provide the opportunity for even greater exposure.

    The CD's also provide you with a means to save your student profile and create a keepsake. 

    Student athlete recruiting services that do provide a CD or DVD often provide a single "movie" that may look and sound nice.  These disks certainly make a great keepsake.  However, this approach does not necessarily provide a coach with quick access to specific video technique and game clips, nor provide integrated frame-by-frame control to easily break down the student athlete's technique.   

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  5. Can I use PressParade for purposes other than promoting myself to a college?
    Yes.   PressParade is an easy-to-use, general purpose digital portfolio that showcases an individual's talent and accomplishments - regardless of purpose.  PressParade also provides a web-accessible, central repository for collecting and organizing documents related to the profiled individual.      

    For homeschooled students, a PressParade student profile is an excellent means to collect your project work and build a portfolio to showcase your accomplishments.  Depending on the requirements of your school district, a PressParade digital portfolio may provide a solution superior to the traditional paper-based homeschool portfolio.  Adding comments and reflections to included portfolio items, and the use of goals within the student's Bio, can also help establish a tangible framework of expectations and clearly demonstrate how a homeschooled student is meeting required standards.

    You may also want to consider using PressParade to build a profile for the purposes of future employment opportunities. 

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