# A virtual hall of fame alumni can open from anywhere

> Give your school a virtual hall of fame with its own web address, so alumni, families and inductees far from campus can browse every story online.

Source: https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/virtual-hall-of-fame · HistoryShowcase · Updated 2026-10-26

Most of your inductees do not live near the school anymore. Share the hall at its own web address so they, their families and old teammates can browse it from home.

## What is a virtual hall of fame?

A virtual hall of fame is an online version of a school’s hall of fame that anyone with the link can browse in a web browser, so inductees, families and alumni who live far away can read every story. In HistoryShowcase, the published site has its own web address, and the same site can also run full screen on a campus touchscreen.

- Made for: alumni directors, advancement staff and hall of fame committees
- Where schools put it: Alumni newsletter, School website, Lobby touchscreen
- Layouts: Portrait gallery, Timeline, Photo gallery
- Visitors can filter by: Category, Year
- Cost: Free to use. No payment details required.

## Your inductees moved away. The hall can travel.

A plaque in the lobby reaches whoever walks past it. The people who care most about a hall of fame often don’t: the inductee who lives three states away, the teammates scattered across the country, the grandchildren who never saw the athlete compete. When a new class is announced, families ask for a photo of the plaque, and that photo is the only way most of them ever see it.

A virtual hall of fame lives at its own web address. Anyone with the link can open it in a browser, so you can send it in the alumni newsletter, link it from the school website and share it when a new class is announced. The same published site can run full screen on a touchscreen in the building, so the hall on campus and the hall online always match.

## How does a virtual hall of fame compare with plaques in the lobby?

| What matters | Plaques in the lobby | HistoryShowcase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who can see it | People who walk through the lobby | Anyone with the link, anywhere |
| Announcing a new class | Families ask for a photo of the plaque | Send the link to the full stories |
| Finding a classmate | Visit campus and read the wall | Search a name from home |
| Being there in person | A physical place to visit and gather | Also shown on a campus touchscreen if you have one |

## What alumni find online

- **Every inductee, online.** The full biography and photos for each member, at the same web address visitors use on campus.
- **Search for classmates.** Alumni type a name to find teammates and classmates without knowing which category they were inducted in.
- **Induction announcements.** Publish the new class on announcement day and send the link, so families far away read the full stories right away.
- **Decade collections.** Group inductees by era, so alumni can browse the years they were in school.
- **Ceremony photo galleries.** Photos from each induction night, for the inductees and families who could not travel.

## Organize it for people browsing from home

Alumni browse by era and by the people they knew. Give them both routes.

Site: Virtual Hall of Fame

- **All inductees** (Portrait gallery): Every member, with class year and induction year.
- **By decade** (Timeline): Inductees placed in the era they attended.
- **Induction nights** (Photo gallery): One gallery per ceremony.

Visitors can filter by: Category, Year.

## How do you set up a virtual hall of fame?

1. **Build it once.** Add inductees with biographies and photos. The same published site serves the browser link and the touchscreen.
2. **Share the link.** Copy the published site’s web address into the alumni newsletter, the school website and your announcement posts.
3. **Publish each new class.** Prepare inductees in a private draft, publish on announcement day, then send the link again.

## Where should you share a virtual hall of fame?

- **Alumni newsletter.** Link the hall in every issue that mentions an inductee.
- **School website.** A permanent link from the alumni or athletics page.
- **Lobby touchscreen.** The same site, full screen, for visitors on campus.

## Virtual hall of fame questions

### Do alumni need an account to see it?

No. Anyone with the link can open the published site in a web browser. Accounts are only for the people who edit it.

### Is it the same as the hall on our touchscreen?

Yes. It is one published site. Open it full screen on the touchscreen in the building and share its web address with everyone else.

### Can we keep unfinished entries out of view?

Yes. Changes stay in a private draft until someone with publishing access publishes, and archived stories stay hidden.

### Do we need a touchscreen at all?

No. You can start with the online hall alone and open the same site on a touchscreen later if you add one.

## Related

- [Virtual Trophy Case](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/virtual-trophy-case): Your trophy case at its own web address, for alumni, families and recruits who can’t walk into the lobby.
- [Alumni Engagement Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/alumni-engagement-display): Give alumni a reason to look, share and send in stories: class pages, old photos and news from graduates.
- [Distinguished Alumni Wall](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/distinguished-alumni-wall): Honor graduates chosen for their careers and service, with full stories and each year’s new honorees.
- [Hall of Fame Induction Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/hall-of-fame-induction-display): Prepare the new class in private, reveal it on induction night and add ceremony photos the next morning.

Send the hall to everyone who belongs in it Free to use. No payment details required. Start building, no account needed: https://history-showcase.com/start